A Glimpse of the Business Section Postcard
Elks, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Postcard showing Central Avenue (now Central Boulevard) at the corner of Court Avenue in Orlando, Florida. It shows the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Club, as well as the intersection of Central and Orange Avenue. The Elks Club building was constructed circa 1910 and demolished circa 1955. The cost of construction was $8,500 and the architecture was designed in the Modern Eclectic style with Bungalow elements. The Orlando Lodge of the Elks was founded on June 28, 1907. The Lodge rented space, first from the Odd Fellows and later the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) prior to purchasing the land at Court Street and Central Boulevard for $1,250. Orange County eventually bought the property and demolished the building at the same time that the 1892 Orange County Courthouse was being torn down in preparation of the building of the Courthouse Annex building. The ground where the Elks Building once stood was turned into a parking lot for the Courthouse. The Elks moved to 409 East Central Boulevard and remained there until a fire destroyed the lodge in 1969. Afterward, the Elks moved to 12 North Primrose Avenue. The parking lot was eventually redeveloped into Heritage Square after the demolition of the Orange County Courthouse Annex in the late 1990s. Heritage Square opened in 2000.
Original color postcard: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Airplane View of Business Section, Showing Part of Lake Eola Postcard
Postcard showing an airplane view of Downtown Orlando's business district. In the foreground is Lake Eola with an early band shell placed out into the water. On its shores is the Rosalind Club (green roof on the left) and the Masonic Temple (to the left of the Rosalind Club). Facing the lake and across Rosalind Avenue is Memorial Junior High School (large red building, right of center) and the First Church of Christ, Scientist (golden dome, left of center). In the distance, there is also the 1892 Orange County Courthouse (red brick building with clock tower) and the 1927 Orange County Courthouse (to the right of the 1892 Courthouse), the Angebilt Hotel (red brick building directly behind the 1927 Courthouse), the State Bank Building (white tower), and the Metcalf Building (tan tower on the left).
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing Albertson Public Library, formerly located at 101 East Central Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. Construction began in 1922 and the library opened in May of 1923. The City of Orlando had the library built after Colonel Charles Lewis Albertson donated his personal 12,000 to 15,000 volume book collection to the city. His condition was that the city build a home for his books. His collection was estimated at the time to be worth $100,000. The architect was well-known Murray S. King. The library was built in the Neo-Classical Revival style and took up about half the city block between Rosalind Avenue and Magnolia Avenue. The other half was occupied by the grounds of the Orlando Lawn Bowling Club. The building had two stories with a partially sunken first floor. It was Orlando's first regular public library. When the library opened, it had 21,000 volumes, and by the year's end it had increased to over 30,000. The Albertson Public Library was demolished in 1965 and the Orlando Public Library was built on the same lot in 1966.
Postcard showing the American Legion Hall, located at the 900 block of Orange Avenue on Lake Ivanhoe. The hall was constructed in 1938 with a Spanish Colonial Revival Style. The building cost $82,000 and replaced an earlier American Legion Hall built on the same location in May of 1924.The World War I German cannon that was on display outside the entrance was donated to the World War II war effort as scrap metal to make shells to fight Germany once again.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by C. T. American Art: Asheville Post Card Company, Asheville, North Carolina: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Annie Russell Theatre, located on the campus of Rollins College at 1000 Holt Avenue in Winter Park, Florida. The theatre was built in 1932 and was donated to the Rollins by Mary Curtis Bok Zimbalist in honor of her friend, Annie Ellen Russell (1864-1936), a British-born, American theatrical actress. Russell officially retired from the stage in 1918 and moved to Winter Park.She was encouraged by a friend to teach at Rollins College, and in 1931, the Annie Russell Theatre was founded. She opened the theatre in 1932 with a performance of In a Balcony. She taught at Rollins College until her death in 1936. The Annie Russell Theatre seats 377 people.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch black and white postcard: L. L. Cook Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing Lake Eola Park and its bandstand in Orlando, Florida. The bandstand is on the west side of the park. Lake Eola and its surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Bird's Eye View of Orange Avenue Postcard
