Q: I see they’re tearing down the old castle bank on Goodlette-Frank Road. Any ideas what’s coming? —David S., Naples 

A: “The Castle” in Naples with its stone-clad circular turret tower has been mostly reduced to rubble but nothing new is planned yet at its royal resting place at 900 Goodlette-Frank Road. 

Fifth Third Bank closed its longtime bank there last August. Before the eye-catching building became a bank, it was a string of short-lived restaurants and nightclubs. Recent talk that the former bank was going to be a restaurant again ended up being just a rumor. 

After the city issued a demolition permit this spring, a construction fence was installed in late May and the more than 15,000-square-foot building was demolished this month by Honc Destruction. The permit approved the demolition and hauling away of the entire commercial building along with the drive-thru concrete canopy structures and slabs. The parking lots will remain. 

The 45-year-old building was outdated and more of a hazard than an asset, said AJS Realty Group’s Andrew J. Saluan, who is part of the real estate’s ownership group, Naples-based Castle Partnership. The group does not have another project planned for that site yet, Saluan said.  

“We don’t have any future plans for right now, but whatever it may be, we’ll start from scratch,” he said.  

Castle Partnership first acquired the property in 1989 when it was still part of unincorporated Collier County until the city of Naples annexed the property in 1994, city records show. Castle leased the property to a bank for 10 years until the bank purchased the property in 1999.  

“The history of it is the group that I represent actually owned the property and sold it to First National Bank of Naples years ago,” Saluan said. “And then, when they got bought by Fifth Third, Fifth Third inherited it.” 

Fifth Third Bank closed that branch after recently building a new office on the corner of Golden Gate Parkway and U.S. 41 and opening another branch at U.S. 41 and Fourth Avenue South in the city. Then, Castle Partnership bought back “The Castle” last year for $2.7 million. 

“Fifth Third decided it was time to move. We bought it from them and really the thought was to tear it down because my group holds the parking lot behind it—half of it anyway, the half that wasn’t part of Fifth Third—and then owns the vacant land to the south and to the east,” Saluan said. “So, it just makes sense to put it all together and clear it out. The building wasn’t functional. It would have cost too much money to retrofit it to make it usable in today’s world. So, we decided to just tear it down.” 

Eventually, something will be built there to replace the memorable castle structure, Saluan said, but it won’t be another bank. The warranty deed from Fifth Third states that the property may not be used as a financial institution for 10 years. 

“I would hope something’s going to give there pretty soon because it’s such a good location,” Saluan said. “A lot of people have a lot of memories there. That’s good.” 

Built in 1980, the building used to have a large porte-cochère jutting out from its center. During its first decade, the site hosted a string of restaurants and nightclubs, beginning with Copperfield’s Public House & Restaurant. It also was Gentlemen Jim’s, Country Manor, The Embers Restaurant & Lounge, Sir Biggies and Hollywood Knights. 

The building had a stage area and dance floor that hosted national acts in the ‘80s. Weird Al Yankovic played “Eat It” and his entire show of parody hits as part of The Stupid Tour at The Embers in September 1985. Concerts by Johnny Winter, Molly Hatchet and The Romantics also are remembered there. 

Vicki Tracy, chief operating officer of Naples-based Gulf Coast International Properties, fondly remembers Copperfield’s, which opened a few years after she arrived in Naples in 1977. She married her second husband at Copperfield’s in 1981. 

“I met my second husband there. I’m on my third husband—34 years—but, yeah, I got married there,” Tracy said. “We all hung around there.” 

Their marriage was the first to happen there, she said. “The place had this Las Vegas band that would come from Miami. They were called the Tony Tillman Band. They said, ‘We want to play for the wedding since you guys met here.’ The event was good; the marriage was awful,” Tracy said with a hearty laugh. 

Tracy and her brothers also used to regularly dance there and win dance contests.  

“That was our place. We had so much fun there,” she said. “My youngest brother, Kevin, and I used to go there. He was trying to pick up girls and we used to be in dance contests as kids. Every other week they’d have this dance contest, and you could win 50 bucks. We’d always win—nine times out of 10—so we’d get the 50 bucks and he never split it with me. Now he’s a multi-multimillionaire and he bought me a car for my birthday, so I said, ‘OK, you’re forgiven.’” 

Dan Costaregni, owner of the renowned Pastrami Dan’s sandwich shop in Naples, met his wife, Beth, there in 1986 when it was Hollywood Knights, which was a popular local entertainment venue then. “I met her there, we danced and started going out,” he said. “We’ve been married ever since.” 

By the way, Pastrami Dan’s will mark its 50th season in the coming year. Because permits are backed up, the landlord said they aren’t closing any time soon, Costaregni said. That longtime retail strip on U.S. 41 in Naples eventually will be redeveloped as the Aquarius Hotel, but locals can still enjoy Pastrami Dan’s hot sandwiches and tacos until then.  

“A lot of people think we’re closed because all these articles are coming out and stuff, but we’re open,” Costaregni said. “I’m thinking a year and a half at least we’re going to be at our place. It could be two years. It’s up in the air. My lease is up in November of 2026, so that’s more than two years away.” 

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.