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THE LITTLE HOUSE: PRESERVATION AND HISTORY OF THE GIRL SCOUT
CLUBHOUSE OF WINTER PARK, FLORIDA
By
GARY PHILIP GORMAN
A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
2007
2007 Gary Philip Gorman
To the Community of Winter Park
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I gratefully acknowledge the generous assistance of the Winter Park Public Library, the
Rollins College Olin Library, the Girl Scouts Citrus Council, the Winter Park Historical
Association and Museum, the Winter Park Woman's Club, and the many individual Girl Scouts
and their leaders who shared their stories with me. Lastly, I wish to extend a special thanks to
Mrs. Virginia Asher for kindly sharing her rich oral histories regarding the Minnesota Avenue
neighborhood and the Little House.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
A CK N O W LED G M EN T S ................................................................. ........... ............. .....
LIST OF FIGURES ................................... .. .... .... ................. .8
A B S T R A C T ........................................... ................................................................. 1 1
CHAPTER
1 WINTER PARK, FLORIDA AREA HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 1850-2007......13
P ath to Settlem ent ...................................... ................................. ................. 13
Chartering its Ow n Course ......................................................................... .. 14
Roots of Tourism ............... ................ .......... ............................ 14
D defining a Sense of Place ................ .................. ........................... ........ ... 15
Em phasizing Public W welfare ........................................................................... 16
Conditions for M minority Population ........................................ .......................... 17
Changing Patterns of G row th ................................................... .................................. 17
E effects of the W ar Y ears ................................................................... ........................18
Im pact of Technology ............................................................... ............ 18
The New Tourism Model and its Consequences..........................................................19
Controlling Grow th............. ...... ......................... .......... 19
The D isney Effect..................................................................... ............ ..... 20
C u rrent Issu es ........................................................................... 2 1
P reserving a Sense of P lace ............................................................................. ............2 1
2 MINNESOTA AVENUE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 1850-2007 ........................29
N neighborhood H history and A analysis ........................................................... .....................29
The First 75 Y ears 1850 1925 ............................................................ ............... 29
The Emerging Neighborhood 1925 -1940 ............. ............................................. 30
Residential Expansion onto Minnesota Avenue............................................................32
Closing the Little H house ................... .................................. ........ .......... .............. 33
Implications for a Transitional Neighborhood ............................................ ............... 33
Changes in D density and Scale ........................ ........................... .......................... 34
Future Infrastructure Improvements and Private Projects.............................................35
Teardow ns verses Preservation ............................................... ............................ 36
C o n c lu sio n ................... .......................................................... ................ . 3 6
3 CURRENT MINNESOTA AVENUE CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY.........44
D ocum ending L local Structures .................................................................... .....................44
Evaluation of Survey ................................... ... .. ........... ............... 44
R resulting R record .............................................................................44
4 TH E LITTLE H O U SE H ISTO R Y .............................................................. .....................59
Juliette Gordon Low ................................. .. ... .... ................... 59
Finding a Perm anent H om e ..........................................................................59
C om m unity E effort ........................ .. ........................ .. .... ........ ........ 60
Juliette Low's Legacy ..................................................... ........ ............... 61
B breaking G round ................................................................62
L local C ontributors........ .......................................................................... ....... ... ..62
Presentation of the K eys ...................................................... ................. 63
Scouting A activities Through the Y ears........................................................ ............... 63
Ownership Changes ..................................................................... ....... ...... 65
5 PRESERVIN G THE LITTLE H OU SE ...................................................................... ......78
M methodology P lan .......................................................78
Exterior R rehabilitation .................. ..................................... ....... .......... .. ..79
F lorida F rien dly Y ard ........................................................................ .. ......................79
L landscape and Sustainability ................................................ .............................. 80
Y ard A rch eology ...................................................................................................... 8 1
Adding Elements to the Exterior and Landscape ................................. ................ 82
Examining the Envelope of the Little House....................................................................... 82
