Bellíssima

Belair Courtyard is Cocoa Village gem at 100

A sampling of the Belair Courtyard tenants join owner Alex Litras at the entrance to the building. From left are: Vincent Jackson, Armor Property Advisors; Joshua and Alejandra Dudley, Forgotten Block Butcher Shop; Catalina Triana, Triana Solutions; Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts Jewelry; Alexander Litras, Café Margaux; David Diaz, Triana Solutions; Nelson Bailey, Candy Affair; Hector Santiago, Concorde Mortgage; and Urfan Ekinci, Anatolian Design. JASON HOOK

Anatolian Design, home to delights from Istanbul, has welcomed visitors to Belair Courtyard for eight years. JASON HOOK

The front page of the April 2, 1925, edition of the Cocoa Tribune proudly presented — front and center — the architectural rendering for the new Belair Building. The article touted the many “firsts” the structure represented: It would be the first two-story office building in the area, the first providing an arcade connection between two important streets and the first designed around an open courtyard. It would be served by the new water and sewage systems and constructed of the finest materials. Martin Hampton — the prominent Miami architect responsible for upscale South Florida buildings such as the Coral Gables Inn and Country Club — would spare no expense with the Belair. 

The article compared the Belair to structures in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale and gushed that “light and air have been the paramount considerations and with many refinements of detail and design, the structure will well carry out the impression of its name.”

Over the decades, the building’s name evolved into Belair Arcade and most recently Belair Courtyard, a nod to the building’s focal point: the courtyard. Even 100 years later, it remains the heart of the Spanish Mission-style edifice.

Without having to walk more than a few feet, patrons of The Wine Lady can enjoy wine tastings, dinner at Café Margaux and a show at Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse.

This year, the building celebrates its centennial looking as pretty as ever and still surrounded by adoring fans. It serves as a bricks-and-mortar — or, in this case, hollow tile and stucco — community of business owners who cater to a diverse group of needs and wants. 

During World War II, some of the upstairs offices were converted into residential units, and some of those apartments remained in the 1960s. While some patrons of Café Margaux say they would love to live in the Belair just to be in the same building as the restaurant, the Belair is strictly commercial these days. There are only 22 units for retail and services, on two floors, yet Belair businesses still offer a surprising diversity of products and services. 

Tenants are a tight-knit group. “Everybody watches out for everybody else,” said Janne Etz, who opened Contemporary Concepts custom jewelry shop 32 years ago at the Belair. While Etz counts on online sales for half of her business and could go 100% virtual with her store, she can’t imagine not being part of the Belair clan of store owners. 

“It’s my home away from home,” Etz said. “I love the people and the history, and I’m not ready to give up the interaction with the customers. I’m not going anywhere.” She enjoys such a healthy return-customer following, that some of her patrons still remember when she would bring her son to work in a bassinet — he is now a grown man.

Belair Courtyard today remains faithful to architect Martin Hampton’s original design. JASON HOOK PHOTOS

Cars looked very different, but Belair Courtyard has remained the same. BREVARD COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION

Sitting around the Belair Courtyard fountain on a nice day remains among the top pleasures of a visit to Cocoa Village.

QUAINT

Richard Mazo owns three branch offices of the Ameriprise Financial franchise. But his offices in Orlando and West Palm Beach can’t compete with the charm of the second-story space he has occupied for 28 years at Belair Courtyard. “It’s very quaint and clients enjoy the destination, and staff love working here,” Mazo said. “It’s a totally different vibe from a regular office building.”

If the client has issues maneuvering the Belair’s tiled stairways, Mazo meets with them downstairs, in the courtyard itself or at Café Margaux. 

The Belair’s vintage charms attract both locals and tourists — particularly cruise ship passengers. Its unique establishments include Anatolian Design, 600 square feet of gorgeous handcrafted, hand painted ceramics, chandeliers and other delights, straight from Istanbul. Owner Urfan Ekinci, who opened the shop eight years ago, is in awe of the diversity of the clientele that makes its way to his store.

“We get customers who are coming in to have dinner, passengers from the cruise ships and families during school breaks,” he said. 

