Synagogue, Daycare and Townhomes Win Approval from Planning Board
A number of residents spoke for and against the project that will result in the first permanent synagogue in Winter Park
Aug. 5, 2026
By Beth Kassab
After more than 20 residents spoke out during a two-and-a-half hour discussion, Winter Park’s first permanent synagogue won unanimous approval on Tuesday evening from the Planning & Zoning Board.
While some who addressed the board expressed concerns about traffic related to a daycare that will be run by Chabad of Greater Orlando and also noise or other neighborhood disruptions from a rooftop patio proposed for the top of the building, the board members said most of their questions about the development were answered.
The P& Z board added one condition to its approval the development, which also includes five townhomes at the 0.6-acre site at the corner of Morse Boulevard and Knowles Avenue where the El Cortez apartment buildings stand today.
Board members voted 5-0 to adopt the conditions recommended by staff and add a requirement that child drop-off and pick-up related to the daycare take place in the underground parking area planned for the synagogue.(Chairman Jason Johnson and members Bill Segal, Vashon Sarkisian, Samuel King and Charles Steinberg were in favor. Member Alex Stringfellow, who works as an urban planner and was asked to consult on the project before the application was made, recused himself from the vote and member Michael Dick was absent) The other conditions include prohibiting speakers or amplified music on the rooftop patio; requiring all noise and lights from the rooftop end by 10 p.m.; any expansion of the synagogue or daycare must go back to the city for approval and car lines related to daycare drop-off or pick-up can not spill onto the public streets.
A more modern design for the new Chabad of Greater Orlando was favored by the Planning & Zoning Board.
“It’s clear that this property could be developed at a higher capacity, which is going to bring up a whole lot of issues regarding parking and traffic,” said member Vashon Sarkisian, an urban designer. “So I think we have to consider that this is, you know, a coveted area and that there’s going to be redevelopment … so what is the right use? Well, I am in favor of this use. I think it’s, like so many people said, it’s something that’s missing in the city of Winter Park.”
Earlier in the evening, Jewish residents spoke about their desire to have a synagogue closer to their homes and the positive impact of Chabad on their lives.
“Chabad has been a part of my life for a long time. It’s where my parents met. It’s where I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah, and it’s where I’ve celebrated all my holidays,” said Daniel Isaak, 16. “… It’s about allowing a community to worship where it already lives. You know, all of my Christian friends, they all have churches in their own city, and they can practice their faith close to home surrounded by their neighbors. So why should Jewish families have to leave their own community to do the same?”
The 40-year-old organization lost its Maitland building to a fire in 2024 and has been operating out of a temporary space on the far end of North Park Avenue.
Several people who attend Chabad said only 12 to 15 people typically are at Friday evening services.
The proposal, which still must be approved by the City Commission, is capped at 80 seats in the synagogue and the daycare is limited to 60 children. The five townhomes on the site are being developed separately and will be sold once completed.
Rabbi Dovid Dubov said many people who will attend services or use the daycare will walk rather than drive, which will help alleviate traffic concerns. Jewish law prohibits driving on Shabbat, for example.
“Our responsibility is to make Jewish education available where Jewish families live,” Dubov told the board. “And today, ladies and gentlemen, there is no Jewish daycare in Winter Park. We have also worked diligently to be respectful of our neighbors. We voluntarily limited our daycare to just 60 children, approximately one-fifth the size of nearby church schools, and our traffic study demonstrates that that impact will be extremely minimal.”
But some residents who live in nearby townhomes and condominiums questioned the accuracy of the traffic study and noted how congested the small roads already become as a result of the Methodist Church preschool across Morse Boulevard and other church schools just blocks away.
Frank Santos, who lives next door, said the area is already undergoing enormous change and contending with traffic and parking problems. Santos, chief executive officer of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, which has a long history of supporting local Jewish causes led by its late founder Harris Rosen, said his own rooftop living space will be impacted by as many as 80 people using the synagogue’s rooftop deck because of the proximity.
“Chabad of Greater Orlando and it’s member should have a synagogue in Winter Park,” Santos said. “Knowles Avenue is not the right location. Find a site with less density and appropriate parking.”
Marc Hagle, who is known for constructing the largest private residence in Winter Park at 40,000-square-feet on Palmer Avenue and for taking two Blue Origin suborbital space flights in recent years, said he attended the meeting with the intention of speaking against the project, but was impressed by the presentation. Still, he noted potential traffic congestion and also questioned if redeveloping the site mostly as a synagogue would have a negative tax impact to the city because religious institutions are generally exempt from paying property taxes.
