Leesburg celebrates re-opening of Mote-Morris House
Contact: Office of the City Manager
352-728-9786 ext. 1100
citymanager@leesburgflorida.gov
Leesburg celebrates
re-opening of the Mote-Morris House
LEESBURG, Fla – The City of Leesburg will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the re-opening of the Mote-Morris House on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 10:00am. The Mote-Morris House is located at 1195 W. Magnolia St, Leesburg.
One of only a few original remaining residences in Leesburg, Mote-Morris suffered severe fire damage in February, 2018. With its Victorian architecture, two-story bays and four-story turret, this home had only minor modifications in its 102 years. However, the fire caused a considerable amount of structural and cosmetic damage to the building. With the assistance of KMF Architects and Evergreen Construction, the City of Leesburg has restored the Mote-Morris House back to its original charm.
The Mote-Morris House, built in 1892 for eight-term Leesburg Mayor Edward H. Mote and his wife Lucretia, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1918, the home was sold to John S. and May James Morris and a member of the Morris family would live in the house for the next 70 years. In August of 1988, the Morrison United Methodist Church purchased the house and offered it to whoever would move it. Residents of Leesburg rallied together and raised $95,000.00 for a new site. On September 1, 1990, the Mote-Morris House was moved to its current location from its original Main Street address. More than 400 people turned out to watch as the 150-ton house was transported one block south and two blocks west.
For more information, contact the City of Leesburg Recreation Department at (352) 728-9885.