Recently, I attended “Morning’s on Main Street,’” held in the historic Platt/Porter House now part of Vitale family’s “Old Colorado Inn” bed and breakfast properties. I parked on Osceola Street as the morning sun was hitting Christopher Vitale’s mural. It is on the east side of the Theodore Dehon Building.

After I walked around the building’s circular façade, I saw Christopher’s more recently completed mural showing the historic Coventry Hotel and Apartment that formed the nucleus of what is now Old Colorado Inn Hotel and Vacation Rentals.

My admiration of the Vitale family’s talents, as well as their preservation of historic properties came together with my recently renewed interest in Theodore Dehon’s family. This has inspired me to create another History Lady Blog.

The Dehon family arrived in Stuart during the Boom years of the    1920s. Their roots go back to the Mayflower and for generations they were members of the plantation aristocracy in South Carolina. A link to Middleton Place is below:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Middleton+Place&rlz=1C1DKCZ_enUS781US783&oq=Middle&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggBEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg5MgYIARBFGDsyCggCEC4YsQMYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEC4YgAQyDQgFEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyCggGEC4YgAQYtAcyBwgHEAAYjwIyBwgIEAAYjwIyBwgJEAAYjwLSAQk3MjQ3ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBeHS1sZiinJQ&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8

Theodore Dehon married Helen Middleton in 1893. Middleton Place with American’s oldest landscaped Gardens, a National Landmark in Charleston, is a must for anyone who visits the historic city.

Two Dehon buildings are the cornerstones of Stuart’s Historic District. Both were built by Theodore Dehon & Son. The one-story, curved structure, the Theodore Dehon Building, was constructed in 1941. The two-story Arthur Dehon Building was built in 1948.

During 1940 and 1941 the Stuart News ran a series called “People who Made Stuart.” Both Dehons, Theodore and Arthur, were included. A transcription of the article on Theodore Dehon follows:

The Stuart News published multiple articles about the “Beautiful New Theodore Dehon & Son Building” on January 15, 1942. In the main article, Theodore was quoted: “I have always wanted to build something enduring in Stuart something of substantial character which would stand as a mark of my faith in Stuart now and in the future.”

Scroll below for photos of the Theodore Dehon Building from September 2026

With the Vitale family’s commitment to preservation and Christopher Vitale’s artistry Theodore Dehon’s building, endures and is more beautiful than ever.

Link to The Old Colorado Inn :

.ttps://www.google.com/search?q=Old+Colorado+Inn+Stuart+Florida&rlz=1C1DKCZ_enUS781US783&oq=Old+C&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggBEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg5MgYIARBFGDsyFggCEC4YgwEYxwEYsQMYyQMY0QMYgAQyEwgDEC4YrwEYxwEYgAQYmAUYmQUyBwgEEAAYgAQyDQgFEAAYgwEYsQMYgAQyCggGEAAYgAQYtAcyEAgHEC4YrwEYxwEYkgMYgAQyBwgIEAAYjwIyBwgJEAAYjwLSAQk0OTc2ajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBX_hCe-e7dpz&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8