Orlando History

[jrs2]

^^

That HoJo...amazing how you can have these "radical" designs from way back then only to have them evolve into a forgettable blandness.

[JFW657]

I think a lot of people still like them and wish they were still there.

I for one.... 

 

[spenser1058]

7 hours ago, JFW657 said:

I think a lot of people still like them and wish they were still there.

I for one.... 

 

I mostly miss the AYCE fried clams on Friday night..

[prahaboheme]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:15 AM, JFW657 said:

 

Great pictures.

It shows why the sum of the parts make a place special. Too bad Orlando has had such a difficult time preserving the “sum” in the last few decades. 

[spenser1058]

Wonderful shots from over in Volusia and Flagler, including my favorite, The Jantzen Girl! 

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/opinion/2022/03/22/roadside-photographer-john-margolies-drove-through-volusia-flagler/7033480001/

From The News Journal 

With all the angst over Spring Break in NSB and South Beach, it’s fun to see the Zodiac sign. It was often wild and crazy during those days at Daytona for us boys and girls taking our first steps out in the gayborhood (after all, in that sea of humanity, who’d recognize us?)

Edited March 24, 2022 by spenser1058

[JFW657]

https://www.thehistorycenter.org/historic-orlando-house-threatened/  

I wonder if it will go the way of "the tree".....  

.

Edited March 24, 2022 by JFW657

[codypet]

Driving by the other day I noticed that the porch supports had deteriorated to the point that they're gone, and there's temporary timber bracing holding the porch up.  

[JFW657]

11 minutes ago, codypet said:

Driving by the other day I noticed that the porch supports had deteriorated to the point that they're gone, and there's temporary timber bracing holding the porch up.  

By porch, do you mean the 2nd floor balcony? 

I would hope that those large columns are not rotted out.

[codypet]

@JFW657No, the 4 large columns hold up the roof unfortunately.  

[spenser1058]

Joy Wallace Dickinson at The Sentinel takes a look at the James E Strates Shows whose winter headquarters have been in Taft since the 1950’s.

At one point it was among the largest of carnival/fair midways in the country and long ran the rides during our own Central Florida Fair (after longtime fair leader Herschel Parrish retired, Strates lost the gig -I’ve always wondered what the rest of the story was to that given its ties to the area).

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-fe-joy-wallace-dickinson-0327-20220327-fyqozma6dvh4reriaxcvzjatni-story.html

Edited March 27, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Five West Volusia historic sites, including DeBary Hall just for @orange87:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/entertainment/2022/03/29/national-register-historic-places-5-sites-see-west-volusia-florida/6929372001/

From The News Journal 
 

[AmIReal]

@spenser1058, I thought you'd get a kick out of this-

https://www.yourcommunitypaper.com/articles/the-way-we-were-the-man-behind-the-bumby-birdhouse/

[JFW657]

56 minutes ago, AmIReal said:

@spenser1058, I thought you'd get a kick out of this-

https://www.yourcommunitypaper.com/articles/the-way-we-were-the-man-behind-the-bumby-birdhouse/

<<rushes over to Google Maps street view takes screenshot>>

I've never noticed that before.

That I know of anyway.

Probably seen it but never paid attention to it.

[spenser1058]

16 minutes ago, JFW657 said:

<<rushes over to Google Maps street view takes screenshot>>

I've never noticed that before.

That I know of anyway.

Probably seen it but never paid attention to it.

That birdhouse is so cool and it gave the road bureaucrats absolute fits. That and the TG Lee cow (and now the mural) help make the Milk District more fun.

[spenser1058]

Almost a decade before Walt came to town, Martin was going to be the business that would transform Orlando:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/central-florida-history/os-ne-before-disney-and-i-4-martin-missile-plant-brought-orlando-future-20220402-uyyrfxlhrbhrfltbx5hjix7dqa-story.html

From The Sentinel 

It’s probably worth noting that RCID is generally perceived to be an excellent steward of Disney property, certainly compared to the mess Martin left in the ground.
 

[jack]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

Almost a decade before Walt came to town, Martin was going to be the business that would transform Orlando:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/central-florida-history/os-ne-before-disney-and-i-4-martin-missile-plant-brought-orlando-future-20220402-uyyrfxlhrbhrfltbx5hjix7dqa-story.html

From The Sentinel 

It’s probably worth noting that RCID is generally perceived to be an excellent steward of Disney property, certainly compared to the mess Martin left in the ground.
 

Don't let the nat'cons hear this. They'll get triggered and call you all sorts of things I dare not repeat. . 

