Originally a cattle town, Orlando grew into a major citrus growing center by the 1920s. The city continued to grow during the Great Depression with aid from the Work Progress Administration (WPA). During World War II, Orlando became a major military center as well, with the development of the McCoy Air Force Base and Pinecastle Air Force Base, and with the addition of the Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando in 1968. Downtown Orlando declined in the 1960s and 1970s. Redevelopment began in the 1970s and continued into the 1980s, with projects such as the Church Street Station entertainment complex. In 1998, a building boom began and continued through the 2000s.]]>
Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
After homesteading in the Dakota Territory, Gore decided to moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1880, due to his poor health. In the 1880s, he purchased The Orange County Reporter shortly after his arrival and was elected to the Orlando City Council. Gore served as Mayor of Orlando from 1893 to 1896. His wife passed away around 1903 and he moved into Sioux Villa in 1906. He died on June 27, 1916.

Gore's second wife, Caroline Groninger Gore, opened their home, which was then located at 211 Lucerne Circle, to a congregation of Unitarian Universalists led by Reverend Eleanor Gordon during the winter of 1910. On January 8, 1911, the home served as the site of the first service of the First Unitarian Church of Orlando. The church was formally organized the following year in the home of Edward McNeill, located at 309 Robinson Street. The congregation held some of its earliest services in the Lucerne Theatre before purchasing land at the northeast corner of Central Boulevard and Rosalind Avenue in on January 1, 1913. The church building was designed by Ida Annah Ryan and Isabel Roberts in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style. The Unity Chapel held its first service on February 16, 1913, and was formally dedicated on March 16. By 1954, the congregation had outgrown Unity Chapel and moved to a new church located at 1901 East Robinson Street. In 1957, the chapel's last service took place. Sam Murrell constructed a new building, called the Murrell Building, that was designed by Richard Boone Rogers in 1957.]]>
RICHES of Central Florida]]> Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
Postcard Collection, Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.]]> Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce]]> Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Orlando, Florida.]]> Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce.]]> Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> Postcard Collection, Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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