Fort Myers News-Press
McBryde & Frizzell Architects
Although the industrial, printing and distribution facilities of The News-Press designed by McBryde and Frizzell Architects in1960 were located on the outskirts of town on the opposite side of Anderson Avenue (now Martin Luther King Jr, Boulevard), the editorial office was downtown - across from the Snack House in the Arcade.
In 1964, the staff moved into a stylish mid-century one-story office designed by the same architects. In this new headquarters building, the relationship between modern technology and architectural design is clearly apparent in the cutting edge use of materials and, architectural concrete. An exuberant reinforced concrete canopy unmistakably identified the entry. The varying spaces between exposed pre-cast structural columns were filled with an array of materials; glass, metal screen and pebbledash, textured stucco with exposed aggregate. This combination of materials and columns provided rhythm and interest.
In complete contrast to the heavy appearance of the exterior, an inner courtyard abundant with tropical vegetation appears light and airy, creating a very private inner sanctuary within bringing daylight and fresh air inside.
