Writer & Photographer

Introduction: Winter Park History

Winter Park started with a cold.

In the early months of 1881, New Englander Loring A. Chase arrived in Central Florida on advice from his doctor. He wanted to seek refuge from violent headaches, attributed to bronchitis. He explored the area around Lakes Virginia and Osceola and became increasingly impressed with the location. Meanwhile, an old friend of Chase, Oliver Chapman, had his own health concerns – those of his wife – and so Mr. and Mrs. Chapman were also visiting the Central Florida area for recuperative reasons. Chase contacted Chapman and the pair jointly purchased approximately 800 acres of land, for $13,000. They then began to lay out plans for a town – Lake View – which soon became Winter Park, in reference to the custom of wealthy northerners to winter in the south. 

They began advertising the town, opening up streets and planting orange groves with such enthusiasm that Winter Park was incorporated in October 1887, the year in which the first election was held with 102 people casting their vote. It was an elite population who began to take notice of the area; they were wealthy and worldly and their tastes shaped Florida’s first planned city: a central park was created, a central boulevard was opened and there were plans for three lake front hotels. And so one of the most refined, cultured and picturesque towns in Florida was born. 

Dining and Entertainment
In stark contrast to today, there was not a single restaurant in Winter Park in the early 1880’s. There were, however, the hotel dining rooms, which were open to the public. One of the most magnificent dining establishments could be found at the Seminole Hotel, which was opened on January 1st 1886. Situated on extensive grounds overlooking Lake Osceola, The Seminole was at the time the largest hotel south of Jacksonville with accommodations for 400 guests. The hotel was a modern, sophisticated building, heated by steam and lighted by gas. It boasted an elevator, electric service bells and fire alarm system, which would prove rather useful when the hotel unfortunately burnt to the ground in 1902. (Happily it was rebuilt in 1912). The Seminole Hotel played host to President Grover Cleveland who visited in 1888 and the hotel ballroom was opened weekly to the public for dances and banquets. As an early history in 1925 notes: 

“For a young man to dance with a daughter of Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt or with Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, or some young woman to dance with a man of fame and fortune, was a great event in his or her college life.” 

Today, Winter Park and in particular Park Avenue continue this rich heritage of fine dining and entertainment, with many sophisticated bistros and cafes lining the shaded streets. 

Annie Russell and Annie Russell Theater
Annie Russell (1864 – 1936) was a renowned English born actress. During her notable career, she portrayed the roles of many Shakespearean characters and organized the Olde English Comedy Company in which she directed and acted the works of Shakespeare, Goldsmith and Sheridan, amongst others. After her career came to a close in 1917 she retired to Winter Park. In the early 1930’s, her lifelong friend and admirer, Mrs. Edward Bok gave the Annie Russell Theater to Rollins College in recognition of her friend’s accomplished talents and career. Annie Russell then became artistic director of the theater and a dramatic arts consultant at Rollins, until her death in 1936. 

Today, “The Annie” plays an important part in the cultural life of Rollins College, Winter Park and indeed, Central Florida, retaining Annie Russell’s commitment to the arts and tradition of excellence. 

Morse Museum/Charles Hosmer Morse
Born in Vermont in 1833, Charles Hosmer Morse was a relative to Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph and Morse code. He found his way to Winter Park at the age of 48 in 1881 and became inextricably linked to the gracious town that would become his home. On arrival, he quickly recognized Winter Park’s potential and purchased a large area of property on the town’s lakes, which he then developed and sold to wealthy northerners who wished to make Florida their home. Morse became a great benefactor of the community, as president of the Winter Park Land Company, founding the Winter Park Country Club, contributing generously to Rollins College and serving on its Board of Trustees, amongst many other philanthropic pursuits. It was Morse who insisted that the character of the town be more important than profit and thus he began a lifelong commitment to developing and improving Winter Park. He donated Central Park to the town and a plaque, dedicated to Morse, standing in Central Park today reads: 

“...His vision and generosity are responsible for much of (Winter Park’s) beauty today. The park which surrounds you is one of his benefactions. Charles Hosmer Morse was one of the pioneers who gave this community the character which has bought so much happiness to so many.” 

Morse Museum/Tiffany

The Morse Museum of Art, on Park Avenue, was founded by Jeannette Genius McKean, granddaughter of Charles Hosmer Morse, and named in his memory. The museum provides a welcome respite from summer heat as visitors wander through the galleries, taking in the remarkable collected works. The heart of the museum is the rich and fascinating collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933). The centerpiece of this collection is the restored chapel that he created for the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. The Byzantine-Romanesque architectural elements, exquisitely colorful windows and mosaics have been lovingly reassembled and are now open to the public. Alongside Tiffany glasswork, the collection includes his pottery and paintings as well as watercolors, jewelry and many fine examples of his Favrile blown glass. 

Objects from the Tiffany collection have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C. as well as many other institutions throughout the United States, making the Morse a celebrated treasure chest for those interested in Tiffany’s work. 

Polasek
Albin Polasek (1879-1965) was born in Frenstat, Moravia. He came to America in 1901 as an experienced wood carver and subsequently studied at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. It was here that he acquired the traditional classical techniques of sculpting while developing his own style. Today, the Polasek Museum graces the shores of Lake Osceola and provides visitors with a rare look at his remarkable collection of work.

Cornell Fine Arts Museum

The Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College is one of the finest college art museums in the Southeast with its first paintings donated over a century ago. The museum contains many important holdings in European and American paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts and the extensive collection ranges from the Renaissance and Baroque periods to many fine examples of contemporary art. Thus in keeping with Winter Park’s rich tradition of art and culture, The Cornell Fine Arts museum houses the oldest art collection in Florida, containing over 5,000 works of art. 