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue looking north. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue, at the corner of Church, is the White House Candy Palace at 140 South Orange Avenue. The Candy Palace was built circa 1908 and demolished circa 1928. The building replaced an earlier one that was destroyed by fire in 1907. The original building was white, which is how the White House Candy Palace got its name. The Candy Palace was replaced by the First National Bank Building in 2011. On the east side of the street is the Guernsey Hardware building, formerly located at 135-141 South Orange Avenue. The hardware store was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922 when the Woolworth Company obtained a 99-year lease and in 1924 built a new building that stood until 2004 when it was replaced with part of The Plaza office complex.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: C. T. American Art: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Bird's Eye View Showing Elks Club, Court House and Eola Lake Postcard
Postcard showing the Victorian-style Orange County Courthouse with Lake Eola in the background. The streets are Main Street (present-day Magnolia Avenue) and Central Avenue (present-day Central Boulevard). The Orange County Courthouse was constructed in 1892 and its cornerstone was laid on January 15, 1892. The architect was A. S. Wagner and the general contractor was the W. C. Green Company of Chicago, Illinois. The red brick, three-story building, which cost $57,000, was built in the Gothic Revival style with a 80-foot high clock tower. The clock and bell were provided for by W. C. Sherman, a local businessman who raised several thousand dollars for the project. The clock mechanism was manufactured by Dent, London, founded by Edward John Dent, the company which made the Big Ben clock movement in London, England. The bell in the tower weighed 1,500 pounds, was tuned "F", was selected by local musician Harry Newell, and as of 2011, is on display in the lobby of the Orange County Courthouse. The Orange County Courthouse occupied the building until 1927, when a new primary courthouse was constructed next door. Afterward, it was used for Orange County offices. On July 30, 1957, the building was condemned and then demolished on December 30, 1957. A new Orange County Courthouse Annex building was constructed on the site. In the late 1990s, the Courthouse Annex was demolished and replaced with an urban park called Heritage Square, owned by Orange County. The gray building on the right is the McEwan Clinic, located at 100 East Central Boulevard, which was constructed in 1911. The original owner was Dr. John Singer McEwan. The building was designed to be Orlando's first public hospital. A third story was added circa 1920 to make a total of twenty hospital rooms. Apart from being a hospital and clinic, it was also the Florida Public Service Corporation, later the office of the Florida Gas Company, clothing stores (Artistry), and a 7-Eleven. As of 2011, it is the Central Station Bar. Across the Main Street from the Courthouse is the Orlando Lawn Bowling Clubs grounds.
Bird's-Eye View of Tropical Lake Eola Park and Band Shell Postcard
Postcard showing Lake Eola Park and its Bandstand in Orlando, Florida. The bandstand is on the west side of the park. Lake Eola and its surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets Orlando apart from other cities. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used the lake for bathing, swimming and fishing, and its shores picnicking, listening to concerts, and participating in religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Postcard sent in 1938 showing the Magnificent Singing Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. Edward Bok retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. to design the grounds and asked architect Milton B. Medary to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie, a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928, and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Edward Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower. The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature.The carillon consists of sixty bells, ranging in size from sixteen pounds to just under twelve tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than seventy years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard by E. G. Barnhill and C. T. Curt Teich & Company, Inc., 1938: Florida Post Card Company, Jacksonville, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Central Ave., Looking West from Court House Postcard
Postcard posted February of 1919 that shows Central Avenue (now Central Boulevard) at the corner of Court Avenue. Pictured is the Elks Club, as well as the intersection of Central and Orange Avenue. The Orlando Lodge of the Elks was founded on June 28, 1907. The Lodge rented space, first from the Odd Fellows and later the YMCA, prior to purchasing the land at Court Street and Central Boulevard for $1,250. The building was constructed circa 1910 by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and cost $8,500 to build. It was made in the Modern Eclectic style with Bungalow elements. Orange County eventually bought the property and demolished the building in 1955, at the same time the 1892 Orange County Courthouse was being torn down in preparation of the building of the Courthouse Annex building. The ground where the Elks Building once stood was turned into a parking lot for the Courthouse. The Elks Club moved to 409 East Central Boulevard and remained there until a fire destroyed their lodge in 1969. Afterward, the Elks moved to 12 North Primrose Avenue. The parking lot was eventually redeveloped into Heritage Square after the demolition of the Orange County Courthouse Annex in the late 1990s. Heritage Square opened in 2000.