Club History

At a spring party (I think 2001) we celebrated 25 years. I was on the board and was asked to present a short history of the club. There is a great deal of information. I condensed it to the following. I think at some time a short history was sent to new members.

• 11/01/1976 - Naples Duplicate Bridge Club held games Monday and Thursday afternoons at 1400 Gulf Shore Blvd.

• 01/24/1977 - The name was changed to Naples Bridge Center – a non-profit Corporation and by-laws were adopted.

• 02/13/1980 - Game fees were raised to $2 to cover the cost of increased rent. Many demands by the landlord made a move mandatory. The choices were: buy, rent or build. It was decided to build in a lot on Golden Gate Blvd. at a cost of $25,000.

• 05/15/1980 - 200 Members had donated $23,000 toward the purchase of the property. $97,000 was the bid for the building and grounds.

• 05/20/1980 - County Commissioners denied the petition of Naples Bridge Club for provisional use. A favorable zoning decision was finally reached 7/8/80

• 08/11/1980 - Ground Breaking! Bridge Club members pledged $47,000. They purchased $1,000 bonds at 12%. First Mortgage was with the First National Bank of Naples and second mortgage held with members. One member loaned $42,000 so construction could begin.

How Bob Clark, then President, survived the next year and a half is a miracle. He served with unfailing dedication and perseverance. There were unreasonable delays, shoddy construction that had to be torn down and rebuilt. Problems with the well, the septic system, badly installed panic bars, and the kitchen. The parking lot was a disaster. The original completion date was 12/15/80. A certificate of occupancy was finally promised for late January.

Bob Clark watched over the construction daily. He was in constant contact with the contractors and the Collier County Department whose approval was mandatory. The Naples Bridge Club owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude.

 This article was provided by Lola Roberts on May 22, 2009