THE SITUATION ON 5TH AVENUE SOUTH
THE SITUATION ON 5TH
AVENUE SOUTH
During this time, 5th Avenue was in trouble.
Half of the offices were vacant. An adult
bookstore stood out like a sore thumb, and
the street looked tired.
“We realized we needed to act, and act fast,”
says longtime 5th Avenue property owner
Michael Wynn. “Downtown is the heart of
Naples, and the heart was broken.”
So in 1994, civic and business leaders called
upon world-renowned urban planner Andrés
Duany to lead the rejuvenation effort of 5th
Avenue and downtown Naples.
“It’s unbelievable that Naples’ cultural
institutions are being so maltreated. That’s
the only word for it,” wrote Duany in his
official report. “Providing appropriate and
attractive facilities is crucial to the revival of
5th Avenue.”
AN INVITATION TO
COLLABORATE
5th Avenue property owners, including
Michael Wynn and Phil McCabe, partnered
with the city to close 7th Street and invited
The Naples Players to build a theater. Andrés
Duany considered this project “a tremendous
shot in the arm for downtown Naples.”
“Like many cities, we came together,” Wynn
says. “We realized that for the Avenue to have
life, we actually needed to have people
Continued on page 23>
The 1969 production of Peter Pan at Gulfview
Middle School.
Staff and supporters host a ribbon cutting at
the new theater on Davis Blvd. in 1975.
The former Kon-Tiki Theatre where The Naples
Players took up residence from 1984 until the
final move to 5th Avenue South in 1998.
65th Anniversary Season | www.naplesplayers.org | (239) 263-7990
21
CELEBRATING 65
/www.naplesplayers.org