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard, 1919: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Victorian-style Orange County Courthouse with Lake Eola in the background. The streets are Main Street (present-day Magnolia Avenue) and Central Avenue (present-day Central Boulevard). The Orange County Courthouse was constructed in 1892 and its cornerstone was laid on January 15, 1892. The architect was A. S. Wagner and the general contractor was the W. C. Green Company of Chicago, Illinois. The red brick, three-story building, which cost $57,000, was built in the Gothic Revival style with a eighty-foot high clock tower. The clock and bell were provided for by W. C. Sherman, a local businessman who raised several thousand dollars for the project. The clock mechanism was manufactured by Dent, London, founded by Edward John Dent, the company which made the Big Ben clock movement in London, England. The bell in the tower weighed 1,500 pounds, was tuned "F", was selected by local musician Harry Newell, and, as of 2011, is on display in the lobby of the Orange County Courthouse. The Orange County Courthouse occupied the building until 1927, when a new primary courthouse was constructed next door. Afterward, it was used for Orange County offices. On July 30, 1957, the building was condemned and then demolished on December 30, 1957. A new Orange County Courthouse Annex building was constructed on the site. In the late 1990s, the Courthouse Annex was demolished and replaced with an urban park called Heritage Square, owned by Orange County. The gray building on the right is the McEwan Clinic, located at 100 East Central Boulevard, which was constructed in 1911. The original owner was Dr. John Singer McEwan. The building was designed to be Orlando's first public hospital. A third story was added circa 1920 to make a total of twenty hospital rooms. Apart from being a hospital and clinic, it was also the Florida Public Service Corporation, later the office of the Florida Gas Company, clothing stores (Artistry), and a 7-Eleven. As of 2011, it is the Central Station Bar. Across the Main Street from the Courthouse is the Orlando Lawn Bowling Clubs grounds.
Postcard, posted in March of 1911, showing East Robinson Avenue a few blocks north of Central Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. The avenue was named for Samuel Robinson of Emmett, Michigan, who was a surveyor for Orange County for seventeen years. He was responsible for planting the many trees along Magnolia Avenue where he built his home. Now called Robinson Street, the road passes along the northern shore of Lake Eola.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Ex President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge at Dedication of Florida's Big Tree Postcard
Postcard showing the Senator, a cypress located at Seminole Big Tree Park. Big Tree Park lies off of U.S. 17-92, south of Sanford in a swampy, mainly undeveloped area. The park's focal points are two ancient and giant bald cypress trees. The largest is known as the Senator; the other is known as the Senator's Brother. The two trees are possibly named in honor of M. O. Overstreet, a Florida state senator who donated the surrounding land to Seminole County in 1951, although they had their current names as early as the 1920s. The trees were a popular tourist attraction from the 1880s onward. In 1929, former President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, who were frequent visitors to Mt. Dora, visited the trees and dedicated them with a bronze plaque. The plaque was stolen in 1945. Both trees are extremely old and their age is typically given at 3,500 years. The Senator was believed to be the largest bald cypress in Florida; however, questions have been raised concerning the definition of "largest." It appears today that the Senator reigns as the cypress with the largest volume, the total amount of wood above ground. The current measurements may make it the largest bald cypress in the United States. As of 2011, the tree's height has been measured around 118 feet tall. It has been said that prior to the 1928 hurricane, it stood as tall as 160 feet.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch black and white postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Masonic Temple, located on 205 East Central Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed in the 20th Century Commercial style in 1925 and was dedicated on January 13, 1926. The original owner was the Free and Associated Masons of Orlando from 1926 until 1982. The building was purchased in 1982 for $660,000 and underwent extensive modifications, including an additional two stories. The building now serves as professional offices.
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue at the corner of Church Street is the First National Bank Building, located at 190 South Orange Avenue. The bank was constructed between 1929-1930 and designed by Howard M. Reynolds in an Egyptian Revival style, covered in terra cotta with Art Deco-style false columns designed to look like sheaves of wheat. The building cost $300,000 to construct and opened on March 24, 1930.From 1929 to 1960, the building was occupied by the bank. Starting in the mid 1980s, it became Valencia Community College's Downtown Campus. On the east side of the street is the Woolworth Building at 101 South Orange Avenue. Constructed in 1924, the building was built for $100,000 by Franklin J. Mason and was opened in July 1924. The building was occupied by the Woolworth Store from 1924 until 1989, and then by Terror on Church Street, a Haunted House attraction, in the 1990s. This block, which includes the McCrory's Store, was demolished in January 2004. The Woolworth Store replaced the Guernsey Hardware building at 101 South Orange, which was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner, William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922.