Structural A lterations........ .................................................................. ......... . ....... 83
O original P aint A nalysis............. .......................................................... ................. 84
R rehabilitating the R oof ........................................................... .............. .. 85
Interior Rehabilitation ................ .......................... ................... ......... 86
D econstructing the Interior........................................... ................... ............... 86
Forensic A architecture .......................................... ............. .... ....... 89
Rehabilitation End Goals.............. .. ................. ...................90
6 CURRENT ISSUES IMPACTING PRESERVATION ON HISTORIC STRUCTURES
ON M IN N E SO TA A V EN U E ............................................................................. ..............104
Losing a Sense of Place and its Historic Structures .......................................................... 104
Slowing the Trend by Creating Awareness ........................................ ....... ............... 105
7 PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE PROTECTION OF THE LITTLE HOUSE .........................110
P ro p o sa ls ............................................................................ .. 1 1 0
Positive Arguments for Moving the Little House ............... ..................................111
Negative Tradeoffs .............. ................ ......... .................. ........ .....112
8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ........................................................... ..............115
APPENDIX THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR'S STANDARDS............................... 117
6
L IST O F R E F R E N C E S ................................................................................... ....................... 122
B IO G R A PH IC A L SK E T C H ............................................................................... ............... ..... 123
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure page
1-1 Bartram commemorative plaque; Mead Gardens ................................... .................23
1-2 Early rendering of the village of Winter Park and rail line..............................................24
1-3 Advertising handbill for Winter Park visitors.......................... ...........................25
1-4 D epiction of 1887 Sem inole H otel .............................................................................. 26
1-5 Northern states influenced infrastructure legacy .................................... ............... 27
1-6 Northern states influenced town planning grid legacy. .............................................. 27
1-7 N northern states influenced architectural legacy .............................................................. 28
2-1 Subject study area .................. ............... ........ .................. ...... .... 37
2-2 Trovillion folk map rendering of Winter Park in 1908 .............. ...................................38
2-3 Aerial view of Minnesota Avenue circa 1930 ......................................... ...............39
2-4 Early plat map showing Cherokee Park subdivision ............................... ................40
2-5 Map locator showing sites of 3 surviving lake area cottages............... ...............41
2-6 L ake area cottage # 1 .......................... ...... .................... .. ......... ........ 42
2-7 Lake area cottage #2 ............................. ...................... ............ 42
2-8 L ake area cottage #3 .......................... .............................. ......... ........ 43
2-9 W inter Park H igh School built in 1927 ...................................... ..................43
3-1 Minnesota Avenue neighborhood structures locator map ...........................................46
3-2 Subject structure #1 The L little H house ..............................................................................47
3-3 Subject structure #2 ..................................................... ............ ....... ..... 48
3-4 Subject structure #3 .................. .................. ................. .......... .. ....... ..... 49
3-5 Subject structure #4 ..................................................... ............ ....... ..... 50
3-6 Subject structure #5 .................. .................. ................. .......... .. ....... ..... 51
3-7 Subject structure #6 ..................................................... ............ ....... ..... 52
8
3-8 Subject structure #7 ..................................................... ............ ............. 53
3-9 Subject structure #8 ..................................................... ............ ....... ...... 54
3-10 Subject structure #9 ..................................................... ............ ....... ...... 55
3-11 Subject structure #10 .................................... ................. .......... ....... ..... 56
3-12 Subject structure # 1 ............................................ ................................ ...... .. .... 57
3-13 Subject structure #12 .................................... ........................... ....... ..... 58
4-1 Perm mission to use W om en's Club H all ........................................ ......................... 66
4-2 Early documentation of local Girl Scouts organizations ................................................67
4-3 F first club hou se site selection ........................................ .............................................68
4-4 Formal dedication announcement ....................................................... ..............69
4-5 M missing plaque m y stery ............................................................................ ................... 70
4-6 M ead G arden s outing ........................... ............................................... .........................7 1
4-7 1939 yearly C redential F ee ....................................................................... ...................72
4-8 Charity lapel dolls .................. ............................. ........... 73