“I think the tax implications to the city are a problem,” Hagle said. “The city is facing some really interesting tax problems coming up with the laws that are changing,” he noted, an apparent reference to the amendment on the November ballot that could significantly decrease property taxes collected by local governments.
The El Cortez Apartments along Morse Boulevard.
“By putting something in the area that’s tax exempt, I think you’re creating a potential problem for the future,” he said. “We’re all interested in making sure that the city meets its obligations and it maintains standards that, quite frankly, the city hasn’t done for the past five to ten years. This isn’t the right place to say this, but the quality in the city isn’t what it used to be.”
Several longtime Winter Park residents who are Jewish noted the meaning of the synagogue after a history of discrimination against Jews across the country, including in Winter Park.
“It has been a problem being Jewish in Winter Park, to be candid,” said Barry Render, a former longtime Rollins College professor. “When I moved into my house on Via Tuscany and applied for membership in the Racket Club, which is just a block away from me, I was turned down because I was Jewish.”
He also noted that the holiday celebration in Central Park did not always include a Hanukkah menorah as it does today.
David Jasmund, who lives close to the site on Interlachen Avenue, was one of several people who attended the meeting who said they were “disappointed” that any of the concerns about the development were being linked to bigotry.
“That’s disappointing,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s around us today in society, which I think is really depressing at times.”
Jasmund said he didn’t have any concerns related to the synagogue itself, but questioned the capacity of the roads to handle another daycare in such close proximity to others.
“I think it’s unrealistic to think that someone is going to drive a 1-year-old or a 2-year-old down into a basement … take them out of a car seat, take them upstairs, and get 60 people in and out of there without it being stacked up on Morse, Interlochen, Knowles, and maybe even Park Avenue.”
Hattie Wolfe, another speaker who lives nearby, said parking in the area is already “impossible.”
A rendering shows what the townhomes on the site will look like.
“I’m Jewish,” she said. “I have nothing against the synagogue, but I don’t think it’s the right place for it, judging by what’s happening to the town.”
Becky Wilson, the Lowndes law firm attorney who is representing the synagogue and often represents development projects in Winter Park, said the project is doing everything possible to address concerns about traffic, parking and density.
“I think what occurred to me and that I’ve grown to appreciate while working on this project is how important having a synagogue in the city of Winter Park is to the Jewish residents,” she said. “And, in particular, to have one downtown where many of the other large, important churches are also located. What I’d also say to those residents is I’ve stood here for over 20 years, and I’ve never brought a project forward where I didn’t have to answer questions about traffic, parking and density.”
P&Z Chairman Jason Johnson asked Wilson if Chabad would agree to the condition that daycare pick-up and drop-off must occur in the underground garage to help with traffic flow and she said the group would agree. He suggested parking on the site is likely a “net benefit” for the downtown area once El Cortez is gone because people utilize street parking related to the apartments.
“There are people I deeply respect on both sides of the issue who have made their their comments to the board tonight,” Johnson said. “… My main concern with the traffic was not the number of trips, but rather the flow of traffic through the site for day care drop-off and pick-up. I think if that traffic flow can be directed directly into the garage below the facility, it would help alleviate that quite a bit.”
The next step for the project is a hearing in front of the City Commission.
New Synagogue, Daycare, Townhomes to go before Planning & Zoning Board
Chabad of Greater Orlando is looking for a ‘forever home’ but some nearby residents worry about traffic associated with a new daycare
Aug. 3, 2026
By Beth Kassab
On Tuesday evening the Planning & Zoning Board will hear a proposal to replace apartment buildings that date back 100 years just off Park Avenue with a synagogue, including a daycare, and five townhomes.
The new synagogue would provide a “forever home” for Chabad of Greater Orlando, said Rabbi Dovid Dubov, and would be the only synagogue currently operating in Winter Park.
The 40-year-old organization lost its Maitland building to a fire in 2024 and has been operating out of a temporary space on the far end of North Park Avenue.
“We look at it like it’s overdue,” Dubov told the Voice. “It’s something that many, many Jewish residents of our city have been desiring for a long time … we’re excited.”
A new elevation submitted to the city shows what the synagogue could look like from Knowles Avenue.
A number of residents expressed concerns about the development — not because of a new house of worship — but because they said the original architectural renderings seemed “out of place” and worry about future traffic caused by the daycare.
