Punta Gorda was devastated by a fire in 1905 that wiped out its downtown. So several of its current landmarks were built using brick, including the City Hall which opened in 1926. The biggest development occurred during the 1920s when the Florida land boom was in full swing, land prices were skyrocketing and droves of tourists arrived by rail and then by car when the Tamiami Trail reached Charlotte County in 1928. However, all of this dramatic growth came to an abrupt end after the 1929 stock market crash. The City Hall on West Marion Avenue still serves as the government office for Punta Gorda.
