The Stuart Welcome Arch (also known as the 1926 Welcome Arch or Rio-Jensen Beach Arch) is an historic

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

-shaped gateway that straddles County Road 707 between 2369 and 2390 Northeast Dixie Highway in

Jensen Beach Jensen Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,652 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histo ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. It was built in 1926 to mark what were then the town lines of incorporated Jensen and Stuart and to herald Stuart as a "Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico."Stuart Daily News
1937.

History

Early history

The Town of Stuart was incorporated in 1914 and charted as the Seat of the newly-created Martin County in 1927, where the "town" was changed to "city." During this period, Stuart's limits extended to the southern portion of CR 707. One year later, the Town of Jensen incorporated and covered all the area just north of the Arch. The Arch was constructed during the

Florida land boom The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble. This pioneering era of Florida land speculation lasted from 1924 to 1926 and attracted investors from all over the nation. The land boom left behind entirely new, planned ...

and celebrated the opening of the

Okeechobee Waterway The Okeechobee Waterway or Okeechobee Canal is a relatively shallow artificial waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers on the west coast to Stuart on Florida's east coast. The waterway can support tows such as b ...

(then called the Stuart-Ft. Myers cross-State channel), which was heralded at the time as an efficient way to get across the state. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the Town of Jensen went bankrupt and was dissolved by the State of Florida. In 1933, the State of Florida forced Stuart to retrocede most of its area north of the

St. Lucie River The St. Lucie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 18, 2011 estuary linked to a coastal river system in St. Lucie and Martin counties in the Florida, United ...

, including the area surrounding the Arch. According to its modern dedication, during the Depression, the Arch was a frequent target of theft. With both surrounding municipalities having disappeared from its surroundings, the Arch became located entirely within the unincorporated area of Martin County.

1940s to 1990s

From the 1940s to the 1990s, various changes and modifications were made to the Welcome Arch. In 1949, hurricane winds blew down the primary crossbeam, which was re-installed in 1954 with an additional hanging structure. It was painted red, white, and blue in 1976, after which a car crash required reconstructing the east tower, which began in 1977. Later, the Arch was painted hot pink in 1994. In 1998, the replacement crossbeam was again struck by a garbage truck and the replacement signage included language: “Welcome to Rio” on the northern face and “Welcome to Jensen Beach" on the southern face.

Restoration

As part of community redevelopment efforts occurring in nearby

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, restoration efforts restarted on the Arch in the early 2000s. County goals involved achieving historical registration, which required substantial effort restoring the original character, design, and signage of the Arch. This included removing "Rio" and "Jensen Beach" in favor of the original "Stuart" and "Jensen," despite the fact the City of Stuart no longer abutted the Arch and the Town of Jensen had been dissolved decades prior. On September 15, 2004, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Gallery

File:Stuart Welcome Arch - Rio Monumental Florida local exhibit.png, Arch as of early-2000s. Note crossbeam with and different text on signage. File:Stuart Welcome Arch - Jensen Beach 1971.png, Arch as of 1971. Note reduction in crossbeam width and different text on signage. File:Stuart Welcome Arch - 1949.png, Arch in 1949 following damage to the crossbeam. File:Stuart Welcome Arch 011.JPG, Arch dedication plaque, modern day. File:Jensen Beach FL Welcome Arch marker01.jpg, Arch historical marker sign, modern day. File:Jensen Beach FL Welcome Arch side02.jpg, Northern edge of the Arch, modern day.

References

Martin County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

Martin County markers
a
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

a
New York Times
National Register of Historic Places in Martin County, Florida Buildings and structures in Martin County, Florida Martin County Local Historic Register Jensen Beach, Florida {{MartinCountyFL-NRHP-stub