About 50 people signed a petition that calls on the Planning & Zoning Board to reject the daycare component of the proposal at 210 Morse Boulevard.
“The addition of a daycare center or preschool would generate substantial vehicle traffic during peak morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up periods, increasing congestion, creating safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists, and adversely affecting neighboring residents and businesses,” the petition reads.
Allan Keen, a well-known Rollins college trustee and developer whose credits include Winter Park’s Windsong neighborhood and work assembling land for Universal Orlando, wrote a letter to city officials last month that said the area is already too congested.
“Our residents, and all of the other residents of Winter Park, are already burdened with several daycare and/or church-run schools in the immediate area (Methodist, Congregational and Catholic), that at times, completely block the traffic on Morse, and Interlachen,” wrote Keen, who lives across Knowles Avenue from the proposed synagogue and townhomes in a condo building known as The Landmark, which he also developed.
A traffic analysis cited by city planners concluded that the project is “not anticipated to impact the operations of the surrounding roadway network.”
Keen also wrote that the elevation of the synagogue on Knowles “is over-done and looks greatly out of place.”
An earlier rendering of the synagogue has since been updated.
New elevations submitted to the city show a more modern-looking design with more windows and without large columns.
The proposal, which is about .6 acres in total, calls for El Cortez, three buildings that date to the 1920s with 38 units to be demolished and replaced by five new townhomes as well as an 80-seat synagogue and a daycare capped at 60 children.
The property is within the Interlachen Avenue Historic District and the Historic Preservation Board approved the demolition last year and required a historic marker be added to the site and that the demolition not occur until a building permit is issued for the new development.
The El Cortez Apartments along Morse Boulevard.
The buildings were originally constructed as upscale apartments amid growing demand for more housing in downtown Winter Park and near Rollins College. Over the years, a number of notable people lived there, according to National Register of Historic Places documents, such as “physician Benjamin Hart; Christopher Honaas, director of the Rollins College Conservatory of Music; Flora Magoun, secretary to the Conservatory; Margaret Windau, district director of the Florida Welfare Board; Helen Drinker, proprietress of a women’s fashion shop on Park Avenue North; and William Stein, a Romance Languages professor at Rollins College of Jewish descent who had recently immigrated from Austria to avoid Nazi persecution.”
City staff is also recommending seven more conditions be placed on the new development including that a rooftop deck for the synagogue not include outdoor speakers or amplified music; all noise and lights from the rooftop must end by 10 p.m.; any expansion of the synagogue or daycare must go back to the city for approval; and car lines related to daycare drop-off or pick-up can not spill onto the public streets. Planning & Zoning will hear the proposal at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
A map included with city documents shows where the proposed project will be built.
The townhomes, which are being developed separately from the synagogue, will include underground parking garages. The synagogue will also include underground parking with 22 spaces and 13 more surface parking spaces on the site.
Dubov said his organization is small and the synagogue and the daycare will not operate during the same hours, which will lessen traffic and mean that the planned parking will be sufficient. In addition, he said many people will walk instead of drive to the building for services because many observe traditional Jewish laws that prohibit labor, including driving, on Shabbat.
He said the location at Morse Boulevard and Knowles Avenue will provide a central meeting spot that people can reach on foot from across Winter Park, which is known for its walkability.
“We felt like this was the most convenient location for everyone … a middle ground for everyone to give people the convenience to walk from any point,” Dubov said.
He said he doesn’t anticipate frequent events on the rooftop terrace and sees it like a backyard for the organization because Jewish tradition calls for some events or meals to take place outside.
He also said the organization doesn’t carry a traditional label that accompanies many synagogues such as orthodox, reform or conservative. The group’s website notes it is dedicated to “strengthening Jewish life through meaningful educational opportunities, inspiring programs, volunteer initiatives, pastoral care, and community services.”
“We accept everyone from all backgrounds,” Dubov said. “There’s no specific type of Jew we welcome or don’t welcome.”
Early voting for the General Election will run from Oct. 19 to Nov. 1
Central Florida supervisors say it’s time to get ‘election ready’
The following story originally published by Central Florida Public Media and is being republished in partnership with the News Collaborative of Central Florida
Supervisors of elections from throughout Central Florida find themselves battling misinformation as they promote voter participation and the safety and security of Florida elections.
Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock urged voters to contact their supervisor’s office for accurate information if they read a story that they don’t trust or that gives them “a bad gut feeling.”
