THE Orlando Photo Thread

[spenser1058]

26 minutes ago, uncreativeusername said:

Thanks, @JFW657.  I had been scratching my head trying to figure out that orientation, thought maybe the photo was flipped.  So the library expansion was originally planned for the Cambria/St. George lot? Anyone know/remember the story on that?

 

If the lower right extends to Washington St., then we would also have lost the Christian Science Church (now St. George).

Of course when Library Square was proposed in the mid ‘70’s (there was also a Government Square west of I4 and Orange something or other in the middle) no one was trying to preserve much of anything.

What a difference less than 10 years would make.

Edited March 4, 2019 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

7 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

If the lower right extends to Washington St., then we would also have lost the Christian Science Church (now St. George).

Yep, you're right. I didn't even consider that.

[spenser1058]

While we’re on Washington St., it’s pretty safe to say that so long as the AT&T bunker exists, what should be a great connector between Orange Ave. and Eola will never amount to much. It’s just a dead zone.

Given that it was the switching office for landline equipment which is being phased out and the microwave tower for long distance has been extinct for years, is it still some critical piece of infrastructure we just have to put up with?

I’m guessing along the way they swapped out some of the innards with more current technology but given how quickly tech becomes obsolete nowadays, can’t we find a path to something more fitting?

(Only the Washington St. side- the Wall St. side with the windows which housed the pre-Southern Bell Orlando Telephone company should be a keeper.)

Any techies out there know more specifics?

[codypet]

There's a lot of fiber terminals in there now.   Not to mention AT&T does have old switching equipment operational inthere. 

[JFW657]

4 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

While we’re on Washington St., it’s pretty safe to say that so long as the AT&T bunker exists, what should be a great connector between Orange Ave. and Eola will never amount to much. It’s just a dead zone.

Given that it was the switching office for landline equipment which is being phased out and the microwave tower for long distance has been extinct for years, is it still some critical piece of infrastructure we just have to put up with?

I’m guessing along the way they swapped out some of the innards with more current technology but given how quickly tech becomes obsolete nowadays, can’t we find a path to something more fitting?

(Only the Washington St. side- the Wall St. side with the windows which housed the pre-Southern Bell Orlando Telephone company should be a keeper.)

Any techies out there know more specifics?

Definitely keep the Wall St half, but I'd be happy if they just knocked out some windows in the Washington St half. 

[dcluley98]

Yep, that's correct. Thanks JFW and uncreativeusername. Here is another image showing exactly that. That rendering was confusing because the addition they had on the library was in fact to the north, not to the west as it ended up.  (was wondering why all the parapet features didn' t match up exactly. The ones shown in the rendering other than the original building were never built and don't exist!)

Edited March 4, 2019 by dcluley98

[spenser1058]

Apparently, we would have lost another chunk of Wall St. We lost the middle third of it in the ‘50’s because the (now demolished) courthouse annex was too big for its lot.

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, dcluley98 said:

Yep, that's correct. Thanks JFW and uncreativeusername. Here is another image showing exactly that. That rendering was confusing because the addition they had on the library was in fact to the north, not to the west as it ended up.  (was wondering why all the parapet features didn' t match up exactly. The ones shown in the rendering other than the original building were never built and don't exist!)

So even way back then buildings were being proposed is Orlando that never got built.

Our history goes back longer than we thought.

[spenser1058]

16 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

So even way back then buildings were being proposed is Orlando that never got built.

Our history goes back longer than we thought.

Yep, there was supposed to be a second CNA Tower (it got built years later as the Barnett Bank building instead).

Other than the usual reasons such things never happen, the ‘74-‘75 recession killed any thought of it.

Edited March 5, 2019 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

17 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Yep, there was supposed to be a second CNA Tower (it got built years later as the Barnett Bank building instead).

Other than the usual reasons such things never happen, the ‘74-‘75 recession killed any thought of it.

I'd love to see a rendering of that.

[uncreativeusername]

4 hours ago, dcluley98 said:

Yep, that's correct. Thanks JFW and uncreativeusername. Here is another image showing exactly that. That rendering was confusing because the addition they had on the library was in fact to the north, not to the west as it ended up.  (was wondering why all the parapet features didn' t match up exactly. The ones shown in the rendering other than the original building were never built and don't exist!)

I know! I was squinting, standing on my head, even flipped the photo trying to figure out why everything just seemed...off.  I had nearly convinced myself the photo had somehow been reversed, and was a view from the southwest corner.  I just I couldn't account for why the courthouse annex was behind the AT&T building...

 oops/hahaha.  Now I know! 

