McKee Jungle Gardens stood on this original site as one of Florida’s earliest tourist attractions. Founded in 1932 by Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton and Cleveland industrialist Arthur G. McKee, the gardens were enhanced and developed by landscape architect William Lyman Phillips across 80 acres of dense tropical vegetation. The gardens featured native and imported tropical plants, an aviary, resident monkeys, and an alligator named “Ole Mac.” Among Phillips’ most impressive designs was the Cathedral of Palms, a colossal stand of more than 300 royal palms planted in precise rows. At the height of its popularity, the garden attracted 100,000 visitors annually, but it closed in 1976 because it could not compete with nearby theme parks. Most of the acreage became a golf course and condominiums, while the remaining 18 acres, now known as McKee Botanical Garden, were saved by the Indian River Land Trust and the citizens of Indian River County as an example of environmental stewardship and horticultural inspiration.