“We are in the proactive confusion management business,” she said. “We all are out there trying to get you the right information so that when you get the wrong information you question it right away.”
The supervisors said they’re being transparent so voters can see the processes that keep Florida elections secure from tampering and interference.
That includes testing all devices used in each election, election audits and “layers” of cyber security.
“[I]n order for a bad actor to penetrate our election system with cyber breaches, they have to get on the internet,” said Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays. “Our tabulation networks are never ever connected to the internet. So you can sleep tight at night knowing that our tabulation system is not connected to the internet at any time.”
Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis emphasized the security of their elections process. It’s something that she wants skeptical voters to see for themselves.
She said it’s “a little disheartening that people are so quick to believe the bad stuff rather than the good stuff.”
Hays said their goal is get all Americans, regardless of party, to participate.
“If you can fog a mirror and sign your name and you’re a citizen,” he said, “we want you to vote.”
Aug. 18 primary
The supervisors of elections said they especially want people to vote in the August primary, at which voter turnout can range from a dismal 17% to 24%.
Orange County Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor Dentel emphasized that the primary is important even if you’re not a registered Republican or Democrat.
“We have the county mayor, we have county commission, and these are all nonpartisan races,” she said. “School board, judicial, school board chair, some very consequential elections, and most of them will be determined in the primary.”
The supervisors underscored the need to be “election ready” and said they’re working to educate some voters about changes in their polling places due to congressional redistricting this year.
That includes making a plan to vote in one of three ways available in Florida: by mail, during early voting or at their polling place on Election Day.
ICE at the polls?
The supervisors also addressed fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers could be at polling places this year.
Brevard County’s Tim Bobanic says the FBI briefed Florida’s supervisors of elections at their latest conference. He cited a statute — Title 18 U.S. Code 592 — prohibiting troops at polling places.
“Armed federal agents,” Bobanic said, “are prohibited from conducting investigative activity in any place where election activity is being held.”
Hays, of Lake County, said Florida law has a 150-foot buffer around polling places that applies to those agents, too.
“There’s nothing in that law that excuses anybody from any agency, no matter whether it’s federal government, local government, or anything else, from being inside there,” Hays said.
He said law enforcement officers also are not allowed there, unless they’re voting, responding to an emergency, or working at the school where the polling place is situated.
Orange Schools Ban E-Bikes and E-Scooters Unless Students have Driver's License or Permit
The change voted on this week prompted pushback from parents who say their students rely on the devices. Winter Park is drafting its own ordinance related to electric bikes and scooters.
July 29, 2026
By Gabrielle Russon
Two weeks before the new school year starts, the Orange County School Board voted Tuesday to ban kids from riding e-bikes and e-scooters unless they have learner’s permits or driver’s licenses.
The school board’s unanimous vote Tuesday came after a divided debate where school board members insisted the new rules are necessary to stop the rising number of crashes and protect children. Meanwhile, some parents and students argued the board is overstepping its bounds with a new policy that will make it harder for kids to get to school.
“This is one of the hardest decisions to make, and I think because there are so many strong compelling arguments on both sides,” school board chair Teresa Jacobs said.
Critics called the policy rushed since the first day of school is Aug. 11, giving families little time to prepare.
Stephanie Vanos represents Winter Park schools.
“I’m here to ask you to slow down before making a decision that could have unintended consequences for many families. Micromobility devices are a vital form of transportation for many students,” said parent Heather Grimmer who lives in Avalon Park. “We all want to protect our children, but protecting them doesn’t mean always taking something away.”
School board member Stephanie Vanos, who represents Winter Park schools, argued the school board held four public meetings over the last year on the issue ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“This has been a thoughtful and deliberate process,” Vanos said. “I would be surprised if anybody on this board actually wants to ban micromobility devices. I don’t think anybody does.”
“The reality is we’re here now and school is starting and there’s nothing in place,” Vanos said.
For school board member Maria Salamanca, the ban will stop elementary and middle schoolers who are too young to drive from having to make split-second decisions on the road when a mistake can lead to a tragedy.
“I cannot in good conscience vote to encourage these devices in our campus,” said Salamanca, who represents Lake Nona schools where a 13-year-old boy was killed after an e-scooter crash on Mother’s Day. “It’s really dangerous.”
E-bikes and e-scooters are a growing concern throughout Winter Park and Orange County. The city of Winter Park is in the process of creating its own ordinance to crack down on reckless riders.
