Aug 7, 2002 By Christine Haines 3 min read

BROWNSVILLE – An old downtown building is getting a new look in hopes of generating some new life as well. The Brownsville Lodge 52 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is being refurbished with a colorful paint job and new exterior fixtures. Brownsville resident Cameron Neth, the owner of Cameron Patrick Neth Designs Inc., was hired to design the new look for the building. Neth, 21, said he has moved his business from flower arrangements and specialty items to total design coordination for interiors and exteriors.

“You always hear people say ‘Let’s restore this old building, let’s renovate.’ I wanted to show people what can be done with an old building. I wanted to make this building fabulous,” Neth said.

Neth said a member of the Odd Fellows, Bob Bradman, is a close friend of his and had mentioned plans to paint the building.

“I told him I hated when people paint a red brick building red. It just looks like you don’t have the money to repoint. I had to get them out of the idea of painting it red,” Neth said.

The Brownsville Odd Fellows Lodge was chartered on Aug. 20, 1832, only 13 years after the first Odd Fellows Lodge was founded in America. The Brownsville Lodge has met in the current building at 31 Market St., for more than 100 years. The lodge has its office and meeting hall on the second and third floors of the building.

The Odd Fellows have existed in England since the 17th century. According to the Odd Fellows Sovereign Grand Lodge Web site, the name came about because it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need in the 17th century. The lodge is also known as the “Three Links Fraternity” according to the Web site, because of the symbol used by the lodge for Friendship, Love and Truth.

Neth was hired to design the building’s new look and came up with a yellow and tangerine color combination, giving it a South Miami look.

“What I wanted to do was draw a lot of attention, which I think we are. I didn’t want to just blend in with the surroundings,” Neth said. “The colors are exciting. They are to appeal to a younger generation.”

Neth said he chose the bright colors to break away from the dark, dreary look of the downtown area. The paint job will be completed in August, with new brass fixtures also being installed. The windows in the building will also get some stylish treatment.

“We’re going to have reverse painting. That would have been done in the 1800s, just probably not with this pattern,” Neth said. “Hopefully, we can get some new members for the Odd Fellows with this project.”

Neth is no stranger to attracting attention. He started a floral design business when he was just 17, landing numerous prestigious clients as the business expanded into other areas of design. He has prepared arrangements for the White House, gift baskets for the Oscars, and a line of Christmas stockings picked up by the Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog. He currently has showrooms in New York, Atlanta and Dallas.

Neth will be featured on children’s educational program about business called “The Buzz with Dr. Cindy.”

The show is featured on the WAM Americas Kids Network, part of the Starz Superpak premium cable. The show goes to 10 million homes and 80,000 schools through “Cable in the Classroom.” It airs daily at 8:30 a.m.