Standing at the corner of North Woodland Boulevard and West New York Avenue, the Miller-Fish Building at 100 N. Woodland Blvd. is at the heart of DeLand's commercial past and civic life. As early as 1876-77, Charles A. Miller operated a thriving feed and grain business on this prime corner, offering hay, grain, fertilizer, and a stable behind the building. Miller also owned a buggy & carriage shop and handled freight transfer services. He later expanded into selling lime and cement and eventually opened the Miller Hardware Company in 1889 at this location, which operated for 26 years. He also served as the local agent for Clyde’s St. Johns River Line, which ran a daily steamship service connecting Jacksonville, Palatka, DeLand, and Sanford.

Miller-Fish Building c. 1886-1887, housing a thriving feed and grain business - rebuilding after the fire. Dreggors Collection WVHS photo archives.

Miller-Fish Building - Miller Hardware Company. 1912. Dreggors Collection WVHS photo archives.

Miller-Fish Building c.1990, home to Woolworths. Daytona News Journal photo. Dreggors Collection in the WVHS archives.

Miller’s original building was destroyed in DeLand’s great fire of 1886, but by 1887, Miller was back in business. The day after the fire, the City Council voted that all downtown buildings must be built of masonry, such as brick or stone, and Miller’s was one of the first to be rebuilt, featuring late 19th Century commercial architecture with elements of Early Masonry Vernacular. The two-story brick structure helped usher in a sturdier Downtown DeLand after the devastation.

In 1925, Bert Fish, a prominent local attorney and political figure who rose to become Minister to Egypt and then Portugal, bought the building from Miller for $150,000. Over the decades, the building housed various businesses, including a Woolworth’s five-and-dime store in the 20th Century.

In 1960, the Woolworth's lunch counter inside the Miller-Fish Building became a pivotal site for local civil rights action. Students from DeLand's all-Black Euclid High School, including 17-year-old Dr. Joyce M. Cummings Cusack — who would later become the first Black woman from Volusia County elected to the Florida House of Representatives — staged a peaceful sit-in to challenge racial segregation, the second such sit-in in Florida, and perhaps the only one organized by high school students. The students also sat in at McCrory’s lunch counter across the street and were protected by the City of DeLand’s Police Department during their protest. Eventually, Woolworth’s and McCrory’s reopened their lunch counters, serving customers regardless of color. The Euclid High students’ protest thus contributed to desegregation efforts and remains a landmark moment in DeLand’s history.

Now part of the Downtown DeLand National Historic District, today the building is home to the Museum of Art – DeLand’s Museum Store on the ground floor, with expansive exhibit space and offices located upstairs, and there are plans to soon bring all the Museum of Art – DeLand exhibitions and programs into the heart of DeLand at this location. According to Museum Executive Director Pattie Pardee, the 75-year-old Museum has existed in six locations during its history and is now consolidating its operations to adapt to changing needs and circumstances. The MainSreet DeLand Association is also located in the building, continuing its legacy of culture, community, education, and the arts in this prime location at the crossroads of DeLand.