Tuesday’s meeting shows the challenge of regulating the popular devices. Nearly 12,000 OCPS students regularly went to school on e-scooters or e-bikes, according to a district survey in December. About 42% of those students were in middle school, 32% in high school and 26% in elementary school, the survey found.
Nate Clark’s four kids are among those depending on e-scooters since they live too far to walk and too close to catch a bus to Baldwin Park Elementary or Glenridge Middle School, both not far from Winter Park.
“If this passes tonight, I don’t know how they’re getting to school on Aug. 11,” Clark told the school board.
The ban is “unnecessary” and “unfair,” he said, arguing state law treats e-bikes or e-scooters as bicycles — not cars. Why is the district treating them differently?
Other parents urged the school district to focus on teaching safety rules, improving infrastructure or enforcing helmet rules instead of banning them outright from elementary and middle schoolers.
“Let the kids scoot,” said Mike Bustillos, a former teacher who advocates for a more walkable community. “We shouldn’t be removing freedom and mobility options from kids in order to make things more comfortable for cars. Kids today have precious little freedom to roam the way that I did when I was a kid.”
School board members pushed back on the criticism. Before e-scooters and e-bikes existed, working parents found ways to get their kids to school, said school board member Melissa Byrd.
“I do not believe that taking away e-bikes and e-scooters is going to cause students to not be able to get to school,” she said.
Superintendent Maria Vazquez said she supports phasing in the ban for the first month of school to get families time to figure out other transportation options.
Vazquez and school board members also expressed a willingness to revisit the ban later this year.
“I am going to vote in favor of this policy now with the hopes that our counties and cities are going to come up with some great policies and rules and we can go back and revisit this and change it,” Vanos said. “Hopefully that will happen soon.”
So Far, No Response to Matt Morgan's Offer for Merrywood
The attorney and Winter Park resident now says he is willing to pay $12 million for the property in hopes of preserving the historic home
July 27, 2026
By Beth Kassab
Matt Morgan, who increased his offer this month from $10 million to $12 million for Merrywood, says he has not received any response from the sellers.
That means the future of the nearly 90-year-old estate designed by James Gamble Rogers II remains in limbo as an August vote nears for the City Commission to decide if the current buyer with a contract on the property will be allowed to split the large lot on Lake Osceola in two. Winter Park’s land development rules generally prohibit subdividing lakefront lots so Tara Tedrow, the buyer with the contract, is seeking special permission.
Morgan told the Voice he has not heard back since putting his offer in writing more than two weeks ago.
Mick Night, the Sotheby’s real estate agent handling the transaction on behalf of the longtime owners and for Tedrow, did not respond to requests for comment. Tedrow also did not respond to messages seeking comment on Morgan’s offer.
A demolition permit remains posted at 1020 Palmer Ave., though city officials say a list of tasks that must be done before the bulldozers roll in have not yet been completed such as certifying the water and power is shut off, an inspection for pests and draining the air-conditioning system.
A demolition permit is posted outside 1020 Palmer Ave. (Photo by Gabrielle Russon)
Morgan, a Winter Park resident known as a key face of the Morgan & Morgan law firm, first made an offer on the property in August 2025 for $10 million. Night said the offer was too low and that, at the time, he was unaware of Morgan’s desire to preserve the home.
The Voice first reported his offer earlier this month after Morgan came forward in response to news reports that the house was all but guaranteed to be torn down after Night told the City Commission that no one wanted to pay to maintain it despite nearly a year of searching by himself, Tedrow and local preservationists for a way to keep Merrywood. The City Commission voted 3-2 on June 24 in the first of two required votes to approve the lot split.
Shortly after that meeting, Morgan said his original offer still stood and then increased what he said he is willing to pay to $12 million, a price he said he based on his understanding of the amount Tedrow agreed to pay under her contract that is contingent on the city approving the lot split.
“In my view, my offer solves all of the current problems,” Morgan told Mayor Sheila DeCiccio and commissioners in an email on July 10. “Tara Tedrow has expressed her desire to have the historic home preserved and also build a personal residence on the other lot, which is very close to her childhood home. At the time of the hearing, my desire to preserve Merrywood was not known. After hearing there was a strong desire to preserve the home by the contract holders, I immediately came forward to offer this solution. My current offer is pending and I have not heard back yet, but I am very optimistic. My offer allows [current owners Ray and Cathy Gilmer] to receive their current contract price either which way.”
He said he would be willing to purchase the entire lot or a portion of the lot, if the split is allowed, that is needed to keep the home in place.
