Historic Thom Downs Antiques building in Downtown Lakeland is up for sale

Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger
·2 min read
The Thom Downs Antiques building, 235 N. Florida Ave., was built in 1922 and originally housed a Ford Model T dealership. It has been been listed for sale at $2,195,000.
The Thom Downs Antiques building, 235 N. Florida Ave., was built in 1922 and originally housed a Ford Model T dealership. It has been been listed for sale at $2,195,000.

One of Lakeland's prominent downtown historic buildings is on the market for the first time in two generations.

The Thom Downs Antiques building, 235 N. Florida Ave., has been been listed for sale at $2,195,000 with SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler real estate brokerage.

"The building is the last of its kind," said Seth Kaiser, of SVN. "This one has good bones and is still very much ready for the next person, anything like it has already been developed to some extent. It's a gem for whoever takes it on next."

The Thom Downs Antiques building, has large windows along its 100 feet of frontage along Florida Avenue in Lakeland.
The Thom Downs Antiques building, has large windows along its 100 feet of frontage along Florida Avenue in Lakeland.

The two-story building was constructed in 1922 and has about 16,650 square feet of interior space, according to Polk County Property Appraiser's website. It originally house a Ford Model-T dealership, with large windows built in along the more than 100 feet of frontage facing Florida Avenue.

"There are lots and lots windows allowing for beautiful natural lighting," Kaiser said.

Documents show the building was purchased by Thomas William Downs in 1985 from Le Tourneau College, a Texas educational corporation, for $195,000.

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Downs left his job at Eagle Lake Elementary to open up Thom Downs Antiques and the family-owned and operated antiques business has since become a Lakeland fixture.

The store's ownership has declined to publicly speak about the sale of the building, according to Kaiser. They are "moving onto the next step," he said, most likely closing the store but continuing to have some ties to the antiques market.

Inside, the building's original elevator used to transfer Model T cars between floors remain operationally intact, Kaiser said. The second floor of the building also retains its original wood floors. The interior space is open and could be subdivided for multiple tenants, if desired.

In recent years, the building may be most easily identified by residents for the 34-foot tall mural of a woman's face on a backdrop of vivid pinks and oranges painted by Gabriela Jaxon in 2018. Kaiser said there are no plans to cover over the mural at this time.

The Thom Downs Antiques building was purchased by Thomas William Downs in 1985 for $195,000. The mural on the side was painted in in 2018 by Gabriela Jaxson.
The Thom Downs Antiques building was purchased by Thomas William Downs in 1985 for $195,000. The mural on the side was painted in in 2018 by Gabriela Jaxson.

Traders Alley runs behind the building to provide parking spaces for up to 10 cars, Kaiser said. Buildings with on-site parking are limited and often in high demand in Downtown Lakeland.

Kaiser said there have been multiple parties express interest in the building, but there's been some work to figure out how the space can best work for them.

'We've spoken to have a dozen people who would be a good fit," he said.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on X @ SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Historic gem in Downtown Lakeland is on the market for $2.1 million