A Tallahassee home associated with a defining moment for the U.S. Marine Corps and the country’s World War II victory at Iwo Jima may be demolished as part of a plan to improve security for Ron DeSantis and the First Family at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee.
A spokesperson for the Department of Management Services confirmed that the state bought the 4,000-square-foot brick home at 112 E. First Ave. in May for $585,000. DMS is the state’s property manager.
The two-story building sits on a hilltop at the intersection of Monroe Street, First and Thomasville Roads. The area also includes The Gladstone, which served as a boarding house for more than 70 years; The Grove, the family home of territorial governor Richard Keith Call and later Florida’s 33rd governor, LeRoy Collins; and the current governor’s mansion.
The state paid $567,000 for Gladstone in June with plans to demolish it. State law enforcement officials have cited safety concerns in recommending that the state buy the properties.
“These acquisitions will ultimately benefit the long-term security of Florida’s First Family, the State of Florida and the City of Tallahassee,” said Dan Barrow of DMS.
He explained that the Division of Historical Resources under Secretary of State Cord Byrd is conducting an “engineering assessment” to determine the best use of the property. A request for more information is pending with the division.
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The house on First Avenue was built in 1940 and was where Mrs. Martha Thomas Bryan lived when her son, Sgt. Ernest Ivy Thomas, known locally as “Boots,” led the Marines who captured Mt. Suribachi in 1945. Bryan was an employee of the state Department of Transportation.
Thomas had assumed command of his squad after their platoon leader was wounded during the February battle, and he led the attack. Their raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi is depicted on the bronze Iwo Jima Memorial statue.
A photo of Thomas with a drawn gun in front of the flag was distributed by the Associated Press.
In an interview aboard ship, CBS Radio’s Don Pryor introduced Thomas to a national audience as a “humble but tough 20-year-old fighter from Tallahassee, Florida.”
“Three of us actually raised the flag … and we wanted to make sure it stayed up,” Thomas said. However, after the interview aboard the ship, Thomas was killed eight days later.
Thomas was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross in 1946; the VA clinic in Tallahassee is now named after him. His mother lived in the house until 1948, when she moved to another state.
Bob Holladay, president of the Tallahassee Historical Society, said he was unaware that the state had purchased the Thomas house. The society is currently in the process of placing 10 historical markers around the city to commemorate Tallahassee’s bicentennial, but Holladay said that with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima coming up, the Thomas house could be considered for a historical marker next year.
“It would be harder if the house wasn’t there,” Holladay said.
James Bel is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and can be found at X as @CallTallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis security plan threatens second historic home in Tallahassee
