Whenever a gentleman was leaving, all the ladies would gather on the porches and in their sweetest southern drawl say "see ya later alligator".
North Key House was originally built in 1912 by the Burkhart family.
They understood the value of this central Florida location and started Mount Dora's first alligator trading post in this house. Local folk would gather here in the early mornings to see what the trappers had caught the night before. The gators back then would grow to a length of up to 18 feet. After a bit of ceremonial gator wrestling the meat was harvested and the hides were hung from both levels of the porches to dry. The dried gator leather was then shipped to manufactures up north to fulfill the high demand for alligator bags in those days.
In the mid 1920s the home became a brothel. Many beautiful ladies adorned the porches waiting to entertain a gentleman caller. The madam of the house, known as Cookie, actually coined a very famous phrase in memory of the houses alligator trading post history. Whenever a gentleman was leaving, all the ladies would gather on the porches and in their sweetest southern drawl say "see ya later alligator".
In the fifties the building next door, North Key Suites, was added to the property. The gentleman that owned the house in that era was a known conspiracy theorist. He believed the Russians were ready to replace their vodka in the snow for some rum and fun in the sun. Now that Russia and Cuba were friendlier than one of Cookies girls on payday, he knew those Russians would be relocating in mass to the sunny beachs from 90 miles just off our southernmost coast. To prepare for the coming invasion, and in the name of good old patriotic capitalism, he added the duplex to the property. Below the apartments is 3500 square foot bunker. It is now used as a wine cellar and for cat food storage.
In the late 1960's the original home was also split into two apartments and the side porches were infilled to make additional bedrooms. The home slowly deteriorated till it was recently purchased in 2012
The current renovation began, 100 years from its original construction. Toby Turner Construction has been Rethinking, Renewing, and Rebuilding homes in the historic district of Mount Dora since the last millennium. We feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to give this great old home another chapter in its life.
Thank you for taking a moment to read this history of North Key. Though all, some, or none of it may be true, I hope that you find Mount Dora to be the someplace special that those of us who live here know it is.
Thanks for your time
Toby Turner