Winter Park Art Festival
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival was first organized in 1960 and has become one of the largest art festivals in Central Florida and certainly one of the most prestigious outdoor fine arts exhibits in the country. This annual event marks the arrival of spring to Park Avenue and local residents and visitors alike find time to meander through the many booths and exhibits on display. Photography, mixed-media, sculptures and watercolors are just a few of the delights on show and the festival now attracts over 350,000 visitors from Florida and beyond.

Rollins College
Rollins College has the prestige of being the oldest college in the state of Florida. It was founded in 1885 by New England Congregationalists who had made Winter Park their home and sought to introduce their style of liberal arts to the area, as well as “to provide an opportunity for youth of the North, whose health demands that they should spend a considerable portion of the year in a more genial climate to pursue their studies" (Annual Catalogue, 1905-1906). In the intervening years, Rollins College has become one of the most graceful and attractive colleges in America, supporting a Mediterranean style tree lined campus which borders the shores of Lake Virginia. 

In 1885, Rollins tuition fees amounted to $18.00; board was $28.00 and a room with a light was $12.00 per semester.

Alonzo Rollins
Rollins College was named for Alonzo W. Rollins, who was born in New England in 1832. A successful and distinguished businessman, he moved to Chicago to continue business pursuits. It was here in the early 1880s that he became ill with gastroenteritis and so, like Chase and Chapman, he moved to Central Florida to improve his health. Becoming entranced with the graceful town and gentle way of life, he donated considerable funds to the college that would bear his name. Sadly, he passed away in 1887, just two years after the founding of the college. 

James Gamble Rogers II
Renowned and respected architect, James Gamble Rogers (1901-1990) was born in Chicago to an architect father, who moved his family to Daytona Beach when Rogers was 15. He entered Dartmouth College in 1921 where he was encouraged by his art instructor to expand his appreciation and knowledge of architecture. He worked in his father’s architectural business during college vacations and subsequently started his own office in Winter Park, after his father’s death. 

Following World War II, Rogers’ firm began to design many of Rollins College buildings, all in the Spanish Revival style as requested by then President Hamilton Holt. This followed the tradition of the Knowles Memorial Chapel (1931) which was designed by Ralph Adams Cram. The Mills Memorial Library and the Archibald Granville Bush Science Center are just two examples of Rogers’ design. 

Rogers also designed many of the residential homes in Winter Park, the Mediterranean Spanish style lending itself beautifully to the warm Florida climate and contributing to an architectural legacy of style and sophistication that survives to this day. 

Shopping
Visitors to Winter Park comment on the genteel feel to the town. One reason for this evidence of high style could be the elegant shops and boutiques lining the Park Avenue area, covering a half- mile of tree-canopied, brick streets bordered by Central Park. The charming 80 year old Park Plaza Hotel offers visitors a chance to relax in its shaded courtyard. 

Historical Places
From Gamble Rogers’ distinguished Spanish style homes to more modern condominiums, Winter Park offers a wide array of building styles. Perhaps the most remarkable home in the area is the Comstock-Harris house, found on Bonita Drive. The Comstocks arrived in Winter Park from Chicago and were among the early settlers active in civic and cultural growth of the community. Mr. Comstock served as trustee of Rollins College until his death in 1924. The Comstock-Harris House has become the oldest surviving residential home in Winter Park, being built in 1883, before the town was incorporated. It also has the distinction of being placed on the National Historic Register. 

High style and the early hotels
From its birth in 1885 to present day, Winter Park has become a dignified, stately place for Northerners to escape the bleak days of winter. From the Seminole Hotel to the Alabama Hotel, Winter Park offered fashionable places to stay in Central Florida. 

One such accommodation, The Rogers House, was believed to be the earliest hotel in Winter Park and played host to a variety of distinguished guests. Loring Chase gave Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Rogers the property for the house to be built. It was located on the corner of what is now Interlachen and Morse Blvd, just yards from The Landmark. The Rogers operated the house from 1882 until 1904 and early guests included Mr. and Mrs. Charles Morse, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Knowles and Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Fairbanks. Even Liberace was a guest of the hotel – after a performance in Orlando in 1962 – though by that time, the hotel had been renamed The Virginia Inn. A brochure circa 1882 advertised the hotel’s daily rates as $2 to $2.50 per day or $10 to $17.50 per week. 

Recreation
One of Winter Park’s charms is its tranquil chain of lakes and in 1930 the Scenic Boat Tour Company began offering visitors a chance to relax and unwind while taking tours of the picturesque lakes as well as two manmade canals. 

Walking became very popular in the early 1900’s, although in many cases the sidewalks were wooden planks. Saddle and driving horses were used on the “good iron roads” and bicycle paths were in abundance though the peaceful woods. The first golf course of 9 holes opened in 1899 and sheep were used to keep the grass short. Today, Winter Park still offers pleasant walking opportunities through its shaded streets and boasts a superior golf course, although the sheep are understandably absent. 

Conclusion/end piece
Winter Park has retained the vision of its founders and elders and has indeed become a city of culture and heritage. An advertising piece for the earliest hotel in Winter Park, The Rogers House, describes it thus: 

“One of the prettiest and most healthful towns in Florida is Winter Park, with its beautiful location on a chain of deep, clear spring-fed lakes, connected by canals; its soft balmy air; its high pines; its pure water; its shaded, iron clay and shell streets and sidewalks; its churches; its schools; its Rollins College and its free public library and reading room. The pleasant, cultivated society that is naturally attracted by such environments renders it an ideal place in which to spend a day or the winter.” 

We hope you agree. 

The Landmark Folio

This was a fun project - delving deep into the history of the local area was wonderfully informative,
and it became hard to pick and choose the anecdotes to include in the piece!