4-9 N egro Scouting program ......... ............................................................... ..........................74
4-10 L little H ou se rendering ............................................................................. .................... 75
4-11 C ottrells 40th anniversary .................................................................. ........ ...................75
4-12 Rediscovered and relocated base to flag pole ........................................ ...............76
4-13 Juliette Low m arker at Rollins College ........................................ ........................ 76
4-14 Little House as rental property 1974 .................................................... ...................77
5 -1 S ite p lan .........................................................................9 2
5-2 Front entry view.......................... .................. ........... 93
5 -3 S tre e t v iew ................................................................................................................... 9 3
5-4 R located entrance w ith arbor ........................................ .............................................94
5-5 Front courtyard ...............9.......................94
9
5 6 Rear deck with new rear entrance ................................................... ... ............95
5-7 W ood siding with circular saw m arkings...................................... ......................... 96
5-8 Boarded over window reveals original paint ........... ............................... ...............97
5-9 F finished exterior ................................................................98
5-10 H and fashioned exterior shutter........................................................................... .... ... 99
5-11 Roof water diverter ......................................... ................. ......... .. 1... 00
5-12 D constructed interior shell ......................................... .. .. .......................................... 10 1
5-13 Background showing exposed wall framing.................... ........... ................102
5-14 W ater damaged rear fireplace wall and new insert.................................. ... ..................103
5-15 K kitchen rehabilitation ....... ....................................................................... ........ .. ..... .. 103
6-1 R-3 zoning map ....... ........ ............. ........................................ .. 107
6-2 Sites of recent area dem olitions ........... ......... ......................... ......... ............... 108
6-3 A adjacent property redevelopm ent........................................................ ............... 109
7-1 W inter Park residential historic district ...................................................... ............... 113
7-2 Building development impacting the Little House ........... .................. .................. 114
10
Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School
of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Architectural Studies
THE LITTLE HOUSE: PRESERVATION AND HISTORY OF THE GIRL SCOUT
CLUBHOUSE OF WINTER PARK, FLORIDA
By
Gary Philip Gorman
December 2007
Chair: Peter E. Prugh
Cochair: Roy E.Graham
Major: Architecture
Following four years as a teaching assistant and documenting historic structures for the
University of Florida's Preservation Institute: Nantucket, Massachusetts, I returned home anxious
to resume my work on the research and restoration of the original Girl Scout Clubhouse of Winter
Park, Florida, historically referred to locally as the Little House.
The result of this research captured a significant cultural memory and a sense of place, by
uncovering a rich blend of Winter Park history, architecture, local and national figures, whose
separate stories intersect to give the Little House its unique provenance.
On November 6, 1936 the keys to the newly constructed Little House were officially turned
over to the Girl Scouts. Today, hundreds of Winter Park residents pass by this structure daily,
unaware of its story. For over thirty years the Little House played a pivotal role in our
community's cultural memory by providing a safe and nurturing environment for the Girl Scouts
of Winter Park. It is not hard to imagine that many a friendship was formed before its oversized
fireplace.
As the physical restoration and preservation of the Little House evolved, an equally
compelling story of historic and anecdotal facts began to emerge, raising a number of interesting
questions,
* How was Juliette Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of America and recipient of a memorial
marker on Rollins College Walk of Fame, connected to the Winter Park Little House?
* How did the construction of the Little House meld into the community's historic fabric and
which local individuals played a role.
* How old was the Little House? Although mortgage documents said otherwise, forensic
architecture had shown that the carpentry details placed the structure as much older than
recorded.
* What negative forces exist which threaten the preservation of the Little House?
* What future uses, plans and methodology could be envisioned to preserve the Little House
for future generations in Winter Park?
In order to answer these and other questions I sought to understand the broad historic context
surrounding the Little House and then to narrow that research by constructing a time line for a
more detailed assessment and analysis. These processes will form the basis of my research product
and presentation.
The purpose of this research is one that through rediscovery of both the physical structure as
well as its history, I can create a comprehensive thesis document, that will provide a strong rational
for protecting and preserving the Little House.
CHAPTER 1
WINTER PARK, FLORIDA AREA HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 1850-2007
Path to Settlement
In a brief overview documenting the early history and development of Winter Park, one
need only consider that as early as 1774 William Bartram, the noted naturalist, walked the
nearby Indian trails. A plaque commemorating his activities can be found in Mead Gardens, a
wetlands park, just 2 blocks south of the Little House site. (Figure 1-1) Bartram, like others to
follow, would find the area rich in natural beauty with an abundant and diverse range of flora and
fauna.
