Orlando’s Round Building: An Architectural Circle of Life
By Kelly Bresnowitz Adapted from the “The Way We Were” feature, Community Paper, August 22, 2022 In 1963, an architectural marvel was unveiled in downtown Orlando. Designed by architect Robert Murphy, the circular home of American Federal Savings and Loan brought a distinguished touch of midcentury-modern design to the growing
Places for Performance: Downtown Orlando’s Music Venues through the Years
From the Spring 2023 edition of Reflections of Central Florida Our Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground exhibition shines a light on a period in the City Beautiful’s history when a new generation frequented downtown venues for the communal experience of enjoying live music. Downtown Orlando has a long
Rosa Lee Jones: The Mother of Cocoa
By Marissa Bellenger, HERstory: Women in History Intern at the History Center for fall 2022 The Space Coast certainly has its share of significant history, including notable women, but you may not have heard of one of the most remarkable: Rosa Lee Jones. Her life was dedicated to activism and
Remembering UCF President and History Maker John Hitt
In 2015 the History Center observed its tenth John Young History Maker Celebration, named for NASA’s longest-serving astronaut, who grew up in Orlando. In 1970, Captain Young had been the first commencement speaker for the brand new Florida Technological University, which would become the University of Central Florida. It seemed
Annual Women’s History Month Breakfast honors trailblazing architects
History Center highlights Ryan & Roberts, who defied obstacles in 1920s On March 9, the Orange County Regional History Center presents its fourth annual Women’s History Month Celebration with a breakfast honoring architects Ida Annah Ryan and Isabel Roberts, who overcame obstacles to create notable Central Florida buildings in the
Annual Brechner Speaker Series returns with a focus on music
Topics range from hip-hop and punk to Beatles, Allman Brothers The Orange County Regional History Center announces its 2023 Brechner Speaker Series, presenting four distinguished programs that focus on varied aspects of music in Florida — a theme designed to complement the museum’s current special exhibition, Figurehead: Music & Mayhem
The Brave Beauty of the Black Lagoon
Orlando’s Ginger Stanley Hallowell blazed cinematic trails in a sci-fi classic and as Florida’s photogenic underwater ambassador. We at the History Center were saddened to learn of the death on Jan. 19, 2023, of Ginger Stanley Hallowell of Orlando. She was 91. An excellent swimmer, Hallowell pioneered underwater work in
A Salute to Col. Joe Kittinger
We at the History Center were saddened by the death, on December 9, 2022, of an Orlando hometown superhero and world aviation icon, Col. Joe Kittinger. He was 94. In 2006, he was the second recipient of the John Young History Maker Award, following the first award to John Young
The Queen Kumquat Sashay
For a few glorious years, Central Floridians flocked to the “Parade for People Who Would Not be Permitted in Any Other Parade.” by Whitney Broadaway, from the Spring 2018 edition of Reflections magazine In December 1985, Bob Morris began working as a columnist at the Orlando Sentinel. His first assignment
Disney Downtown: Walt visits Orlando
On Nov. 15, 1965, a press conference held in the Egyptian Room at the Cherry Plaza Hotel officially confirmed what many had already suspected: Walt Disney Productions was expanding its wildly popular company to Central Florida, purchasing thousands of acres in both Orange and Osceola Counties. Joined by Governor Haydon