Balcony at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The theater balcony at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
RICHES of Central Florida
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
Stage Entrance at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The current stage entrance of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, which was formerly the segregated colored entrance at the Milane Theatre and later the Ritz Theater. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Audience Seating Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
The theater at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in 2011. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original color digital images by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
The former Ritz Theater building in 1989. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of reprinted black and white photograph, 1989: Orlando Business Journal, December 10, 1999: Cities/Towns-Sanford Collection, Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida.
Orlando Business Journal
The Ritz Theater. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Ritz Theatre Presents the Hit Music Godspell
Flyer for the Ritz Theater's presentation of Godspell at the Sanford Civic Center. Godspell is a musical produced by Stephen Schwartz based on a book by John Michael Tebelak. The play originally opened on Broadway on May 17, 1971. The musical consists of a series of parables based on the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original flyer: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Ritz Theater. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original black and white photograph: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Ritz Theatre in 1996, before its restoration. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Newspaper reproduction of original color photograph by Doris Bloodwort, 1994: The Sanford Herald, June 11, 1996.
The Sanford Herald
Showtime Cantina in 1989. Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Newspaper reproduction of original black and white photograph, 1989: , December 10, 1999.
Corner view of the Ritz Theater from South Magnolia Avenue and East Second Street in the 1930s. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Ritz Theater in the 1930s. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Movie-goers in line at the Ritz Theater in 1936. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Newspaper reproduction of original black and white photograph, 1936: Cities/Towns-Sanford Collection, Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida.
Photograph of the Ritz Theater in the 1950s. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocpy of original black and white photograph: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
On the Stage: America's Greatest Hillbilly Comedian Cousin Wilbur
Advertisement for Cousin Wilbur, a "hillbilly comedian", and the Tennessee Mountaineers' performance at the Ritz Theater on May 19, 1946. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original black and white poster, 1946: Bishop, Katherine. Sanford Now and Then: An Official Project of the Greater Sanford Chamber of Commerce, Commemorating the Incorporating of the City of Sanford, 1877. S.l: s.n.], 1976, page 56: Item number DP0009054. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120167.
Extras outside the Ritz Theatre during the filming of Sealed With a Kiss, produced by Valencia Community College. The film was produced by about 350 students and took over a year to complete. Sealed With a Kiss is about a love story that spans three decades, starring Candace Miller and Christopher Calvert. Ralph Clemente directs the film, which includes original music by Richie Havens. Originally the Milane Theatre, the Ritz was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of newspaper reproduction of original black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent, October 29, 1989: The Sanford Herald, October 30, 1989: Vincent Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Letter from David Pearlman to Helen L. Stairs (June 13, 1994)
Letter to Helen L. Stairs from David Pearlman confirming the sale of the Ritz Theatre to RCT Projects, Inc. Originally the Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theatre and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original letter from David Pearlman to Helen L. Stairs, June 13, 1994: Ritz Theatre Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Anudience at a showing at the Ritz Theater. Originally the Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of newspaper reproduction of original black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent: Vincent Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Ticket Booth at Milane Theatre A Thing of Beauty
Newspaper article on the Milane Theatre's ticket booth, designed by H. S. Selleck and built by Sanford Novelty Works. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Newspaper article announcing WJZ's broadcast from the Milane Theatre planned to air June 25, 1926. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: This Week in Sanford, Vol. 01, No. 23, June 21, 1926, page 1: Item number DP0008900. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120807.
Sanford Scores an Epic Hit 'On Air': Reaches 8,000,000 Listeners with Solid Facts
Newspaper article on the WJZ broadcast at the Milane Theatre of a Sanford and Seminole County program of information and music to an audience of 8,000,000 radio listeners. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: This Week in Sanford Vol. 01, No. 24, June 28, 1926, page 1-2: Item number DP0008901. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120820.
