PUNTA GORDA — Long before casual crowds enjoying cold drinks filled the corner where Shorty’s Place now stands, the intersection of Marion Avenue and Cross Street (U.S. 41 South) served as a commercial heartbeat of an early Punta Gorda.
In 1899, Perry McAdow, a wealthy gold mine owner, relocated with his wife, Marian, to the town he fell in love with while staying at the Hotel Punta Gorda.
They built a one-story commercial building on the site. The structure housed the Punta Gorda Bank along with several stores, forming what was, in effect, the town’s earliest shopping center…