[spenser1058]

2 minutes ago, jack said:

Don't let the nat'cons hear this. They'll get triggered and call you all sorts of things I dare not repeat. . 

Oh my. I’m going with Charles Lee of The Audubon on this . Of course, they call me all kinds of things anyway.

[spenser1058]

24 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Oh my. I’m going with Charles Lee of The Audubon on this . Of course, they call me all kinds of things anyway.

The thing I’m having the most fun with is that something like RCID was exactly what Walt wanted and asked his people to develop. These Johnny-come-latelies forget that Walt was a very conservative right-winger in those days (his good friend, Walter Knott just up the road, even had ties to John Birchers).

[codypet]

4 hours ago, JFW657 said:

<<rushes over to Google Maps street view takes screenshot>>

I've never noticed that before.

That I know of anyway.

Probably seen it but never paid attention to it.

I remember noticing it in 2007, but I recall seeing a photo from like the 80's or 90's where the birdhouse was on the strain pole on the same intersection.

 

[nite owℓ]

Old historic photos from the corridors of ORMC:

 

[spenser1058]

It’s quiet today so let’s all sing a song from the 1970’s:

“Get into the swim,

The place to begin,

At Marco Polo Park.

There's things to do

For me and you

At Marco Polo Park.

It's fun for you and me,

And it's made for you and me.

It's Marco Polo, Marco Polo, Marco Polo Park.

So, get into the swim,

The place to begin,

At Marco Polo, Marco Polo, Marco Polo Park.”

From Wiki

Marco Polo Park was Daytona’s answer to the Magic Kingdom, and, we’ll, let’s just say it didn’t work. The irony was that they likely would have done better to partner with Marineland, which I always preferred to Sea World due to its location right on the ocean (the dolphin stadium looked right out on the Atlantic - it was incredible).

Marineland also had a huge retro vibe going back to its start in the late 1930’s as a studio to film marine settings. It  was sort of a cross between deco and the Nautilus and it was uber-cool.

Speaking of Marineland, we should note that what Disney did with RCID, while much larger in scale (remember the original purpose was to build an experimental city of 20000) was not unheard of in Florida. Weeki Wachee (yep, the mermaids) and Marineland both incorporated as cities well before Walt arrived. Marineland remains a city to this day, population 15!
 

Edited April 6, 2022 by spenser1058

[angela1117]

17 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Weeki Wachee (yep, the mermaids) and Marineland both incorporated as cities well before Walt arrived. Marineland remains a city to this day.
 

Was just at Weeki Wachee to see the mermaids yesterday! A fun show and a nice boat ride. Not a lot going on there unless you're also interested in Buccaneer Bay water park.

I have a friend coming to town in a couple of weeks (yesterday was reconnaissance day lol) and will take her to Weeki Wachee and Homasassa Springs state park for an old roadside attraction day.  

[spenser1058]

Just now, angela1117 said:

Was just at Weeki Wachee to see the mermaids yesterday! A fun show and a nice boat ride. Not a lot going on there unless you're also interested in Buccaneer Bay water park.

I have a friend coming to town in a couple of weeks (yesterday was reconnaissance day lol) and will take her to Weeki Wachee and Homasassa Springs state park for an old roadside attraction day.  

Don’t forget Bok Tower!

1 minute ago, angela1117 said:

Was just at Weeki Wachee to see the mermaids yesterday! A fun show and a nice boat ride. Not a lot going on there unless you're also interested in Buccaneer Bay water park.

I have a friend coming to town in a couple of weeks (yesterday was reconnaissance day lol) and will take her to Weeki Wachee and Homasassa Springs state park for an old roadside attraction day.  

Weeki Wachee, as a state park these days, now has mermen too. When I was growing up, I would have killed to see them. Of course, I’m sure the current crowd in Tally will try to undo that also.

[eq1974]

I did the downtown walking tour this morning that started at the DTO office. Office and store. The tour, my first, was interesting and I did hear some details of Orlando history that I hadn’t before. From hearing people’s conversations between tour stops I felt that most of members of the tour were from out of town. It was a pleasant hour and a half.

Did you know that the Bumby building (first picture) off Church Street that opened in 1886 opened as a hardware store and NOT a Hamburger Mary’s?

[spenser1058]

Great tour! When I was a kid (yep, I’m old), we would stop in at Bumby Hardware occasionally if my dad needed something and we were already downtown eating at Morrison’s or something.

Iirc, it closed in ‘66, about the time I was eight and my parents pointed out the Bumbys  were among Orlando’s oldest families. Most of the stores downtown were still open so it didn’t seem ominous to us then, just one family retiring. Boy, did we get that wrong.

Edited April 9, 2022 by spenser1058