Julius "Junkie" Fleischmann
Entrepreneur and Rescuer of Caribbean Gardens
In ancient times, peacock was a dish enjoyed by the elite, so why not at a dinner party hosted by Naples' "Renaissance Man"?
Junkie Fleischmann was the man who came to lunch and stayed for a banquet of experiences. He dropped in at the Naples Hotel in 1946 for a bite of lunch, and before he left he was well on his way to changing the character of the town.
It's not surprising that Junkie Fleischmann saw in Naples a challenge. He was urbane, erudite, sophisticated and intellectual. The nickname "Junkie" could not have been less reflective of his personality and persona. He was tagged with the name when he attended Hotchkiss School. His older brother, Charles, had been dubbed Junkie by his classmates, and when the younger Fleischmann arrived, he became Little Junkie.
He came from a family of entrepreneurs and carried on the tradition of using their wealth and position to live a life of challenge and contribution. His grandfather, Charles Fleischmann, immigrated from Austria in 1866 and brought with him the formula for making yeast. It revolutionized the bakery industry and was the start of a dynasty that took the family into arts, industry, real estate and politics. Fleischmann Yeast was destined to go on to produce gin and eventually became Standard Brands. Junkie's father, Julius, was a two-term mayor of Cincinnati, where the family settled.
During his life, Junkie Fleischmann wore many hats and wore them with elan and style. He was active in the family business, but his interests were divergent and included publishing, ownership in several hotels, theatrical production, director and president of the Ballet Russe in Monte Carlo, and he was one of the most renowned yachtsmen in the world.
Shortly after that first visit Junkie began buying parcels of land and some of the buildings in the part of Naples, which is now the Third Street business district (Old Naples).
By 1952, he had formed Neapolitan Enterprises, a development company. He opened the Beach Patio in 1954, the first commercial building he acquired. The building had been built in 1947 and was known as the Brae-Bedell Patio. Shortly after, he constructed the building that now houses Zita, the first fashion salon in Old Naples. Zita had opened in 1947 in the solarium of the Naples Hotel and, in 1955, had moved to the new building, where the shop is still located. In 1962, Fleischmann Central was completed; this two-story building at 1250 Third Street South has shops on the ground floor, with offices above.
Another Fleischmann creation followed, the Palladian-style building at the northwest corner of 13th Avenue South, now occupied by R and R Robinson. Although Fleischmann gave his personal attention to the designing and building of each project, Swan Court was his favorite. Unfortunately, he died in 1967, before it was completed. He also had acquired the Seminole Market and opened The Antique Addict, filled with artifacts, antiques and furniture he bought while traveling the world inhis yacht.
Junkie's long-range plans were continued after his death. His close associate, Charles Long, had taken over the operation of Neapolitan Enterprises and, with the encouragement of the Fleischmann family, The Neapolitan Building at Third Street and 13th Avenue South was completed.
Old Naples was the most important project that Fleischmann undertook in Naples, but his influence was felt throughout the city.
One of his most important acquisitions was Henry Nehrling's botanical gardens. They had lain fallow for several years, a veritable Garden of Eden filled with rare plants, flowering trees and botanical specimens from all over the world.
The gardens, renamed Caribbean Gardens, and currently home for Jungle Larry's Safari, were originated by Nehrling in 1917. He was a well-known ornithologist but became fascinated by the possibilities offered by the subtropical climate of South Florida for growing rare plants. Eventually, the 30-acre plot became a microcosm of global tropicana, earning Nehrling a reputation for inventing ornamental hybrids.
Junkie Fleischmann wanted to preserve Nehrling's valuable collection of plants, but as an imaginative entrepreneur, he also saw the possibilities of creating a unique attraction. Originally operating the garden as a nursery, Fleischmann, in 1952, began an ambitious restoration, directing its development into an exhibition park, building paths, boardwalks and lakes and changing its name to Caribbean Gardens.
To the infinite varieties already established in the gardens, he added thousands of rare plants and seeds, which he acquired during his worldwide travels. Then came the birds: having established a habitat ideal for a wide variety o[ exotic birds Fleischmann went about stocking it with waterfowl and other colorful feathered species.
Joel Kuperberg was hired right out of graduate school where he majored in botany, and he took over the managing of the gardens. He and Fleischmann traveled the world buying, borrowing and trading exotic species. Marvin Cecil, now public relations director for Naples Community Hospital, joined the staff at Caribbean Gardens, and he also was dispatched on many expeditions to study and bring back rare birds.
Residents still remember when various birds would escape
from the gardens, and many of their feathered descendants still live wild around Naples.
Swans, flamingoes and other water birds brought into the gardens sometimes ended as a meal
for the alligators and a renegade crocodile who invaded the lakes and ponds.
Fleischmann was no novice to show business. He had been in partnership with Richard
Aldrich in a theatrical production company. They were the producers of the notorious and
naughty (for the times) The Moon is Blue. Now he went about developing a duck vaudeville
show.
Kuperberg recalls the day he and Fleischmann were walking through the gardens when
Fleischmann asked him how much it cost to feed all the birds and water fowl. When
Kuperberg answered it was about $50,000 a year, Fleischmann asked, "Do they all just
stand around? Can't we get them to do something?"
Shortly after that, Animal Behavior Enterprises in Hot Springs, Arkansas, was hired to
train the ducks. Fleischmann had read an article about the company training a duck to play
a drum.
The resulting Duck Vaudeville featured domestic Pekins that high-dived, picked flowers,
retrieved floating rings and played golf, the guitar and the piano. Kuperberg became the
troupe's booking agent, promoter and traveling companion. In 1961 they performed at
Rockefeller Center, appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and eventually toured Europe.
Several buildings were built in Caribbean Gardens. Three large greenhouses were home to
thousands of magnificent orchids, and in one section, The Orchid Cathedral was the scene
of many a Neapolitan wedding.
The gardens also were an ideal setting for marvelous parties hosted by Dorette and Junkie
Fleischmann. On their 35th wedding anniversary, they held a gala party with a gay '90s
theme. Bea and Steve Briggs walked away with the first prize when they arrived in costume
on a bicycle built for two. Second prize-winner was Helen Tracy who appeared as Eloise at
The Plaza.
The Fleischmanns also entertained at a boathouse they maintained in Grayton Cove and on
their yacht, The Camargo. Their home on Gulfshore Boulevard, a serene, lovely house built
of board-and-batten cypress with a tanbark drive, was the scene of many a get together
made more festive by the appearance of their friends. Artists, journalists, politicians
and show business luminaries lit up the Naples scene. One year, Agnes and Eugene Meyer,
owners of the Washington Post lived in the Fleischmann house. Their daughter and
son-in-law, Katherine and Phil Graham, often came with their children.
The Fleischmann legacy lingers on in Naples. Junkie Fleischmann's contributions to the
business, cultural and social climate are now an integral part of the small city that has
emerged from the tiny, unpretentious village he first saw in 1946. The gloss and
sophistication of Old Naples remains a legacy for everyone who visits there.
The legacy continues throughout Naples; in Fleischmann Park, in Caribbean Gardens in the
style and wit that has become a part of the lifestyle here. His influence remains an
integral part of the past, present and future.
