WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH… SPERRY HISTORIC BOATHOUSE RENOVATION?
The owner of the beloved historic boathouse, known as the Sperry Boathouse, located in Jupiter Inlet Village is currently being re-wrapped for safety and preservation during hurricane season. Did you know that the original boathouse was built in 1905 by William Sperry of S&H Green Stamps?
In 1853, the United States government began construction of the Jupiter Lighthouse. It was one of the first locations selected for navigational aid by the U.S. Lighthouse Board. No known inhabitants lived anywhere near the lighthouse area of construction. All supplies had to be delivered by ship; many lives were lost by the treacherous coastline. The lighthouse was completed in 1859. Other than light housekeepers and their families, Jupiter was a very desolate area.
Beginning in 1885, the Carlin, DuBois, Hooley, and Sperry families built homes on the south side of the Jupiter Inlet. The first home was built in the late 1890’s by Mr. E.S. Hooley, of New York, who sold to Mr. Sperry who named his property “Suni Sands”.
The Sperry’s originally used the upper room as a ballroom before it was converted to apartments. The new boathouse will be built in the style and character of the original building, but with current building codes and hurricane standards.
The current owner, Mr. Modica, has applied for replication permits of the historic boathouse structure. He has architectural plans and construction permits being prepared. It is anticipated to take approximately a year to complete once construction begins.
Once construction of the new boathouse is complete, it will likely be used, according to the Town of Jupiter Inlet Villager, it will likely be used as a gathering place, not unlike the Civic Center at Carlin Park.
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