This Moreton Fig tree stands tall and pretty since it was planted in Bankers HIll 130 years ago. (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Did You Know…

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

…that the historic Moreton Bay Fig tree rising majestically on Grape Street behind Sharp Rees-Stealy Urgent Care in Bankers Hill was once on the brink of death because of neglect and vandalism? 

The tree was nursed back to health in the early 90s by local arborists, and it now attractively lives up to its historical designation, which was deemed by the city in 1971 as “historical site No. 53.”

Planted in 1895, the tree stood in the garden of the former three-story Florence Hotel, which catered to wealthy travelers from 1893 until it was torn down in the late 1940s. The leveled grounds later served as a parking lot for many years while accommodating the tree with minimal care by various property owners. Today it enjoys a fenced-off space, a historical plaque, and proper irrigation.