Florida Polk's Orlando City Directories: Including Conway, Maitland and Winter Park for 1949. Located at 23 East Church Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, the company furnished services as electrical contractors for business in and around Orlando starting in approximately 1914. According to the ad, Johnson Electric Co. worked with lighting, fixtures, appliances, washing machines, electrical refrigerators, and ironers, and also offered a washing machine repair service. Over the years, the company expanded to included 23-29 East Church Street and, by 1963, Johnson Electric Co. had moved to 260 Magnolia Avenue. In 1981, the company was purchased by Harry A. Ferran, who merged it with Ward Air-conditioning to form Ferran Engineering Group, Inc. Ferran Servicing and Contracting is headquartered at 530 Grand Street.]]> Florida Polk's Orlando City Directory: Including Winter Park and Orange County. Richmond, Va: R. L. Polk, 1949: Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida.]]> R. L. Polk & Company]]> Florida Polk's Orlando City Directory: Including Winter Park and Orange County. Richmond, Va: R. L. Polk, 1949.]]> Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida.]]> Downtown Orlando Information Center Collection, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> R. L. Polk & Company.]]> R. L. Polk & Company and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]> An entrance lamp from the Albertson Public Library, located at 101 East Central Boulevard in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Before there was a public library in Orlando, the local Sorosis Club ran a circulating library for the city. After years of running the library out of homes and clubhouses, the Sorosis Club joined the Board of Education in an effort to organize an official public library. In 1919, the Mayor of Orlando, Eugene Goodman Duckworth (1875-1959), secured the corner of Central Avenue and Rosalind Avenue as the site for the new library. A $73,983 contract was drafted and Murry S. King (1870-1925) was hired as the architect. On December 28, 1922, the cornerstone was laid and, on November 8, 1923, the Albertson Public Library opened with 20,000 books, which included the Sorosis Club's collection, as well as 12,000 books from Captain Charles L. Albertson, a retired police inspector from New York for whom the library was named.

Near the end of 1963, plans for a new library were being made. The Albertson Public Library, along with two branches, were to be demolished in order to make room for the new building. In the meantime, a temporary location at 905 North Orange Avenue was used as the library headquarters. On August 7, 1966, the Orlando Public Library opened. Although the name of the library changed, Albertson is still commemorated in the new library for his generous donation with a plaque at the entrance of the building, and the genealogy and local history section of the library is named after him. Less than 10 years later, in 1974, officials began to consider expansion of the library. In 1978, the Orlando City Counsel allocated the block of land to the west of the building for expansion. Architect Duane Stark was given the expansion task, as well as renovating the existing building. The current 290,000 square foot building opened on April 6, 1986.]]> Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.]]> Orlando Remembered Exhibit, Orlando Public Library, Orlando, Florida.]]> Orlando Public Library Collection, Orlando Remembered Collection, Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection. RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Orange County Regional History Center and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>