The son of Winter Park’s most renowned architect, Gamble Rogers spurned the family business and set out to live a troubadour’s life. In doing so, he left a musical legacy as enduring as his father’s elegant homes.
The college was known as an oasis of progressive thought in the Deep South. But when the folklorist sought to stage a musical production on campus about African American life, no one knew what to expect.
When Laurence Ruggiero left a stormy but successful stint at the Ringling Museum, he’d barely heard of Louis Comfort Tiffany. But Hugh McKean felt he’d found the right man to protect and enhance this cultural treasure.
The renowned stage actress brought professionalism and panache to the Winter Park cultural scene. But her life was marred by physical illness and emotional turmoil. Meet the woman for whom the beautiful theater is named.
It’s been displaced, disassembled and disrespected. But one of Winter Park’s oldest homes has finally gotten a facelift that honors its 130-year heritage and preserves its undeniably eclectic charm.
Isabella “Pansy” Alden is all but forgotten today. But her moralizing manuscripts taught countless Victorian-era children how to mind their manners, say their prayers, and fix their flaws.