Photograph of the Opera House in Sanford, Florida. The Opera House was first replaced by the Star Theatre and then later the Milane Theatre. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Milane Theatre Opened Last Night to Record Breaking House and Could Not Accommodate Any More: But Same Picture Will Be Shown Tonight for Those Who Failed to Get Seats
Newspaper article about the opening of the newly-built Milane Theatre, which was highly successful with a sold out house. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, August 2, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Let's Go to the Show: Entertainment Menu for Week Beginning July 24th
Newspaper article on the upcoming entertainment showings at the Milane Theatre for the week of July 24, 1926. Shows included Mantrap, Eve's Leaves, and Ranson's Folly. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: Sanford Today Vol. 01, No. 02, July 24, 1926, page 4: Item number DP0008872. Central Florida Memory. http://digitalcollections.lib.ucf.edu/u?/CFM,120933.
Let's Go to the Show: Entertainment Menu for Week Beginning July 19th
Newspaper sectional on the upcoming entertainment showings at the Milane Theatre for the week of July 19, 1926. Shows included Old Loves and New, The Little Irish Girl, The Fighting Heart, Sweet Daddies, and The Greater Glory. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: Sanford Today, Vol. 01, No. 01, July 17, 1926, page 6: Item number DP0008871. Central Florida Memory. http://digitalcollections.lib.ucf.edu/u?/CFM,120926.
First Showing of Sanford Picture at Milane Theatre: Is a Bright, Clear Picture and Sure to Draw Large Crowd When Shown
Newspaper article on the showing of a film at the Milane Theatre that would depict scenes in Sanford, Florida. Such scenes include the construction of new buildings, images of Sanford High School and South Side Primary School, and pictures of local residents such as Edward F. Lane and J. E. Pace. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, August 15, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Country Store Night Friday at the Milane
Newspaper article listing the prizes donated by various merchants for the Milane Theatre's Country Store Night. Merchants included J. M. Gillon, Baumel's Specialty Shop, W. H. White, Ball Hardware Company, T. J. Miller & Son, P. Weinberg, the Sanford Steam Pressery, The Sanford Daily Herald, McMullen's Barber Shop, R. C. Bower, Churchwell's, and the Lloyd Shoe Store. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article, August 23, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
This Week in Sanford: Amusement Section (June 28, 1926)
Advertisement for the Milane Theatre's feature showing of The Cave Man, as well as a fashion show called "The Storm" for the week of June 28, 1926. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Original newspaper article: This Week in Sanford Vol. 01, No. 24 (June 28, 1926): 3.
This Week in Sanford: Amusement Section (June 21, 1926)
Advertisement for the Milane Theatre's feature showing of Just Suppose, for the week of June 21, 1926. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: This Week in Sanford, Vol. 01, No. 23, June 21, 1926, page 3: Item number DP0008900. Central Florida Memory. http://digitalcollections.lib.ucf.edu/u?/CFM,120797.
Newspaper article on Amateur Night at the Milane Theatre, located in Sanford, Florida. Juanita Smith won first prize and Wema Graves came in second. The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane, respectively. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed and the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Photocopy of original newspaper article, September 25, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
The Hopper Academy was the first African-American school in the Georgetown district of Sanford. Established in 1886, the school was originally named Colored School No. 11. In 1906, Joseph Nathaniel Crooms became the first principal of the Hopper Academy and began construction of the current building at 1101 Pine Avenue. The building originally housed grades one through ten and also served as a community high school until the construction of the Crooms Academy in Goldsboro. In 1968, the Hopper Academy ceased to operate as a school.
Original color digital images by Adam Rock, July 30, 2011.
Seminole County Historic Marker about the community of Georgetown in Sanford, Florida. Henry Shelton Sanford established Georgetown in the 1870s as a community for migrating African Americans to settle. Georgetown became a self-sustaining community with its own commercial district and schools operated by African Americans. Georgetown remained a safe haven for the African-American population in Sanford during times of racial violence during the twentieth century.
Original digital color images by Adam Rock, July 30, 2011.
What To Do and See in the Cape Canaveral Area
Booklet on tourism in the Cape Canaveral area including Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, and Titusville. The cover shows Mercury Astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper. The booklet is an aid for people vacationing or moving to the area. It details activities, restaurants, events, sports, television listings, schools, real estate information, and more.