Orange Ave. Looking North, Orlando, Fla. Postcard
Postcard showing Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The Rutland Building, located at 63 North Orange Avenue, can be seen in the foreground. The original two-story structure was designed by F. Earl Deloe in the Art Moderne-style for Joseph Rutland's menswear store in 1941. In 1952, three additional stories were added. Rutland's closed its downtown store in the late 1960s, but remained open in the Colonial Plaza Shopping Center. Behind Rutland's is the Angebilt Hotel, located at 37 N. Orange. The building was constructed between 1921-1923. Plans to build the hotel were announced in June 1921 and construction cost $1 million. The Angebilt Hotel opened on March 14, 1923. The original owner was Joseph Fenner Ange, who moved to Orlando in 1913 from Martin County, North Carolina. Two months after the building's opening, Ange sold his interest in the hotel. In November 1924, a group of Orlando businessmen purchased the hotel for $1.25 million. Florida's first registered architect, Murray S. King, designed the building in the twentieth century commercial style, complete with eleven stories and 240 hotel rooms. Since its opening, the building has housed the Angebilt Hotel, the Bank of Orange and Trust Company, and the offices for two radio stations including WDBO ("Way Down By Orlando"), which was the first regular radio station in Orlando. As of 2010, it also is occupied by business offices and two restaurants. Across the street is the San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, located at 32 North Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The hotel was constructed from 1885 to 1886 by Captain C. E. Pierce at an initial cost of $150,000. The original owner was Henry S. Kedney, who moved from Minnesota to Maitland in 1870 and then to Orlando in 1885. The initial building was a three-story, wood-framed building topped with a dome. In 1887, Harry L. Beeman moved to Orlando and bought the San Juan Hotel. He added two stories and a new addition for $500,000 around 1900. In 1903, Beeman added a veranda on the north side. In 1914, Henry Green took charge of $20,000 in alterations, including the addition of a laundry room, twelve private baths, and the conversion of the barbershop into a café. In the spring of 1922, Turner Construction Company added an additional eight stories at a cost of $357,000. In May 1928, there was a plan to spend $150,000 to rebuild it along modern lines but it is not known if this was carried out or to what extent. From 1890 to 1900, it housed Orlando's Post Office. The hotel also housed a series of services for hotel guests and Orlando residents alike. Among these were several restaurants, a barbershop, and a laundry. The San Juan was the main focal point for activity in Orlando in the early years. The San Juan hit hard times in the 1960s and was re-opened as the Grand Central Hotel, which opened on October 6, 1978. The Grand Central served a gay clientele, featuring several themed bars and lounges. In 1979, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The building was eventually demolished in 1981. The current use of site is a business office originally known as the First Union Bank Tower. It is a sixteen-story, 300,000-square foot building, completed in 1983.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1944: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing a bird's eye view of Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The cross street in the foreground is Church Street. On the west side of Orange Avenue at the corner of Church Street is the First National Bank Building, located at 190 South Orange Avenue. The bank was constructed between 1929-1930 and designed by Howard M. Reynolds in an Egyptian Revival style, covered in terra cotta with Art Deco-style false columns designed to look like sheaves of wheat. The building cost $300,000 to construct and opened on March 24, 1930.From 1929 to 1960, the building was occupied by the bank. Starting in the mid 1980s, it became Valencia Community College's Downtown Campus. On the east side of the street is the Woolworth Building at 135-141 South Orange Avenue. Constructed in 1924, the building was built for $100,000 by Franklin J. Mason and was opened in July 1924. The building was occupied by the Woolworth Store from 1924 until 1989, and then by Terror on Church Street, a Haunted House attraction, in the 1990s. This block, which includes the McCrory's Store, was demolished in January 2004. The Woolworth Store replaced the Guernsey Hardware building at 135-141 South Orange, which was constructed circa 1881 and demolished in 1924. Guernsey Hardware as originally the Cassius A. Boone Hardware Store. Boone operated his hardware store along with his partner, William A. Patrick. In 1895, the building and the stock was purchased by Joseph L. Guernsey. Boone chose to go into the citrus industry instead of running a store. Guernsey Hardware operated in the store until 1922.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1951: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing an early scene of Orange Avenue, looking south from Washington Street in Orlando, Florida. In the distance on the west side of the street is the San Juan Hotel, which was built 1885-1886. In front of the San Juan is the Orange County Jail and it's exercise yard. The three-story jail building was built in 1884.