“I am offering to purchase the estate portion at the same pro rata value established by their own contract while preserving one of Winter Park’s most significant historic homes,” Morgan wrote. “The city no longer has to choose between fairness to the owners and preservation of Merrywood. It can accomplish both without changing its Comprehensive Plan for a single property.”
Morgan’s email to city officials was in response to an email from Night to the mayor and commission with the subject line “Merrywood Rumors.” Morgan said Night is a “man of integrity” in response to Night’s defense of his assertions to the City Commission that there were no alternatives to demolishing Merrywood.
“First of all, I stand by any representations at the recent June 24 hearing about the lack of interested buyers or offers to preserve Merrywood, regardless of errant rumors being circulated surrounding the Matt Morgan offer made last August 2025,” Night wrote.
He went on to explain that he did not discuss preserving the home with Morgan at the time of the original offer last year and that the sellers did not consider $10 million “within the range of what they were willing to sell the property for, then or now.”
Those points were reported in the Voice story about Morgan’s offer on July 6, four days before Night’s email to city officials.
“Matt and I have spoken several times in good faith this week, with a mutual interest in continuing to do anything either of us could to save Merrywood, in addition to the collective and well-publicized ongoing efforts for almost a year now,” Night wrote on the afternoon of July 10.
In Winter Park, the local historic register offers protections against buildings being demolished. But joining the register is voluntary and must be done by the owners. In the case of Merrywood, the longtime owners deliberately kept the property off the register in the event it would be worth more as a tear down.
The city’s historic preservation rules do not govern or prohibit interior renovations and apply to the look and materials on the exterior.
Vacant land on Winter Park’s picturesque chain of lakes is scarce.
But how much the property is worth has been the subject of varying views during the discussions over whether the home should be saved.
Night said at a public meeting that the entire lot is estimated between $13 million and $15 million. He said during a June 22 work session with the city commission that it would be just the seventh transaction higher than $10 million in Winter Park.
Commissioner Elizabeth Ingram asked Tedrow during the June 24 meeting what a “realistic amount” would be for the portion of the lot that included Merrywood if the lot was divided into two pieces.
“Real estate prices are going to be determined on a per acre basis,” Tedrow said. “And if you look at market comps, again I don’t set market comps those are set by recent sales data … I mean, you’re looking at just for the Merrywood site, you are over $12 [million].”
It’s unclear how Tedrow’s figure for just a portion of the lot of more than $12 million reconciles with Night’s estimate of $13 million to $15 million for the entire lot and the reported price of $12 million for the contract held by Tedrow for the entire lot contingent on approval of a split.
City officials allowed one other lakefront lot split in recent years that also involved a Gamble Rogers home, but with two key distinctions from Tedrow’s request. In 2024, the commission changed the Comprehensive Plan in a way to allow for a lot split at 1290 N. Park Avenue, but in that instance the newly created lot was not on the lakefront and the owners were required to designate the existing 1930 home on Lake Maitland as historic on the city’s register.
City staff recommended approval of Tedrow’s request also come with a condition that Merrywood be designated historic, but both the Planning and Zoning Board and City Commission rejected that condition after they were told by the owners, Tedrow and Night that the home is in disrepair and no one was willing to purchase it and restore it. Morgan made his offer public after those votes.
The number of Gamble Rogers houses in Winter Park is shrinking each year as they are torn down for new construction. Fewer than 25 quality examples are estimated to remain.
Gamble Rogers is also known for designing the Florida Supreme Court, Olin Library at Rollins College and Greenada Court on Park Avenue, a Mediterranean-style courtyard with a fountain and tables often occupied by shoppers sipping Barnie’s Coffee. Casa Feliz, one of his most well-known works because it’s now a popular event venue and museum, was nearly torn down 25 years ago until the community rallied to raise money and move it to its current post just off the Winter Park Nine.
His body of work resulted in Gamble Rogers being credited with influencing the aesthetic and feel of Winter Park, which the New York Times has described as “more like a village than a suburb” because of its elevated planning, design and walkability and as a “sophisticated alternative to Disney.”
“As with [Frank Lloyd] Wright’s work in Oak Park, Illinois, and [Addison] Mizner’s work in Palm Beach, Rogers’ work in Winter Park created an architectural character for the town,” wrote Patrick W. McClane and Debra A McClane in “The Architecture of James Gamble Rogers II,” which featured a section on Merrywood. “It can be argued that the publication of many of his designs also exerted at least some influence on a national level by exposing Florida architecture to a national audience.”
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