Original booklet, 1963: What To Do and See in the Cape Canaveral Area (Cocoa Beach, Florida: Brownell Associates, 1963): Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
U.S. Air Force
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.
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 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.
Booklet about the Bok Tower Gardens published in 1950. Edward Bok retired to the town of Lake Wales, Florida. 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 16 pounds to just under 12 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 70 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 booklet by the American Foundation Incorporated: The Mountain Lake Sanctuary (United States of America: Edward Stern and Company Incorporated, 1950): Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Legend of the Bridal Chamber at Florida's Silver Springs Brochure
Brochure, produced in 1951, promoting the Silver Springs' attracting "The Bridal Chamber". The brochure also shows a map of Florida showing pre-Interstate highway roads as several other Florida roadside attractions. Silver Springs was originally settled by the Timucuans in the early 1500s. Although they were able to reclaim their territory after Spanish invasion, the Timucuans were ultimately succeeded by other tribes, such as the Seminoles. In the 1850s, Silver Springs began to attract tourists for steamboat rides. The park's popularity skyrocketed when the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.
Original brochure by Ray, Davidson and Ray, 1951: Snyder & Black, New York, New York: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Street map of the City of Orlando, Florida, printed in 1936. The map shows the route of a 23-mile scenic drive around 18 lakes in Orlando. It has listings of apartment houses, churches, hotels, real estate brokers, newspapers, schools, clubs, newspapers and more. The map also lists 66 places on the scenic drive illustrated on the map.
Original 17 x 22 inch map, 1936: Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce
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 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.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: E. C. Kropp Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Florida's Famed Underwater Fairyland...Silver Springs
Brochure produced in 1959, promoting Silver Springs, Florida. It also shows a map of Florida showing pre-Interstate system roads as several other Florida roadside attractions. Silver Springs was originally settled by the Timucuans in the early 1500s. Although they were able to reclaim their territory after Spanish invasion, the Timucuans were ultimately succeeded by other tribes, such as the Seminoles. In the 1850s, Silver Springs began to attract tourists for steamboat rides. The park's popularity skyrocketed when the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.
Original brochure by Ray, Davidson and Ray, 1959: Haynes Lithograph Company, Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
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.
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.
Santa Claus Joins Army Air Forces, Christmas 1943
An Army Air Forces menu created for the Christmas of 1943. The cover shows Santa Claus piloting an airplane over an airbase. There are illustrations of a decorated Christmas tree, a palm tree and what appears to be orange trees. The interior has a Christmas note from Hume Peabody, Brigadier General of the U.S. Army who was Commanding General of the Army Air Force Tactical Center. Although Japan and China were already engaged war since 1937, September 1, 1939 is generally considered the beginning date of World War II. It was on this day that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, inciting France and the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany. Through the course of the war, belligerents were general divided into two groups: the Allied Powers, consisting of the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, China, Poland, Canada, Australia, India, Yugoslavia, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Norway, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Denmark, Luxembourg, Cuba, Mexico, the Philippines, Mongolia, and Iran; and the Axis Powers, consisting of Germany, Japan, Italy, Hingary, Romania, and Bulgaria. The United States did not join the Allies until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. War was waged for several years. On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered to Soviet and Polish troops in response to the capture of Berlin just a few days earlier, in effect ending the war in Europe. The war in the Pacific theater did not end until Japan surrended on August 15, 1945, in response to the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. World War II transformed the globe's geopolitical context. The United Nations (UN) was established and the United States and Soviet Union emrged as opposing superpowers, setting the stage for the 46-year long Cold War. Much of Europe was left in economic collapse and decolonization began in Asia and Africa.
Original menu, 1943: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
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.
Brochure on the San Juan Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The brochure showcases that activities for tourists in Orlando Florida, as well as the luxury of the San Juan. The brochure was published around 1955. 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 brochure: 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.
Russ Mattress and Manufacturing Company Fan
A fan advertising the Russ Mattress and Manufacturing Company that was located at 1122 West Church Street in Orlando, Florida. The front of the fan shows a winter scene with snow-covered houses and a U.S. Patent number # 1655229. The fan was produced by the U. O. Colson Company of Paris, Illinois. The patent for the fan was applied for by Frank H. Klie in 1927 and granted on January 3, 1928.