Orlando, Fla. Skyline by Moonlight Postcard
Postcard sent in 1943 from Marvin B. Pernick to Marybelle Campbell. The postcard shows the Orlando skyline in a night scene as seen from the eastern side of Lake Eola Park. Some of the buildings shown are the Angebilt Hotel, rhe Orange County Courthouse, and the Lake Eola Band Stand. Lake Eola Park is one of the unusual features that sets the city of Orlando apart from other places. From its earliest days Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used it for bathing, swimming and fishing, while on its shores people picnicked, listened to concerts and religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1943: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Osceola County Courthouse, the oldest courthouse in the State of Florida that is still in use. The land on which the historic building now stands was purchased from the D. B. Stewart family in 1888 for $2,205.32. On June 3, 1889, bids to construct the courthouse and jail were received and the bid in the amount of $23,879.00 from the Pierce-Torrey Investment Company of Orlando was accepted. Actual construction of the building began in July of 1889. In January of 1890, a portion of the tower collapsed when the supporting timbers were removed, causing a temporary setback in construction as well as in finances, but the courthouse was finally completed by May of that year. In 1977, the Osceola County Courthouse was added to the National Historic Register of Historic Places. In 2011, restoration of the building to its original design begun. Although Osceola County has built a new and larger courthouse, the third floor courtroom continues to be used as an active courtroom, allowing Osceola County to continue to claim the honor of having the oldest courthouse still in use in the State of Florida.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: Cochrane's Book Store, Palatka, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard, posted on February 5, 1909, showing the Rosalind Club located 37 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. It was constructed in 1901 in the Neo-Classical Revival style as a reproduction of the Biloxi, Mississippi home of Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. Davis' niece, Lucy Hayes Lawrence, chose the design. The building was moved to Colonial Drive circa 1921 to make room for the Angebilt Hotel. The original owner was the Sorosis Club. In 1903, it became the home of the Rosalind Club, which was founded in 1894 as the Ladies Social Club of Orlando. The Rosalind Club remained there until 1916 when their new building was finished on the shore of Lake Eola, on the street that became Rosalind Avenue. After 1916, the building was used by the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. It was bought by M. J. Daetwyler and moved to Colonial Drive for use as an apartment house.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard, 1909: W. S. Branch, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook
A postcard showing the San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, located at 32 North Orange Avenue in Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed from 1885 to 1886 by Captain C. E. Pierce at an initial cost of $150,000. The original owner was Henry S. Kedney, who moved from Minnesota to Maitland in 1870 and then to Orlando in 1885. The initial building was a three-story, wood-framed building topped with a dome. In 1887, Harry L. Beeman moved to Orlando and bought the San Juan Hotel. He added two stories and a new addition for $500,000 around 1900. From 1890 to 1900, it alsohoused Orlando's Post Office. In 1903, Beeman added a veranda on the north side. In 1914, Henry Green took charge of $20,000 in alterations, including the addition of a laundry room, twelve private baths, and the conversion of the barbershop into a café. In the spring of 1922, Turner Construction Company added an additional eight stories at a cost of $357,000. In May 1928, there was a plan to spend $150,000 to rebuild it along modern lines but it is not known if this was carried out or to what extent. The hotel also housed a series of services for hotel guests and Orlando residents alike. Among these were several restaurants, a barbershop, and a laundry. The San Juan was the main focal point for activity in Orlando in the early years, but the hotel hit hard times in the 1960s and was re-opened as the Grand Central Hotel, which opened on October 6, 1978. The Grand Central served a gay clientele, featuring several themed bars and lounges. In 1979, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The building was eventually demolished in 1981. The current use of site is a business office originally known as the First Union Bank Tower. It is a sixteen-story, 300,000-square foot building, completed in 1983.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: Valentine & Son's Publishing Company, Ltd., Great Britain: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Valentine & Son's Publishing Company, Ltd.