Nearly one hundred years later, the early Florida communities of Jacksonville,
Apalachicola, and St. Augustine were providing jumping off points onto Florida's extensive river
system, a river system that would serve as a primary conduit for the early settler exploration.
While the majority of Florida's interior exploration was facilitated by the extensive river-
ways, a secondary means of passage, the same as that used by the naturalist Bartram one hundred
years earlier, were the Native American trails. One such well-established trail snaked its way
around the lakes of Central Florida, where temporary encampments of native peoples were
common. Skirting these lakes, the Indian trails drew the settlers onto what would later become
the site for the community of Winter Park. (Chapman, 2001, 12)
This was an area favored by native peoples as well as the newly arriving settlers for its
pronounced environmental beauty; it featured abundant natural resources such as clean fresh
water, and large quantities of fish and game. The land was arable and the uplands woods would
provide timber and turpentine.
Chartering its Own Course
With the natural attraction of the land and a mild winter climate, many settlers felt
convinced this was the spot for them to put down roots. It may have been as legend said, that the
1858, eight-acre purchase of land here among the lakes by settler David Mizell, was in fact the
true kernel from which Winter Park would emerge. Mizell at first referred to the area as Lake
View and it drew a slow trickle of settlers, ultimately forming two small communities (Robinson
and Andrews, 1995, 53). By the early 1880's the two small communities became one and
managed to get a small rail line linked into their village, then just one year later a full service rail
depot was constructed. (Figure 1-2)
As Winter Park grew, clearly one successful and transforming effect on this small
community was its own very successful advertising campaign, used to lure visitors and investors
from throughout the northern tier states. (Figure 1-3) As a newly chartered town in 1887, Winter
Park began taking on a reputation as a winter resort with the main purpose of attracting well-
heeled northerners who wished to escape their harsh winters back home.
With an average annual temperature of 72 degrees, visitors found Winter Park's
environment and climate both healthy and mild, making it a tranquil place to visit. Many of those
wealthy northern visitors, it would turn out, would return to become permanent residents.
Roots of Tourism
Common during this period was the construction by and for seasonal residents of small
winter cottages scattered along the lakes. At the same time, there occurred an ever-expanding
business of building and operating winter resorts such as the Seminole hotel, then the largest in
the state. (Figure 1-4) Both of these enterprises would clearly contribute as economic engines for
the emerging town. Also, very important was the impact the visitors and investors,
predominantly from the northern states would have, in that these same individuals left a legacy
still visible today as seen in Winter Park's surviving period architecture and infrastructure.
(Figure's 1-5, 1-6, and 1-7) The original town plan could be characterized as one drawn using a
tight grid system format surrounding a large well defined central park. Adjacent to the park on
one side were shops and on the other a rail line and depot. This was an important selling point for
the northern investors as the town layout could be described as familiar, and very reminiscent of
a New England town plan. To the original town planner's credit, their visionary downtown
layout has held up well and still exists today, virtually unchanged from its original form.
Finally, two iconic markers, the establishment of the citrus industry and the formation of
Rollins College would help propel Winter Park, (albeit in a typical cyclical Florida fashion of
boom and bust) into the 20th century.
Defining a Sense of Place
As a new community, Winter Park appeared headed for a bright future. It had a stable and
growing population, with a vibrant business district and even at these early stages of
development it exhibited a characterization still proudly projected today by the Chamber of
Commerce, that being its emphasis on its quality of life for its residents. Through the years,
Winter Park's "sense of place" (Hiss, 1990, 24) would be tied to this motto, whereby it
consistently sought to highlight its commitment and support for higher education, the arts and the
environment, by a very generous and philanthropic citizenry.
