El Real Retiro: The Royal Retreat of New Smyrna, Florida
By Emily Coughlan from the Spring 2024 Edition of Reflections Magazine In the early 1920s, both tourism and land sales were booming in Central Florida. Wealthy northerners were cultivating properties in Florida to escape the harsh winters. One such property, built in 1923, was first known as the “Handley House”
Orlando’s Round Building: An Architectural Circle of Life
By Kelly Bresnowitz Adapted from the “The Way We Were” feature, Community Paper, August 22, 2022 In 1963, an architectural marvel was unveiled in downtown Orlando. Designed by architect Robert Murphy, the circular home of American Federal Savings and Loan brought a distinguished touch of midcentury-modern design to the growing
Annual Women’s History Month Breakfast honors trailblazing architects
History Center highlights Ryan & Roberts, who defied obstacles in 1920s On March 9, the Orange County Regional History Center presents its fourth annual Women’s History Month Celebration with a breakfast honoring architects Ida Annah Ryan and Isabel Roberts, who overcame obstacles to create notable Central Florida buildings in the
Historic Orlando House Threatened
Today, Sam Robinson’s substantial residence, which fronted a vast orange grove in 1885, has become an imposing four-columned mansion on a heavily traveled downtown street.
Parramore’s Landmark Churches
In Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, African Americans worshipped outdoors in brush arbors and stables while they saved funds to build proper churches, which served not only as places of worship but also as social centers, gathering places, and schools.
Murry Schaeffer King: Creating Central Florida Landmarks
Murry S. King was a charter member and director of the Florida Association of Architects (FAA) and was appointed to the Florida State Board of Architecture, serving as its president for six years. A bastion for regulating architectural practice, King was the first registered architect in the state.
Skyscraper Survivors
Three 1920s Orlando buildings represent the first wave of American commercial structures that climbed skyward on beams of steel. The Angebilt, the State Bank of Orlando & Trust Company Building, and the Orlando Bank & Trust Co. still survive in downtown Orlando.
Carl Dann’s Dubsdread
Ownership of Dubsdread remained in the Dann family until the City of Orlando purchased it in 1978. The course has seen a variety of changes over the years, almost all of which resulted in making the course shorter to allow for more residential growth.
The Age of Concrete: The Orlando Public Library
In 1962, the citizens of Orlando passed a Civic Improvements Bond issue that provided a million dollars to replace the Albertson Public Library, a Neoclassical-style structure that opened in 1923. For the new building, the city selected the Connecticut-based architect John Johansen (1916-2012).