Original fan: U. O. Colson Company, Paris, Illinois: 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
Programme of the First Concert of the Orlando Choral Union
A programme for the First Concert of the Orlando Choral Union at the Orlando Opera House, held on Monday, April 13, 1891. Located on 119-125 South Court Avenue, the Opera House was owned by Charles Weimer and built by N. C. Stubblefield in 1884.
Original program, 1891: The Daily Record Print, 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.
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.
Pamphlet on tourist attractions in Orlando, Florida. The pamphlet shows many photos of Central Florida, as well as a basic map of the state of Florida showing US-441, which is present-day Orange Blossom Trail. Images include a aerial view of downtown Orlando, Bok Tower, Marineland, Daytona Beach, Sanlando Springs, Ringling Art Museum, and Silver Springs.
Original pamphlet: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange Blossom Trail: The Scenic Route Through Central Florida
Pamphlet on the scenic route of Orange Blossom Trail north from the Georgia-Florida border to Key West. The pamphlet lists roadside attractions near or on OBT, in an era before the construction of I-95, I-75 and I-4 nearly ended the traditional roadside attraction.
Original pamphlet by the Orange Blossom Trail Association: Vaughan & Co., 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.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Orlando street map printed in 1914 by the State Bank of Orlando. The cover of the map lists the officers and directors of the State Bank of Orlando, as well as a listing of churches. The map was made for the Carl Dann Real Estate Company of Orlando and was compiled by G. R. Ramsey, and platted and drawn by J. A. McLeod. It lists West Street, renamed Rosalind Avenue around 1916; Main Street, renamed Magnolia Avenue; Magnolia Street, renamed Palmetto Avenue; and East Street, renamed Summerlin Avenue.
Original map by J. A. McLeod and G. R. Ramsey, 1914: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Lawn Bowling Handbook, complied and edited by Harold L. Esch and published in 1948. The book contains a history of lawn bowling and a description of the rules. On the last page is an advertisement by the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce for lawn bowling at Sunshine Park in Orlando, Florida. The Chamber of Commerce office was located at 113 East Central Avenue.
Esch, Harold L. Lawn Bowling Handbook. Wauwatasa, Wisc: Harold L. Esch, 1948.
Grant's Tourist Guide of Orlando, Florida with Map
Tourism--Florida--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Tourist guide of Orlando, Florida published in 1919. Grant's Tourist Guide includes a sketch of Orlando written by Samuel A. Robinson and delivered as a speech in 1918 to the Orlando Board of Trade. The guide has numerous printed photographs of Orlando landmarks and ads for various hotels, boarding houses and other tourist-orient businesses.
Original booklet by Homer D. Grant: Grant's Tourist Guide of Orlando, Florida with Map (DeLand, Florida: E. O. Painter Printing Company, 1919).
Lake Tohopekaliga, Osceola County, Florida
Florida's Weeki Wachee: Spring of Live Mermaids
Weeki Wachee Spring (Fla.)--Amusement parks
Springs--Florida--Hernando County Region
Brochure for Weeki Wachee produced in the mid-1950s. Weeki Wachee features performances by underwater mermaids, a glass-bottom boat ride, and other natural attractions. The springs are named after the Seminole words for "little spring" or "winding river." In 1946, former U.S. Navy member Newton Perry began to develop a tourist attraction at Weeki Wachee. By the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was one of the top tourist stops in the United States. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) purchased the site in 1959 and continued to expand. In 2008, Weeki Wachee was taken over by the state of Florida as a state park.
Cypress Gardens Booklet from the 1950s that includes information on plants, Cypress Gardens' water-ski show, and motion pictures filmed at Cypress Gardens. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope Sr. and his wife Julie. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's landmark firsts and the over 50 world records broken there. Numerous motion pictures were filmed at the Cypress Gardens, including portions of This is Cinerama, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. However, Cypress Gardens closed in 2009. Legoland occupies the former lot.