Edited March 5, 2019 by uncreativeusername

[dcluley98]

That would've sucked. 

As they said in the 80s

What a circus this is sometimes.

Glad the old gold dome church stood. 

Edited March 5, 2019 by dcluley98

[AmIReal]

Sorry, not photos taken by me, but a collection of postcards currently on OW. The photo of Hotel Gatlin (12), Hotel Lucerne (13), Main St First Presbyterian (32) and Crescent Court (34) (anyone remember "Buckets") were a few of my favorites.

Yes, I know some are depictions and not photos.

https://photos.orlandoweekly.com/these-vintage-postcards-show-just-how-much-orlando-has-changed-in-the-past-century/?slide=1&pc12923

[JFW657]

There were some pretty good pics in there. Most I've seen before, but a couple I haven't.

This one, I believe is from where the current Orange County Court House is.

What you'd have seen looking north from where Magnolia dead ends into Livingston:

Not sure, but this MIGHT be the school building that sat on the site where Radius is going up:

[codypet]

So looking at those photos and seeing the old building with the Orlando mural on from the top of the page, it made me realize what a loss that building was during that fire in 2003.  

[spenser1058]

3 hours ago, JFW657 said:

There were some pretty good pics in there. Most I've seen before, but a couple I haven't.

This one, I believe is from where the current Orange County Court House is.

What you'd have seen looking north from where Magnolia dead ends into Livingston:

Not sure, but this MIGHT be the school building that sat on the site where Radius is going up:

The top one was the main branch of Orlando Federal Savings.

The Orlando Public School as indicated by the sign over the door, was located at South and Orange. It later became OPD HQ until the Municipal Justice Building opened and was demolished shortly thereafter (it was just about ready to fall on its own by then).

It’s quite possible the school that burned where Radius is under construction was a clone (like Princeton and Grand Ave.)

Edited March 14, 2019 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

The top one was the main branch of Orlando Federal Savings.

The Orlando Public School as indicated by the sign over the door, was located at South and Orange. It later became OPD HQ until the Municipal Justice Building opened and was demolished shortly thereafter (it was just about ready to fall on its own by then).

It’s quite possible the school that burned where Radius is under construction was a clone (like Princeton and Grand Ave.)

I can tell you that it was very similar because I remember back around '82 or so  before they demo'd it, I walked up to it and walked around it, looking through the windows that weren't boarded up.

I think that top OFS pic was where the OCCH is now, though.

If not, it's nearly identical to what was there in the 80's.

[spenser1058]

3 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

I can tell you that it was very similar because I remember back around '82 or so  before they demo'd it, I walked up to it and walked around it, looking through the windows that weren't boarded up.

I think that top OFS pic was where the OCCH is now, though.

If not, it's nearly identical to what was there in the 80's.

You’re right. They torn down the OFS building (it was CenTrust at the time, I think) to build the new courthouse.

It was in great shape and we were bummed but tried to get over it based on the smaller versions in Colonialtown, Pine Hills and Butler Plaza, all of which are still in use (although I haven’t been up 436 lately to see how the last one’s doing).

[JFW657]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

You’re right. They torn down the OFS building (it was CenTrust at the time, I think) to build the new courthouse.

It was in great shape and we were bummed but tried to get over it based on the smaller versions in Colonialtown, Pine Hills and Butler Plaza, all of which are still in use (although I haven’t been up 436 lately to see how the last one’s doing).

IIRC, by the 80's, the building on the left side of the the picture was no longer there. 

Or maybe it was there but I just don't remember it.

I so wish I had taken more pictures back around '82 - '83 when I first moved over here.

[spenser1058]

I posted this in The Press in the Coffee House over the weekend but I know some of our crew never make it in there.

Ennis Davis at The Jaxson has taken some great pics and reminds us that things are mostly on track downtown. His outsider perspective is much appreciated.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/boom-times-in-downtown-orlando/

Edited March 19, 2019 by spenser1058

[ucfpatriot18]

From today.... cool view of the creative village and zoom in to see news SunTrust tower.   

[codypet]

Um... Do you work with me?

[Uncommon]

52 minutes ago, codypet said:

Um... Do you work with me?

Awkward ... or amazing, depending on perspective.

[HankStrong]

Or amazingly awkward.

[spenser1058]

Matchmaking on UP - Imagine the possibilities!