During the first ten years of the 20th century, Winter Park remained quiet and
uncomplicated. A semi rural sense of the area still clung in the air. But the coming land boom in
Florida and the increasing ability to more readily access the state by train and eventually by auto
was bringing a larger and larger influx of visitors. By the 1920's the level of roadway
infrastructure along Florida's east coast was significant. A more rudimentary set of roads were
beginning to take shape, funneling tourists down through the center of the state. Winter Park, like
many Central Florida towns would do their best to benefit from these tourists by encouraging
them to stop and spend their dollars in its towns businesses. The old notion of the winter tourist
trade was evolving into the more modern year-round concept of tourist related businesses we
have today in Florida. Golf courses, automobile races on the beach, natural springs, tropical
gardens, citrus groves, and unusual flora and fauna became the draws. Overnight motels with
their cabin like cottages flourished along the roadways. State tourism, in its infancy was
beginning to take form. But this forward momentum would often be interrupted over the years as
severe freezes crushed the citrus industry and the once vaulted land boom became synonymous
with swampland. The final straw would be the nationwide Depression which would curtail the
land speculation and severely dry up the disposable income of the tourist trade.
Emphasizing Public Welfare
During this period of hardship and financial instability, Winter Park hunkered down and
began to take greater stock of its own citizen's welfare. At the beginning of the 20th century an
emergence of community networks began to evolve throughout the United States responding to
demands for a social safety net. Many of these same national civic organizations would surface
locally in Winter Park in the years between 1900 and 1930. The Kiwanis Club, Community
Chest, Woman's Club, Garden Club, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all were established and all
emphasized the idea of service for the greater good. Ultimately, this civic response would lead to
the only community constructed meeting house for the Girl Scouts in Winter Park's history
and would be referred to as the Little House.
Rollins College continued its growth and expansion programs generating business for the
town's coffers in an era of little economic growth. The downtown business district held its own,
and occasionally new shops and small parking areas were added. Often times, these expansions
would result in the physical moving of older housing stock from the town's central core. One
such area on the receiving end of this early attempt at urban renewal of the downtown core was
the Minnesota Avenue neighborhood about three blocks away. In these days of economic
hardship, few livable structures would be wasted through demolition and hence many such house
relocations ended up in this close-in but underdeveloped area of Winter Park.
Conditions for Minority Population
As the community of Winter Park slipped into the clutches of the extended national
economic downturn of the 1930's, it had a population of about 7000 residents. A segregated
community, Winter Park's African American population resided in an area just west of
downtown, in a section of Winter Park referred to as the Hannibal square neighborhood. The
Hannibal Square Associates was organized "for the welfare of the Negroes of Winter Park," The
first project was the erection of a building in which to house the Hannibal Square Library,
adjacent to the Negro elementary school on West New England. (MacDowell 1950, p223) The
Hannibal neighborhood architectural form consisted of small well-kept homes, shops and
churches, set upon compact blocks of tree-lined streets. Most of its residents worked as
domestics, groundskeepers, and general laborers for the many wealthy white families of Winter
Park. Both races had similar but separate civic organizations mirroring those of one another.
Although Winter Park would proudly break ground for a new high school during this period its
schools remained segregated.
Changing Patterns of Growth
Like many small southern towns Winter Parks ice cream parlor, 5 and dime store and
movie- theatre would provide plenty of diversion and entertainment for the locals in the 1940's
and 1950's. For outdoor activities the chain of lakes offered endless opportunities for swimming,
fishing, and boating. Most Winter Park children would learn to swim as part of a local tradition
at the town's public lakeside park referred to as Dinky dock. A relaxing evening might consist of
a barefoot stroll down sandy Genius Drive at sunset where one could see and hear wild peacocks
perched throughout the live oaks.
Effects of the War Years
Nearby the faster growing city of Orlando was having its own impact on Winter Park as
the two communities grew towards one another, blurring their once separate identities and
original town boundaries. Local Defense industry companies, as well as naval and air base
facilities were all gearing up for what appeared to be a period of war following the Depression,
thereby becoming an important revenue stream for the local economies of Winter Park and
Orlando. As war approached even the local Winter Park girl-scout troop, would find ways to
support the war effort by making string dolls to be given away in exchange for donations from its
citizens as a way to help the Girl Guides program in war ravaged Great Britain.
When World War II came to an end many of the same service men and women that had
been stationed at the nearby bases decided to remain here or returned to the area with their
families to settle. This spike in population would give Winter Park a noticeable infusion of
growth and mark the end to what had been a period of economic stagnation.