Postcard showing the San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, located at 32 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed from 1885 to 1886 by Captain C. E. Pierce at an initial cost of $150,000. The original owner was Henry S. Kedney, who moved from Minnesota to Maitland in 1870 and then to Orlando in 1885. The initial building was a three-story, wood-framed building topped with a dome. In 1887, Harry L. Beeman moved to Orlando and bought the San Juan Hotel. He added two stories and a new addition for $500,000 around 1900. From 1890 to 1900, it also housed the Downtown Orlando Post Office. In 1903, Beeman added a veranda on the north side. In 1914, Henry Green took charge of $20,000 in alterations, including the addition of a laundry room, 12 private baths, and the conversion of the barbershop into a café. In the spring of 1922, Turner Construction Company added an additional eight stories at a cost of $357,000. In May 1928, there was a plan to spend $150,000 to rebuild it along modern lines but it is not known if this was carried out or to what extent. The hotel also housed a series of services for hotel guests and Orlando residents alike. Among these were several restaurants, a barbershop, and a laundry. The San Juan was the main focal point for activity in Orlando in the early years, but the hotel hit hard times in the 1960s and was re-opened as the Grand Central Hotel, which opened on October 6, 1978. The Grand Central served a gay clientele, featuring several themed bars and lounges. In 1979, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The building was eventually demolished in 1981. The current use of site is a business office originally known as the First Union Bank Tower. It is a 16-story, 300,000-square foot building, completed in 1983.
Scene on Pine St. Showing Grand Theatre Postcard
Postcard showing Grand Theatre, located at 37 West Pine Street in Orlando, Florida. The theater opened in the 1920s. During the 1940s and 1950s, the theatre operated as a first run house, typically playing second tier motion pictures. In 1956, the name was changed to the Astor Theatre. The building was demolished around 1960.
Postcard showing the Seminole Hotel which was built in 1886 on the eastern end of New England Avenue, on Lake Osceola in Winter Park, Florida. The hotel, which cost $150,000 to construct, featured a formal dining room that could seat hundreds, sumptuous covered porches, a bowling alley, and 200 guest rooms. The first winter season had more than 2,300 registered guests. The hotel provided a source of employment for many African Americans in Hannibal Square, the historic African-American neighborhood of Winter Park. On September 18, 1902, a fire caused extensive damage and the owners decided to sell the property for residential lots. In 1913, a new Seminole Hotel was built on the western shore of Lake Osceola on the eastern end of Webster Avenue, present-day Kiwi Circle. In 1970, the building sold for $250,000 and was demolished and replaced by residential developments.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: E. R. Favor, Winter Park, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Orlando skyline in a night scene as seen from the eastern side of Lake Eola Park. Some of the buildings shown are the Angebilt Hotel, the Orange County Courthouse, and the Lake Eola Band Stand. Lake Eola and the park that surrounds it are one of the unusual features that sets the city of Orlando apart from other places. From its earliest days Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used it for bathing, swimming and fishing, while on its shores people picnicked, listened to concerts and religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Booklet of postcards featuring Orlando, Florida. It was made by Curt Teich and Company Chicago and includes images of the Confederate Soldiers Monument, where it was originally located in the middle of the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Central Boulevard, as well as Lake Eola and the surrounding park.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcards: Cur Teich and Company, Chicago, Illinois: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing Lake Eola Park and its bandstand in Orlando, Florida. The bandstand is on the west side of the park. Lake Eola and the park that surrounds it are one of the unusual features that sets the city of Orlando apart from other places. From its earliest days Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used it for bathing, swimming and fishing, while on its shores people picnicked, listened to concerts and religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.
Postcard showing the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse at 42-44 East Central Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style from 1939 to 1941 and dedicated on April 14, 1941. It has been occupied by the United States Post Office since 1941, the Federal District Courthouse from 1941 to circa 1974, and the office of the Roman Catholic Church since 2003. The building was renovated in the early 2000s and was modified for office and retail use, with the Post Office retaining 13,200 square feet. Plans included an adjacent parking garage on the north side, though that that aspect never came to fruition. St. James Roman Catholic Cathedral, located across Court Street from the Post Office, purchased the parts of the building not utilized by the Post Office and use it for Chancery office space.