Original booklet: Florida Cypress Gardens (Orlando, Florida: Litho U.S.A. Vaughan). Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Florida Circle Tours brochure produced by United Tours in 1950. The brochure details a nine-day coach tour of Florida starting in Jacksonville and traveling to Silver Springs, Orlando, Winter Haven, Cypress Gardens, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Snell Island, Tampa Bay, Tamiami Trail, the Everglades, Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Palm Beach, Indian River, Daytona Beach, Marineland, St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra. It also lists optional trips to Havana, Cuba or Nassau, Bahamas by air or steamer. United Tours was located at 329 East Flagler Street in Miami, Florida.
Original brochure, 1950: United Tours, Miami, Florida.: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Biscayne Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Indian Creek Village, Indian Creek, Florida
Florida: A Fabulous State of Well-Being!
Florida state brochure titled, "Florida: A Fabulous State of Well-Being!" The brochure includes a welcome note from then Governor LeRoy Collins (1955-1961).
Original brochure: "Florida: A Fabulous State of Well-Being!": Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
First Church of Christ, Scientist Postcard
Postcard showing the First Church of Christ, Scientist, formerly located on 24 North Rosalind Avenue. The building was constructed between 1926 and May 1928. Architect George Foote Dunham built it in the Italian Renaissance and Classical Revival style with 2 and a half stories, masonry, a copper dome, and a main facade with a Doric portico. From 1928 to 1975, it was the home of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Christian Scientists sold it in 1975 to the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. The Church sits across from Lake Eola and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by C. T. American Art Colored: Asheville Post Card Company, Asheville, North Carolina: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
913th Engineers First Anniversary Booklet
First anniversary yearbook of the 913th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics in Orlando, Florida. The company was first established at Mitchel Field, New York on November 1, 1942. After the addition of a cadre from the 908th Engineer Air Force Headquarters Company of Hamilton Field, California, the company resettled in South Camp of the Fighter Command School in Florida on December 1, 1942. The 913th soon absorbed the 895th Engineer Company and Captain Robert B. Kirk took charge. The company was responsible for supplementing the engineer staff of the air force and performing operational and training missions.
913th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
Original booklet by the 913th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics: 913th Engineers Anniversary (Orlando, Florida: Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics, 1943). 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, 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.
Cypress Gardens booklet from the 1950s that includes information on plants, Cypress Gardens' water-ski show, and motion pictures filmed at Cypress Gardens. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936 as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope, Sr. and his wife, Julie. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. It became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World" because many of the sport's landmark firsts and the over 50 world records broken there. Numerous motion pictures were filmed at the Cypress Gardens, including portions of This is Cinerama, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009. Legoland occupies the former lot.
Original booklet: 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.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 10 edition was published on April 26, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include an awards ceremony acknowleding outstanding students, the myster of Miss Vanemburg's "environment", two Guidance Program events, student editorials, a calendar of events, a paper published by the Spanish class, club news, Student Council's visit to the "Singing Tower" at Mountain Lake, personal news from teachers and students, the recent track and field meet, a baseball game between eighth and ninth graders, class picnics, and a humor section.
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 10. April 26, 1929. Prviate Collection of Thomas Cook.
Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 9 edition was published on April 12, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include the school victory at a track and field meet, a ministrel performed by the eighth grade, the performance of "Mother Carey's Chickens," A Model Club meet, student editorials, a calendar of events, the state of national education and higher education, club news, personal news from students, the eighth grade "Who's Who" contest, sports news, and eighth grade event heald for parents, and a humor section.
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.:The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 9. April 12, 1929. Prviate Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 8 edition was published on March 22, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include amendments to the Student Council constitution, the upcoming performance of "Mother Carey's Chickens", student editorials, a calendar of events, exchanges with other schools' newspapers, club news, personal news from students and teachers, sports news, a humor section, and the school's girls' basketball victory over Memorial.
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.:The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 8. March 22, 1929. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 7 edition was published on March 8, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include awards that the school one at the Central Florida Exhibition, a new picture file in the school library, a ninth grade debate, a perfomance by the Hi-Y Club, student editorials, a calendar of event, exchanges with other schools' newspapers, Thelma Jones' contest-winning limerick, club news, a short story about two West Virginian slaves during the American Civil War, personal news from teachers, sports news, and a humor section.