Impact of Technology
Most Winter Park homes at this time had large covered porches for the practical purpose of
creating shade and ventilation as a passive means of air conditioning, used to deal with the hot
and humid conditions of Florida's summertime heat. Florida vernacular architecture commonly
incorporated rear-sleeping porches providing nighttime relief as well. But by the late 1940's and
early 1950's things were about to change in a momentous way, as the possibility of household air
conditioning systems was about to become a reality. This technology would have a huge impact
on all of Florida as the normal summertime pattern of 90 degree plus heat could now be
effectively managed. This invention would, in its own way, substantially contribute to population
growth throughout the 1950s and 60's for Florida communities like Winter Park.
The New Tourism Model and its Consequences
With better roadways, and their adjacent roadside shops, restaurants and motels with air
conditioning, tourists began to return to a new more modern Florida. State tourism sites were
establishing themselves throughout central Florida, Daytona's; beaches, 500 auto race and
nearby Marineland, St. Augustine's; Alligator Farm, Orlando's; Gatorland, St. Petersburg's;
Sunken Gardens, Winter Haven's; Bok Tower and Cypress Gardens, Ocala's; Silver Springs,
Clermont's; Citrus Tower, and Tarpons Springs; Weeki Wachee, were all early forerunners of
the giant theme parks which would appear some 20 years later.
Clearly the Winter Park of the 1950's was feeling the effects of progress on its community
but tried hard to remain faithful to its own sense of place by fending off growth when possible in
order to preserve and maintain a quality of life for its residents. Winter Park unashamedly
accepted the description of itself as an affluent community, at the same time drawing on a
growing artistic and Bohemian collection of newcomers who began renting the second floor
apartments above the shops on Park Avenue. This bastion of artists would be the future leaders,
and supporters pivotal in the formation of events such as the renowned Winter Park Art Festival,
still an annual event today. Potters, jewelry makers, and painters would also quietly impact the
main shopping fare, referred to as Park Avenue, as their wares began to be sold in newly opened
galleries and specialty shops along the street.
Controlling Growth
From the beginning the natural barriers of Winter Park's chain of lakes created a
community not easily accessible to the outsider. This sense of isolation was not lost on the
residents of Winter Park who over the years would cultivate that notion and use any measures
they could to maintain this status quo. Even today there is virtually only one street that could be
considered to directly transverse the heart of Winter Park in an east west direction. This same
situation would define one's ability to move on a north south axis through the town as well.
One dramatic example of Winter Park's early attempts at controlling growth was its
resistance to the proposed new Interstate 4 highway as it was being planned in the late 1950's
and early 1960's. Winter Park had refused to accept a plan that would bring the highway near its
center and only grudgedly allowed for an exit and entry ramp which would feed into the then
outskirts of town. Ironically, this very public aversion to the perceived idea of progress through
growth only made Winter Park more attractive to the many newcomers it continued to attract.
By the middle of the 1960's Winter Park was thriving, new schools were being built, new
restaurants began operation and an enclosed air conditioned shopping mall, would permit a
shopping experience few had ever seen in Central Florida. In-fill housing projects were back on
track and Rollins College was positioned to begin a new period of academic expansion.
The Disney Effect
The secretive accumulation, at the southern edge of Orange County of vast amounts of
undeveloped scrub and grove lands in the mid 1960's, would soon be revealed for what it was,
the development of the largest project ever to be seen in Central Florida, the creation of Walt
Disney World. No central Florida community would be able to withstand the onslaught of
change coming their way from this massive development. For Winter Park and neighboring
towns the next two decades would be a challenge as they faced never before seen topics of
sprawl, traffic congestion, explosive population growth, issues of density, and infrastructure
problems.
Banking and service industries thrived as money poured into Winter Park. Marketable
academic skills like MBAs made Rollins Graduate Business School an overnight success.
Wealth was the by-product of this period and Winter Park met the challenge by continuing to
address quality of life issues for its residents. The environment, arts, and revitalization efforts
would continue to capture dollars for community wide projects.