Postcard showing the Angebilt Hotel, located at 37 North Orange Avenue, was constructed between 1921 and 1923. Plans to build the hotel were announced in June of 1921 and construction cost $1 million. Florida's first registered architect, Murray S. King designed the building in the twentieth century commercial story, complete with eleven stories and 240 hotel rooms. The hotel opened on March 14, 1923. The original owner was Joseph Fenner Ange, who moved to Orlando in 1913 from Martin County, North Carolina. After two months of the building's opening, Ange sold his interest in the hotel. In November 1924, a group of Orlando businessmen purchased the hotel for $1.25 million. Since its opening, the building housed the Angebilt Hotel, the Bank of Orange and Trust Company, and the offices for two radio stations including WDBO ("Way Down By Orlando"), which was the first regular radio station in Orlando. As of 2010, it also holds business offices and two restaurants.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the Dickson-Azalea Park, owned by the City of Orlando. The park is located south of Robinson Street, north of Central Boulevard, and west of Rosearden Drive. Fern Creek runs through the park, which drains into Mayor Carl T. Langford Park located directly south of Dickson-Azalea. The park is intersected by Washington Street. Washington Street goes over the park with a early white concrete bridge, one of the landmarks of downtown Orlando. Much of Dickson-Azalea Park is below the street surface as if follows the banks of Fern Creek. The park is a garden with mostly native plants and Fern Creek is crossed by several paths and foot bridges.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Tichnor Quality Views, 1938: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
First Baptist Church of Orlando Postcard
Postcard showing the First Baptist Church of Orlando, formerly located at 100 East Pine Street. The building was constructed in 1915 and designed by J. E. Greene in the Greek Revival Style. The building was demolished circa 1955 and the site is currently occupied by the Downtown Baptist Church (formally the First Baptist Church). The name change came about after the growth of the church spurred the decision to divide the congregation and build new facilities off of John Young Parkway, southwest of Downtown Orlando. The new church kept the name First Baptist Church while the original congregation took the name Downtown Baptist Church. This was the second Baptist church building on the site starting in the 1880s. The original church was called the Bethel Baptist Church and was founded in 1871.
First Methodist Church of Orlando Postcard
Postcard showing the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Orlando, formerly located at 142 East Jackson Street. The building was constructed in 1913 in Greek Classical Revival style with yellow brick. The building cost $50,000 to construct. The sanctuary was remodeled in 1942 and the church built several additional buildings throughout the years: Wesley Hall was built in 1922, Ashbury Hall was built in 1949, and the Ledbetter Building was built in 1956. The congregation was founded in Orlando in 1881 and was renamed the First United Methodist Church of Orlando in the 1950s.
First United Methodist Church, Orlando, Florida
First Presbyterian Church of Orlando Postcard
Postcard showing the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando, formerly located at 106 East Church Street. The First Presbyterian Church of Orlando was organized in 1876. Its first pastor was Reverend Henry Keigwin. It first congregated in the Union Free Church as well as a room in the courthouse. From 1884 to 1887,the congregation met in a church on west Central Avenue. When that church was lost in a fire, they chose to move to the east side of town. The church purchased the property bounded by Church Street, Jackson Street, Magnolia Avenue, and Rosalind Avenue in 1889 and still remains there as of 2011. The building was constructed in 1889 in the Carpenters Gothic Style. In 1902, the Congregational Church of Orlando merged with the First Presbyterian Church. In 1912, the sanctuary was enlarged to seat one thousand congregants. A second tower was added at that time as well. In 1914-1915, a major renovation was undertaken that completely changed the look of the building. The congregation added stained glass windows and the church was covered with stucco. It was changed from a traditional Gothic Style to the newer Spanish Colonial Style with white stucco, curved arches instead of Gothic, pointed features, and the original peaked roofs were hidden with the use of curvilinear elements. The stained glass windows, which were designed and made by the Jacoby Art Glass Company of St. Louis, were preserved after the building was demolished in 1958 and are stored in the Heritage Center at the church and in the Meditation Room at Westminster Towers. Murray S. King served as the remodeling architect and Frank Meyers was the contractor.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida
Postcard, posted in 1951, showing the Sperry Fountain on the southern shore of Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The fountain was named in honor of Frank Sperry, a mayor of Orlando. Lake Eola and the surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets the city of Orlando apart from other places. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used it for bathing, swimming and fishing, while on its shores people picnicked, listened to concerts and religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry. Once Frank Sperry had settled in Orlando, he started the South Florida Foundry and Machine Works, which developed into a large enterprise and Orlando's first real industry. Sperry was active in the business for a number of years, but sold out his interest because of failing health. He also began to have a great interest in the growing of citrus in the county. He served as mayor of Orlando and was also a member of the Park Commission. In 1913, while serving with the Park Commission, he donated the final piece of land on Lake Eola that completed a ring around the lake. On that land, he donated $2,000 to place a fountain that stands to this day and bears his name as a reminder of his generosity. The fountain, made of wrought iron was described as a "large acanthus leaf with a duck base surmounted by a bittern set in an octagonal masonry basin with eight vases." At the base of the fountain there is a plaque with the following statement: "This fountain donated by Frank E. Sperry, Mayor 1914 - 1916."
