Washington Kilmer: Unsung Central Florida Pioneer
By Paul Trembly from the Fall 2024 edition of Reflections Magazine The year was 1872, and Washington Kilmer was dying. In poor health, barely able to walk and suffering a general physical breakdown, he was given, at most, a year to live. As he departed his physician’s office, he took
“I Like Orlando!” Lyndon Johnson’s Campaign Rolls in to Central Florida
By Travis Puterbaugh from the Fall 2024 edition of Reflections Magazine On the morning of Oct. 26, 1964, readers of the Orlando Sentinel woke up to a historic headline: “Welcome to Central Florida, Mr. President.” The occasion of President Lyndon Johnson’s visit to Orlando marked the first time that a
Apple Annie’s and Nostalgic Fantasy
By Travis Puterbaugh From the Spring 2024 Edition of Reflections Magazine In 1985, Lee Pharr, the art director for Church Street Station, said, “We’re trying to create an ambiance here that’s almost nostalgic fantasy.” The downtown Orlando entertainment complex – which opened on July 19, 1974, and helped transform downtown
Barney the Buffalo: Wild West History in Downtown Orlando
by Joy Wallace Dickinson Pioneer Florida was a lot like the Wild West, so perhaps it’s fitting that an icon of the American frontier – a venerable bison named Barney – made his mark in history and rumbled into eternity on the sandy main drag of a Florida city, Orlando,
Celebrating a Century: An Angebilt Vignette Featuring Sam Stoltz
By Travis Puterbaugh from the Fall 2023 edition of Reflections Magazine In late June 1921, developer J.F. Ange announced plans for a million-dollar, 240-room hotel at the northeast corner of Orange Avenue and Oak Street (now Wall Street). Orlando’s own Murry S. King, Florida’s first registered architect, designed the elegant
On the Trail of the Orlando Bicycle Club
A Long-Ago Photo Sparks Intrigue 200 Miles from Home By Vanessa Sardon, from the Spring 2022 edition of Reflections Magazine Stacks of framed art and abandoned photographs lined the shelves of a Fort Lauderdale thrift store – among them, a captivating black-and-white photo in a simple black frame. It features
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
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