Park Avenue Postcard
Winter Park (Fla.)
Theaters--Florida
Postcards--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Postcard showing the southern end of Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida. On the left is the Colony Theatre built in 1939. Park Avenue is Winter Park's historic main street. Originally located at 329 South Park Avenue, the Colony Theatre opened in 1939 and became a regional attraction in the 1950s and 1960s. The theater closed on September 28, 1975 and renovations of the building took place from 1976 to 1977. The site re-opened as the Colony Gardens in 1978. The building is now occupied by Pottery Barn.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
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Still Image
Colony Theatre, Winter Park, Florida
Tremont Hotel Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Hotels--Florida
Postcard showing the Tremont Hotel, formerly located at 145 Main Street (present-day South Magnolia Avenue) in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The hotel was constructed between 1882 and 1895. The original owner was Captain James Walle Wilmott, who reportedly sailed around the world a total of eight times. The site was a conglomeration of three buildings: half of the Charleston House Hotel (the western section with a flat roof), all of the 1875 Orange County Courthouse (the three-story south section), and part of a building that had belonged to the Methodist Church (northern section). The 1872 Union Free Church was also moved to the site to be used as kitchen/outbuilding. The hotel was demolished in 1956.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
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Still Image
Tremont Hotel, Orlando, Florida
Fountain in Lake Eola Park Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Parks--Florida
Fountains--Florida
Postcard, posted in 1951, showing the Sperry Fountain on the southern shore of Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The fountain was named in honor of Frank Sperry, a mayor of Orlando. Lake Eola and the surrounding park are one of the unusual features that sets the city of Orlando apart from other places. From its earliest days, Downtown Orlando was situated on the west side of the lake. As the town grew into a city, Lake Eola continued to be a focal point for the inhabitants, who used it for bathing, swimming and fishing, while on its shores people picnicked, listened to concerts and religious services. Much of the land around Lake Eola was donated to Orlando by Jacob Summerlin who designated that it be a public park. It has remained one ever since. The rest of the park land was donated by the Musselwhite Family and Mayor Frank Sperry.<br /><br />Once Frank Sperry had settled in Orlando, he started the South Florida Foundry and Machine Works, which developed into a large enterprise and Orlando's first real industry. Sperry was active in the business for a number of years, but sold out his interest because of failing health. He also began to have a great interest in the growing of citrus in the county. He served as mayor of Orlando and was also a member of the Park Commission. In 1913, while serving with the Park Commission, he donated the final piece of land on Lake Eola that completed a ring around the lake. On that land, he donated $2,000 to place a fountain that stands to this day and bears his name as a reminder of his generosity. The fountain, made of wrought iron was described as a "large acanthus leaf with a duck base surmounted by a bittern set in an octagonal masonry basin with eight vases." At the base of the fountain there is a plaque with the following statement: "This fountain donated by Frank E. Sperry, Mayor 1914 - 1916."
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
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eng
Still Image
Sperry Fountain, Orlando, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
Lake Wales, Florida
First Methodist Church of Orlando Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Churches--Florida
Methodist Church--Florida
Methodists--United States
Methodism
Buildings--Florida
Postcard showing the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Orlando, formerly located at 142 East Jackson Street. The building was constructed in 1913 in Greek Classical Revival style with yellow brick. The building cost $50,000 to construct. The sanctuary was remodeled in 1942 and the church built several additional buildings throughout the years: Wesley Hall was built in 1922, Ashbury Hall was built in 1949, and the Ledbetter Building was built in 1956. The congregation was founded in Orlando in 1881 and was renamed the First United Methodist Church of Orlando in the 1950s.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
First United Methodist Church, Orlando, Florida
First Baptist Church of Orlando Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Baptist Church
Churches--Florida
Baptists--Florida
Postcard showing the First Baptist Church of Orlando, formerly located at 100 East Pine Street. The building was constructed in 1915 and designed by J. E. Greene in the Greek Revival Style. The building was demolished circa 1955 and the site is currently occupied by the Downtown Baptist Church (formally the First Baptist Church). The name change came about after the growth of the church spurred the decision to divide the congregation and build new facilities off of John Young Parkway, southwest of Downtown Orlando. The new church kept the name First Baptist Church while the original congregation took the name Downtown Baptist Church. This was the second Baptist church building on the site starting in the 1880s. The original church was called the Bethel Baptist Church and was founded in 1871.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
First Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida
Angebilt Hotel Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Hotels--Florida
Postcards--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Postcard showing the Angebilt Hotel, located at 37 North Orange Avenue, was constructed between 1921 and 1923. Plans to build the hotel were announced in June of 1921 and construction cost $1 million. Florida's first registered architect, Murray S. King designed the building in the twentieth century commercial story, complete with eleven stories and 240 hotel rooms. The hotel opened on March 14, 1923. The original owner was Joseph Fenner Ange, who moved to Orlando in 1913 from Martin County, North Carolina.
After two months of the building's opening, Ange sold his interest in the hotel. In November 1924, a group of Orlando businessmen purchased the hotel for $1.25 million. Since its opening, the building housed the Angebilt Hotel, the Bank of Orange and Trust Company, and the offices for two radio stations including WDBO ("Way Down By Orlando"), which was the first regular radio station in Orlando. As of 2010, it also holds business offices and two restaurants.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 3.5 x 5.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Angebilt Hotel, Orlando, Florida
U.S. Post Office Building Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Post office buildings--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Courthouses--Florida
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
San Juan Hotel Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Hotels--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Tourism--Florida
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. <br /><br /> 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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Fla. Skyline by Moonlight Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Parks--Florida
Lakes--Florida
Buildings--Florida
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago, 1943: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
Orange Avenue Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Shops
Stores, Retail--United States
Buildings--Florida
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
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 News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
Fair Oaks, Pennsylvania
Orange Ave. Looking North Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Shops
Stores, Retail--United States
Buildings--Florida
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
Bird's-Eye View of Tropical Lake Eola Park and Band Shell Postcard
Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Bandstands--United States
Parks--Florida
Lakes--Florida
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
Cook, Thomas
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida
Albertson Public Library Postcard
Albertson Public Library, Orlando, Fla.
Buildings--Florida
Library Buildings--United States
Postcards--Florida--Orlando
Libraries--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
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.
Genuine Curteich-Chicago
Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.
Orange News Company
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Orlando, Florida