Lake Lucerne is one of two primary lakes connected with the earliest days of the city of Orlando, Florida. Along with Lake Eola, it defined one of the natural borders of the young town in the 1860s and 1870s. Lake Lucerne sits at the southern end of the Downtown Orlando area. Today Orange Avenue, the main north-south street through the city, crosses the lake on a causeway which nearly divides the lake in half. The East-West Expressway passes directly to the north. The area was one of the first areas developed with houses outside the business district and continues to be one of the jewels of Orlando's park system. The postcard shows two homes, one of which (on the left) is the Dr. Phillips House which was built in 1893 and is currently on the National Register of Historic Places.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by E. C. Kropp Company: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Memorial High School on Lake Eola Postcard
Postcard showing Memorial High School, located at 151 East Washington Street. The school was constructed by J. C. Hanner in 1922 and dedicated on December 3, 1922. The building was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and was named Memorial High School in honor of the "Orange County Boys who gave their lives in the World War." The building housed Orlando Memorial High School from 1922 to 1927, Memorial Junior High School from 1925 to 1958, and Orlando City Hall in 1961. In 1961, the building was sold to Roland M. Mumford, president of the Meyer Hotel of Jacksonville for $400,077.77. The school was demolished in 1961, and the Robert Meyer Hotel, later named the Kahler Plaza Inn, was erected on the site. In 1973, Harry Helmsley bought it and added it to his chain of Harley hotels. The Harley went into a slow decline under the stewardship of Helmsley's wife Leona, prompting a sort of rock & roll aesthetic to pick up where the Helmsley dynasty left off. The Sheraton eventually picked up the property and injected $9 million into shaping it up. In the early 2000s, Sheraton sold the property and it was renovated once again into a condominium called The Metropolitan.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Postcard showing the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse at 42-44 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style from 1939 to 1941 and dedicated on April 14, 1941. It has been occupied by the United States Post Office since 1941, the Federal District Courthouse from 1941 to circa 1974, the office of the Roman Catholic Church since 2003. The building was renovated in the early 2000s and was modified for office and retail use, with the Post Office retaining 13,200 square feet. Plans included an adjacent parking garage on the north side, though that that aspect never came to fruition. St. James Roman Catholic Cathedral, located across Court Street from the Post Office, purchased the parts of the building not utilized by the Post Office and use it for Chancery office space.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch inch color postcard: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
U.S. Post Office and Federal Courthouse, Orlando, Florida
State Bank of Orlando and Trust Company Postcard
Postcard showing the State Bank of Orlando Building, located at 1 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The bank was formed in 1893 with Louis Massey as its president. In 1919, the State Bank converted into the State Bank and Trust Company and also acquired the northeast corner of Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard that year. A. G. Bentley constructed a ten-story building on that lot, designed by W. L. Stoddart in the 20th Century Commercial style with Neo-Classical elements. The building was used by the bank until it closed in 1929. In 1927, the building was acquired by Orange County and served as governmental offices, including the office of the sheriff and supervisor of elections. In 1933, the Florida Bank at Orlando acquired the property. In 2002, it housed the temporary home of Florida Atlantic Metropolitan University's Law School.
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard by E. C. Kropp Company: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
State Bank of Orlando and Trust Company, Orlando, Florida
Postcard showing the Tremont Hotel, formerly located at 145 Main Street (present-day South Magnolia Avenue) in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The hotel was constructed between 1882 and 1895. The original owner was Captain James Walle Wilmott, who reportedly sailed around the world a total of eight times. The site was a conglomeration of three buildings: half of the Charleston House Hotel (the western section with a flat roof), all of the 1875 Orange County Courthouse (the three-story south section), and part of a building that had belonged to the Methodist Church (northern section). The 1872 Union Free Church was also moved to the site to be used as kitchen/outbuilding. The hotel was demolished in 1956.
Postcard showing the southern end of Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida. On the left is the Colony Theatre built in 1939. Park Avenue is Winter Park's historic main street. Originally located at 329 South Park Avenue, the Colony Theatre opened in 1939 and became a regional attraction in the 1950s and 1960s. The theater closed on September 28, 1975 and renovations of the building took place from 1976 to 1977. The site re-opened as the Colony Gardens in 1978. The building is now occupied by Pottery Barn.