(upbeat music) - [Narrator] When Jim Griffith, a classically trained musician, moved to Fort Myers some 20 years ago, he realized that the downtown area was, for the most part, a cultural desert desperate for arts, entertainment, and vitality.

Something had to be done, but what?

And then he came across that big stone building.

- Downtown was essentially dead at the time.

I approached the city of Fort Myers into converting the building to an art center, bringing the arts into downtown, which I argued would be bringing life back into downtown.

- [Narrator] Some called him crazy.

Other said, it could never be done, but Griffith had a vision and he was determined to transform downtown Fort Myers through the power of art.

- My original concept was to have a multifunctional, multipurpose arts center that we could do visual as well as the performing art center.

We had to work within the constraints of what the building is, but so we incorporated that into our design and we really just made it a blank canvas so that every event that happens here is different.

There's a different art show every month.

There are multiple series of jazz, chamber music, vinyl vibes, bluegrass, we have film festival, we have fashion shows, and we also make the building available for rental.

All other non-profits can utilize the space for their galas and their fund raisers, so this building is so active now.

We have 150,000 visitors annually come through this art center.

- Despite his amazing accomplishments at the Art Center, Griffith feels that his proudest moment, his crowning achievement, is the recent grand opening of the beautiful rooftop sculpture garden, dedicated to Sidney Davis.

- The final phase of restoration of this building was to build out the rooftop into the Sydney's Rooftop Sculpture Garden.

It has tremendous vistas of the river, of the historic city, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

And we've already started having events up there, but it took us four years and $2 million, but it is the new crown jewel of downtown Fort Myers.

(gentle music)