The ''Merritt Island Dragon'' or ''Merrit Island River Dragon'' was a dragon-shaped green concrete structure that stood at the southern tip of

Merritt Island Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...

, known as Dragon Point, where the Indian River

Lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

splits to form the

Banana River The Banana River is a lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only p ...

Lagoon. The dragon was built in 1971 by Florida artist Lewis VanDercar and property owner Aynn Christal. In 1981, the statue was expanded for new property owner Warren McFadden, with the addition of a tail, an extended neck, two cavepeople a caveman named Fred and a cavewoman named Wilma and four hatchling dragons named Joy, Sunshine, Charity, and Freedom. The statues were located between the cities of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

Indian Harbour Beach, Florida Indian Harbour Beach is a coastal city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,225 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne– Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is nort ...

, north of the

Eau Gallie Causeway The Eau Gallie Causeway connects Eau Gallie, Florida (which merged with Melbourne in 1969), with SR A1A near Indian Harbour Beach, across the Indian River Lagoon. Located entirely within the Melbourne city limits, the causeway consists of a main ...

. The dragon was created from of concrete and steel, and stood high and long. Known as "Annie", the dragon served as a landmark for both locals and boaters, and also as a playhouse for children. On special occasions, the dragon would breathe fire. The idea for the sculpture was inspired by the American Indian legend which held that seeing a dragon rising from the mist where the Banana and Indian Rivers met was a sign of good fortune. In August 2002, the sculpture was badly damaged, and partially collapsed into the water during a storm; vandalism was blamed for contributing to the statue's destruction.

Restoration

The owner and the Brevard County Commissioners were unable to agree on a rehabilitation effort; there was a plan in 2004 to reconstruct the sculpture, while in 2008, a developer planned a luxury hotel and spa on the Dragon Point site with a reconstructed dragon statue as its centerpiece, but both plans fell through. Save Dragon Point, an organization dedicated to rebuilding the dragon statue, was founded in May 2012. In August, the mansion on the property where the dragon had stood was scheduled to be demolished and the property sold. Save Dragon Point changed its name to Annie and Kids Arts and Education Foundation. In January 2015, Don Facciobene, local builder and developer, bought the property. He announced that a new dragon named "Rojak" will be built. According to the story of Dragon Point, Rojak is Annie's fifth hatchling who was kept hidden. An inaugural Dragon Boat Festival was planned for June 13, 2015, with proceeds intended to benefit Save Dragon Point. In April 2015, a plan was announced to build Rojak by 2017. Demolition work began at Dragon Point in March of 2017, clearing room for a future multi-million dollar riverfront mansion and Rojak.

In popular culture

A children's book about the dragon, ''River Dragon: A Real Florida Fairy Tale'', was published in 2003.

Notes

External links

{{commons category
Save Dragon Point

Often confused with

Documentary Video Spotlights Merritt Island's Dragon

A video of the dragonThe current state of Dragon Point, 2016
1971 sculptures Buildings and structures in Merritt Island, Florida Concrete sculptures in the United States Destroyed sculptures Indian River Lagoon Landmarks in Florida Merritt Island, Florida 1971 establishments in Florida Sculptures of dragons Vandalized works of art in Florida