ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – “Usually when we start, we first introduce Dr. William Monroe Wells,” a guide explained during a tour.
Dr. Wells built the two-story hotel in the 1920s, which is now filled with dozens of African-American historical artifacts.
Executive Director Elizabeth Grace says the $2 million will go toward long-needed repairs.
“The doors need fixing. The elevators so people can have easy access to the second floor, which is where all the hotel rooms would have been,” she said.
Grace added that the funds will also cover HVAC repairs, paving, doors, and windows—all in accordance with historic preservation guidelines.
“It’s also going to help us renovate the former home of Dr. William Monroe Wells. That will become a part of the holdings and the offerings where we can have more memorabilia and more artifacts,” she explained.
For Grace, this work is personal. She is continuing the legacy of her mother, the late Senator Geraldine Thompson, who founded the museum in the 1990s and saved the building from demolition.
“There are three of us, but I used to tease her that she had four children, and this Wells’Built Museum was absolutely her baby,” Grace said.
Last year, Thompson served on the Florida Museum of Black History Task Force and pushed to bring the future site to Eatonville, though St. Augustine was ultimately chosen. Still, her dream of showcasing African-American history in Orlando lives on.
“Continuing her life’s work and her passion is a privilege for me, and it means the world to be able to make sure that her legacy continues,” Grace said.
Construction on the renovations is expected to begin by the end of the year.