A Transformed Block: The Development of South Orange Avenue

Florida’s development boom came late. When it did come, it came in fits and starts. The citrus and cattle industries, as well as the climate, created a relatively static economic environment, but true growth and progress would wait until well into the 20th century. As the world fell into war in the 1940s, Florida answered the call to serve as a training ground for the aviators of the Allied forces. World War II changed much of Orlando's future when a large migration boom occurred after the war’s end. Infrastructure that developed during the war period helped give Orlando a foundation to grow upon. Yet, construction in Orlando, like many other locations in Florida, did not exceed the military's plans until after the war was over. The servicemen and servicewomen returned to Florida after the war due to its attractive climate.

Like Florida, Orlando’s growth was slow. Coastal cities, such as Tampa and Miami, benefited from tourism early on, but Orlando’s central location kept it more or less a typical southern Florida town until Walt Disney World arrived in the 1970s. The local community was strong, with no need for growth outside of the city limits. One need only look at a single city block to see that the City of Orlando had a little bit of everything and enough to thrive. The subject block, bounded by South Orange Avenue, East Jackson Street, South Main Street (present-day South Magnolia Avenue), and East Church Street in Orlando, was a basic block that played a part in the lives of residents in the 1940s, as there were a myriad of goods and services available to the public. As the city grew, the block transformed in the early 1960s from its original character into a central business district containing more office spaces and parking lots that reflects the later development of the city.