Current Issues
By the late 1990's and up to this current period of time, new unforeseen dilemmas for
Winter Park had emerged. The phenomenon of teardowns had created a fast moving firestorm of
change pulsing through Winter Park's once staid neighborhoods. With little or no room for
expansion in the built out environment of Winter Park, teardowns had become one of the
standard solutions to the unrelenting demand for more housing. (nationaltrust.org/11 Most/
2002/teardowns).
The approach of increasing density as a solution to housing needs ran counter to all things
Winter Park but it too had become the inevitable tool of developers eager to make money during
the housing crunch.
The white gentrification of the long established African American neighborhoods of
Winter Park began in earnest and today continues unabated, eating away at these areas with both
new residential and commercial projects.
The core problem creating these recent dilemmas has been skyrocketing land values
matched by the ever- increasing demands of individuals and families wishing to reside in Winter
Park. Recent pull backs in real estate values have definitely cooled things down in Winter Park
but many new projects continue to come out of the ground.
Preserving a Sense of Place
With a tradition established at its inception, Winter Park would, through the years,
consider itself a place apart. It drew to itself a dedicated group of like thinking people who
agreed with the notion of emphasizing quality of life issues for its citizens, and most important
they backed up those beliefs with impressive philanthropic gifts and volunteerism. Libraries,
museums, centers of higher education, the arts, outstanding public schools, numerous parks and
recreation centers and a large and outstanding group of non-profit, civic organizations would all
be the lynch pins to a community that in turn would give it confidence as it struggled and
maneuvered its way through cycles of boom and bust.
Looking back, throughout that interesting history much has changed and consequently
much has been lost in Winter Park. Fortunately, there is today a strong awareness and concern
for preserving what remains of that history. Topophlia is a term used to describe this coupling of
a community's sentiment with a sense of place (Tuan, 1974, 113) whether it is found in its
architecture, the cultural landscape, or the oral traditions and stories that connect its residents to
their past. It is in this realm of values that the Little House's preservation is important.
i -- '--CM98K- '1---
H
U i
Figure 1-1 Bartram commemorative plaque; Mead Gardens
-I '
N
FtORIR4
Figure 1-2 Early rendering of the village of Winter Park and rail line
SINTER PARK In a ane Wn n tn Or ani Coty, In., en the SouthI lari Rid,
elltaeen mile touhi of Aliynd, two mille ruth of ailtld, f rr mllu north of
Orlandi, Afty milln rsbo dhu wl n of c up CiMiral.l etlly miles east of Gulf of
Mauil, and a bhundred andil Lwity mi iinout(h of .lmkeonrill.
THE MAIN IDEA Of Winter I rk to a b ul.liul wine resort for well-lodo people
who wish Id sip'e from the e ld ani bl stIrrlng veathr o fruitful l or comw coughs, diph-
Ira.pl corauriumlelo, e. ai a coJill tia of Ibralifl villu Ie di e mide or omn.poro.e upon
Cer.ilol rani rr sB I .he lKrrsn crystal laik; a do In or male of IUg flrl-ta bitd$l
ce~mt dl aloni tbe two mles of lrkerrutAme,-& rmecit obt shalli be for ite winter whet
Saratoe, Long lBraIn, Ira., re orin summer.
THE LOCATION or Wliter Park ls perfect for eroh a hetime: its sir budred acre
lo high, rolling pio land ire bounded on the norllh by lake Maltlnd (imven buimntrd mar),
eat by OatCb (thrbe bundred sKrw), aind hi n by Vltionla (four lunlnld), giving oer two
milln of s beaultifl lcktmntelae u an be found In the warld (Ma mrp en litR pap). The
tall pI~i ad lgrn gren growing upon the lind down t to he f ginv the ppeianreE or a
rat gorn, through tihl r ietes on be driren A will.
THE LAKES Ihj -Pn ran d. juste lu. rI).il grme I'. rinrr.nlI Ellni., thll In bI.Tly
of those I Willrinmin ull MIinlisola; wairl ricrir a ill ml, ndl punre lid lift N rminller;
no graen Imm Is ever scon upon them; over Slay feet dnop; einnatled by runing lntrtfo
with the Bt. John's RIvor; fifuli o lrge nd drllcloum fah; horem solid ud delliltl l~lf Irrugo.