Original school newspaper by Robert Cox, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 6. March 8, 1929. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cherokee Junior High School, Orlando, Florida
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 6 edition was published on February 21, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include the election of Joe Bird as Student Council President, musical productions by seventh graders, a speech by Miss Freeman of the Orlando Ice Dealers Association, a performance by Mr. Westover, student editorials, a calendar of events, a contet spondered by Cher-O-Key, club news, Student Council news, readings performed by Florida Routh, personal news from students and teachers, sports news, an athletic calendar, and the Who's Who contest.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 6. February 21, 1929: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 5 edition was published on February 1, 1929 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include Thrift Week, a speech by Dr. J. Dean Adcock of the First Baptist Church, Student Council's visit to the Orlando Municipal Auditorium, the theatrical production "The Family Album", student editorials, a calendar of events, Cherokee Junior High's Bookbinding Department, the Expression Club's theatrical productions, the activities of the Margaret F. S. Flace's art class, personal news from students, sports news, the school's new projection lantern, and students from local Orlando elementary schools who were promoted to junior high school.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 5. February 1, 1929: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 4 edition was published on December 21, 1928 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include the performance of the musical "Once in a Blue Moon", the Red Cross' Christmas Seal Campaign, student scholarship, club news, a calendar of events, several Christmas poems and stories, seventh grade literature, and Cherokee Junior High's defeat by Memorial High School in a soccer game.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 4. December 21, 1928: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 3 edition was published on December 7, 1928 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include readings given by Joe Browning Jones of Rollins College, Memorial High School's presentation if "Not Quite Such a Goose", a Parent-Teacher Association award for "The Shepherd Boy", West Central Elementary and Mark Street Elementary students' visit to Cherokee Junior High, self-government for the country, a calendar of events, Student Council news, club news, the seventh grade party, personal news from teachers, and a steak roast at Warren Park, girls' volleyball tournaments, programs hosted by the Variety Club, and the Know Orlando Club.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed.: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 3. December 7, 1928. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
The Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927.. The Volume I, Number 2 edition was published on November 23, 1928 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include new equipment for the school's office, a class presentation, Roberta Barnett's essay "The Teeth in Relation to the General Health", new students to Cherokee Junior High, the annual meeting of the Florida Educational Association, the Thanksgiving holiday, students cited for scholarship, a calendar of events, the French Conversation Club, Jack Kline's birthday party, personal updates for students and teachers, Memorial High School's presentation of "The Family Physician", sports games and tournaments, a Journalism Club study of how to write news, and a Native American legend.
Original school newspaper, written by Ruth Wetherington, ed. The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 2. November 23, 1928: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Cher-O-Key, the bimonthly school newspaper published by the Journalism Club of Cherokee Junior High School, which was located at 550 South Eola Drive in Orlando, Florida when it opened in 1927. The Volume I, Number 1 edition was published on November 9, 1928 and cost one cent. Articles in the newspaper include Professor Grover of Rollins College's address to Cherokee Junior High, grade percentages, the activities of the Journalism Club, the Parent-Teacher Assocation, a calendar of events, merit cards issues to students, Roberta Barnett's essay for the Florida State Dental Assocatin, social activities at the scool, a ruling by the Board of Education, new rules for eligibility for sports, and the temperance movement.
Original school newspaper by Ruth Wetherington, ed: The Cher-O-Key Vol. I No. 1. November 9, 1928. Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Central Ave., Looking West from Court House Postcard
Elks, Benevolent and Protective Order of
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 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.
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.
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.
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard: C. T. American Art: 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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).
A Glimpse of the Business Section Postcard
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.
The Oviedo Historical Society was organized in November 1973 by a group of citizens. The society is a 501(3) non-profit organization. Its purpose is to help preserve the community identity of Oviedo by collecting and disseminating knowledge about local history, serve as a repository for documents and artifacts relating to Oviedo history, promote the preservation and marking of historic sites and buildings in the Oviedo area and foster interest in local, state, national, and world history.