Artistic flair is also part of the appeal of the Belair’s newest tenant Forgotten Block, where the owner’s art is culinary. Josh Dudley is a certified master butcher who thinks the Belair is the perfect location for his boutique shop, which sits across from the Wine Lady and its frequent wine tastings. So, customers can purchase wine curated from their worldwide portfolios and then head to Forgotten Block to select an entrée for dinner from a selection of top-of-the-line meats.

“They cut things for me as I need them,” said customer Courtney Weglin. “I love having a local butcher I can talk to about where the meat is coming from.” 

Forgotten Block customers will order their cuts of meat from Dudley, then hop across the courtyard to The Wine Lady to buy wine and perhaps sample one of the shop’s many wine tastings.

“The fact that we’re next to Cocoa Village Playhouse and Café Margaux also means we have customers who come to our shop and then go to Margaux or the Playhouse, which are both staples in Cocoa Village,” said owner Lisa Morrison.

Urfan Ekinci of Anatolian Design is impressed by the diversity of clientele who visit his store, which specializes in unique gifts and décor from Turkey.

SOMETHING ABOUT MARGAUX

Ever since he purchased the Belair Courtyard in 2007, Alex Litras of Café Margaux has considered himself the building’s guardian. JASON HOOK PHOTOS

Serving as the centerpiece of Belair Courtyard is Café Margaux, which has a presence on both floors. The main restaurant encompasses about a third of the downstairs space, while upstairs is the Margaux Penthouse, used 

for special events and overflow space. Opened in 1990, Café Margaux is the longest operating business in the Belair, and one of the county’s oldest continuously operating restaurants. 

Margaux owner Alex Litras began his association with the Belair as a tenant but purchased the building in 2007.

“I loved Belair Courtyard even before Café Margaux,” Litras said. “In fact, it was the draw of the Courtyard that attracted me to buy Pasta Garden, the restaurant the owners of The Black Tulip had for sale in the Courtyard.” 

Pasta Garden evolved into Café Margaux as Litras significantly increased the footprint of the restaurant.

“In time, we monopolized most of the south side of the building,” Litras said. 

Owning a century-old office and retail building is a constant labor of love. The project du jour for Litras is to restore the painted reliefs of coats of arms and classic acanthus leaves to bring back the original colors chosen by architect Martin Hampton. It’s worth it, says Litras.

“Architecturally, it’s one of a kind — yet not out of place amidst the other buildings,” he said.

“As for the tenants, we have the best of the best Cocoa Village has to offer, one-stop shopping for food, wine, candy, gifts, home décor, apparel accessories, lamps, jewelry — you name it. Not to mention that you can get a haircut, a massage, a home loan, invest your money and see your attorney — after lunch at Café Margaux, of course. We believe this is a jewel of Cocoa Village.”

Queen of Belair

Chandeliers from Anatolian Design light up the Café Margaux bar for Megan Litras. JASON HOOK

A giant schefflera is the undisputed queen of the Belair Courtyard. The tree, which towers over the building’s second story, was planted by local philanthropist Jonnie Swann 47 years ago when she worked in an office upstairs.

“When she and her husband, Jim, come to dine at Café Margaux, they always sit under the tree,” said the building and the restaurant’s owner, Alex Litras.

The pampered schefflera receives regular checkups from arborists and is kept toasty by space heaters during cold spells. Any dead leaves are promptly whisked away from under the Queen of Belair by ever-attentive Margaux servers.

Belair Courtyard stores

Candy Affair’s gourmet confections are difficult to resist at Belair Courtyard. JASON HOOK

Ground floor retail

• Anatolian Design: handcrafted gifts from Turkey

• Cafe Margaux: award-winning French and European dining and prime steaks

• Candy Affair: gourmet confections, boutique candy, bulk candy, candy buffets for special events

• Contemporary Concepts: handcrafted jewelry

• Forgotten Block Butcher Shop: master butcher’s shop specializing in custom cuts of meats

• The Three Sparrows Boutique: gifts and gift baskets

• The Wine Lady: boutique wine store with wine tastings and curated wines from around the world

Second floor offices

• Ameriprise Financial

• Armor Property Advisors

• Concorde Mortgage

• Essential Massage

• J Law Firm

• Joshua Tree Organics

• Print Boy

• Recycle Brevard

• Salon Blu

• Simpson Law Group

• Triana Solutions Immigration Services

See the original article in print publication