New Park Avenue archway underscores historic Winter Park
A group of private donors combined with public dollars made the $400,000 project possible
Aug. 25, 2025
By Beth Kassab
Winter Park leaders on Monday celebrated the installation of the first of two archways that will bookend Park Avenue.
The $400,000 pair of signs emphasize the city’s commitment to historic preservation and were one of the last projects spearheaded by former Planning & Zoning Director Jeff Briggs before he retired at the start of the year.
The City Commission provided about half the money for the arches made by Don Bell Signs and eight private donors covered the remainder.
Briggs has said the calls for donations were among the “easiest” he ever made with lots of enthusiasm for the markers that call even more attention to Winter Park’s popular dining and retail corridor, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
The sign on the north end stands at the intersection of Park and Webster avenues next to the public golf course known as the Winter Park Nine and in sight of historic home-turned-venue Casa Feliz.
A second arch on the south end near Park and Aloma avenues and just across the street from Rollins College is slated to go up at the end of September.
Private donors to the cause are: Rick Baldwin; Jim and Diana Barnes; Mike and Gail Winn; the Allan E. and Linda S. Keen Family; Larry and Joy Williams Private Foundation; Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation; Joe and Sarah Galloway Foundation and the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation.
The signs aren’t the only noticeable public upgrade along Park Avenue. City Hall, at the intersection of Lyman Avenue is sporting a new paint job with the city seal, featuring a peacock, now prominently displayed to passersby.
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I’m sorry, but I am not a fan of these structures. I don’t see the point, and it’s a bit tacky. We’re Winter Park, not Winter Garden.
Leave the Arches to McDonald’s, please!
Excellent and elegant way to stand out and welcome everyone to our beautiful community.
I agree with John Dough. The beauty of Winter Park speaks for itself. Instead of the understated elegance of Park Avenue, it’s become an arcade.
Far better and far less expensive would have been to reinstall the welcome signs along the main corridors to the city: “Welcome to Winter Park. Please Drive with Extraordinary care.”
No other message so aptly expresses the charm and unique whimsy of our special town.
Thank you private donors for your generosity; it’s your money. Shame on the Commission for taking $200,000 from the city’s coffers.
When there were “drive with extraordinary care” signs welcoing people to Winter Park, they were often marked up to read “drive with extraordinary car” which, for Winter Park, was on point.
These signs seem to focus the history of Winter Park to a small commercial district. Park Avenue business owners may appreciate these signs, but they seem touristy to me. Some unique small cities are becoming overrun with tourists. Is that what we want?
Aloma? I believe the second arch will be a Park and Fairbanks.
It’s S.R. 426. Also called Aloma.
Has the State approved Installation of archway on one of its roads?
Disney’s Main Street has moved to Park Ave! Out of scale in taste, size and function. What’s next? Nightly fireworks performances? This signage is way over the top. I don’t care who contributed how much, someone was asleep at the wheel when this was passed. The rendering that the city sent us shows a different story than the circus-like entrance we now have in our neighborhood. I don’t care if this was placed on the commercial end of Park Ave. but not in our front yard.
Park Avenue is not a state road, Jane.
Winter Park has lost SO much of it’s charm & uniqueness with ALL the traffic and lack of roadways & parking.
There is nothing quaint about a huge office building being put up on the corner of Orange & Minnesota. There’s not an intersection in WP that doesn’t put drivers in a line of at least 15 cars, and then you end up waiting thru 2-3 green lights because the surrounding streets are just as backed up, and no one can move.
$400,000.00 for some giant out of place signs that bring absolutely nothing to the table. That money would have been better spent truly keeping W.P. a charming Hamlet, but instead the planners don’t plan, they have ceremonies to display signs that we don’t need. Good grief, Everyone already knows their in W.P. when they are there!
For a city struggling to figure out how not to raise taxes, how to afford essential services (police/fire), maintain utility rates, and to complete long overdue undergrounding for all, this is a curious expenditure. The generosity of the private donors when called upon by Briggs to contribute is beyond question, but this piece says the city kicked in half. Did the city’s half come from the shameful CRA extension/expansion ? Or did we all pay for it without being asked Please extinguish the CRA. There is no excuse for it to exist any longer. I am not a proponent of this expenditure.
Why wasn’t there a referendum to approve that City go ahead with this disappointment?
How much would that have cost us, Jane?
Kudos to the City and donors for these historic archways which bookend Winter Park. They look great!