Oviedo Historicay Society, Inc.
Oviedo Historical Society 200 West Broadway Street Oviedo, Florida 32765
The Goldsboro Historical Museum is located at 1211 Historic Goldsboro Boulevard in the Goldsboro community of Sanford, Florida. The museum highlights this heritage with exhibits about Goldsboro as a city and as a part of Sanford. Exhibits focus on the people, schools, churches, and businesses of Goldsboro. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday 1:00-5:00 PM. Admission is free.
Goldsboro Historical Museum
Goldsboro Historical Museum 1211 Historic Goldsboro Boulevard Sanford, Florida 32771
Black and white photographs of the front of Sanford Municipal Athletic Field and of the infield and bleachers . Located less than a mile from Historic Downtown Sanford, Sanford Memorial Stadium now stands next to the original site, which was built in 1926. Many Major League stars have played in the stadium including Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Tim Raines, and David Eckstein. Sanford Stadium is the location where Jackie Robinson first took to the field in 1946 to play baseball as a member of a white Class AAA International League Team in Daytona Beach, Florida, which was partnered with the Montreal Royals. By the time Robinson took the field, however, the crowd ended up booing him off before he could play. The police chief had actually threatened to cancel the game if Robinson took the field.
Original black and white photograph: Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida.
Florida Historical Society
Built in 1875 by General Henry Shelton Sanford (1823-1891), the Sanford House Hotel was able to accommodate over 150 guests. At the turn of the century, the Sanford House Hotel was the center of all major city events and celebrations. The hotel extended all the way from Firstst Street to Commercial Street and was the center of the city's social and political life. Rates for a room in 1884 ranged from $15 to $20 per week. The 1887 fire came very close to the Sanford House, and it was feared that sparks would add it to the destruction. What saved it were wet blankets which were draped from the roof and windows. The Sanford House Hotel was torn down in May of 1920.
Original black and white photograph: Photographic Collection, box 3, folder Businesses--Hotels, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
The Ensminger Brothers would later be known as two of the most preeminent photographers in Central Florida, capturing scenes of everyday life throughout the region, as well as serving as two of the primary photographers to document troop mobilization in Tampa during the Spanish-American War. The Ensmingers had operated photography studios throughout the American northeast, and previously in Independence, Iowa, before permanently moving to Sanford in 1884. Also seen in the photograph from left to right is a drug store, J. W. Wellington Real Estate, and a fishing tackle and guns store.
Original black and white photograph: Photographic Collection, box 3, folder Businesses--Assorted, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Sanford Fire Department First Anniversary
Hook and Ladder Company #1 and Hose Company #1 parading along Sanford Avenue on January 1, 1884. The building pictured behind the companies is believed to be Sanford Fire Department, the city's first fire station. On September 20, 1887, the Great Fire of 1887 broke out and burned for two days, due to the city's lack of adequate fire equipment. The fire destroyed a significant portion of the business district and the City of Sanford responded by increasing its fire protection measures, improving water pressure, and constructing numerous fire hydrants.
Original black and white photograph, January 1, 1884: Photographic Collection, box 3, folder Municipal--Fire Department, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Atlantic Coast Line Passenger Station on West French Avenue
This location contains was home to a two-story brick Atlantic Coast Line passenger station, Sanford's third train station, which was built for a cost of $70,000 and opened on January 14, 1913. It served passengers until 1952, and was torn down in the 1960s. The Atlantic Coast Line, controlled by J. P. Morgan, operated throughout the American Southeast during the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, The ACL had numerous lines throughout Florida and played a major role in building up Central Florida's infrastructure during the early 20th century.
Original black and white photograph: Photographic Collection, box 3, folder Transportation--Railroads, General Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
This cityscape shows four trains parked at the Sanford Train Depot at the turn of the 20th century. The building to the right in the background is the Plant System Headquarters, controlled by Henry Plant. W. J. Hill and Company Hardware can be seen to the right in the foreground. Behind the depot is Lake Monroe and the Sanford waterfront.