Ier, giin maslonelen views, mid rlisin gtuimlly to a billet of ty flet atbo the atlor;
rd ranbl pI F?; r--I*Aln tdn ainIIngi n mimpin has ba n chartered to put upon them
lil. orf stam-yuitbt: aranue-glrove h Lere d therro e bokth.e ba.
THE RAILROAD built In t10 by 'Pulller k OD., aIof Th BItonD hernd hal faur daily
tinlni through ~e cantIm of Winir IPark.-Ilu diellMlsn Tempa Bay.
BtrAtonm. Ulle.
SlAtfod ..... 14 f. .1 r ing crlly, everl larl hnls.
Ballir . 4 a On, BSanor's liacr or iggrae.
Longwood . . 10 74 Holl, l lEre, dare, MA.
y1. . . . 14 N Eco-inlry, anw-ill,lTr, Setc.
lln, d 1 . 1 IT 'reegrphoffle s, Shurct, er os,
rk rtstlon . . li otel lnds wo hurleeA,
BIielow tatln. . 10 B3 Bielow Iouimt on Lab Mitliad.
Wlntor Prk I. .. l 22 Rogers Hos nm Laok Ovcewl.
Wlhet . . . i Bl arh-flitod ar uaw.amlll
OrlAldo . Co unltyal; agrowinsl tyl; severltbol
Klnimame. . . 40 3 Present milsiu an Lake Tohopsknllg.
Another nrailo now building from Leabarl will miaon give llrl monnaiwli bM
Winter Pru mid Neow York, ChIepg, ove.
SANFORD Is a pr ety d thrlvlng city, the beadq4asrnr o the laims BaSm d G aLt
T.l "UBarod BHonn Is a lu Inrp hoela~ d i popular rieort f1 r todril. The "Evr.
lai n,"" I Noin " Ci." And sI rrhl*n tboardiin-houme are popular ritor i.
THE TOWN PLAN ambrs a en'oar Park in It centre, through bd middle of
whi leilIth.ls runs th rallrloa, I ri tlh binhmlnu lm' aU both Sides. fronting tW PI rad
Sn. lr,.l The teulasmd runnlng from Lake Orc ola warwuil for I mll to [A ke REllir
Ssne' tbl parlk Ih two i equ divilionl, and as tSh JJua0lhan w llh I Ik is a illiih JepL.
Howl rud illt lol ion t lake. tReilen., hd g ira te ul of from uri.hlf rre to i, nrn ret
Sare u atenrd ni f l uver e trol, upon broad une ri rnnmi to the liks.
BUlLDINQG. hotel. h.eb-ing hb.ln. ime. Iure .llown halr, prl-~r e, wqerlp .tory,
Iarptleri l uPp, bMllamcklib'a shop, sa mill, depot, and iuerl rcldrnft. A& aurcb an
e hkolhoulse will I 1n b billL Telegrph cila wiII l on be open Il d.~pt
HOTELS in the t o1n are cromde erry winltr. The R gers Boe on ULke Oiwco
16v 1 und three minunis f depot, And the Blgetw, a mile north, bcarge faro to a twenty dolWa per
~, ,n lk, Ik. E l I inplt a"' ruemlllerl, ni eroln dollkreq er4' t hRo fAom rho lukptngoelie
un-ted. Tire oprnar for r firlcun brarling houiae Wirter Pat, with l t batflitwal a
WINTER PARK .~ath I aie tI ronutge. I s cclslbillit, tad lu high mad bealtby locatiU I* Tla plan for
WINTER PARK a ~nd IwBt wertre; aid hotel] men ubould not Sil to tlmenUtllte. We oftr indnuercean
lii A SOCIlETVIs s tatml..u, A odvl ptltrnng in Wnlter.Park Towu ll will bring together
BEAUTIFUIL aid as HEALTHY ua read d elad cultrted a cwmpts y u$ cn be Ibu f4 o nywher, epresentig nearly every
A orlTr As C4 s ToU IIr,. i,' State. an llI HonR ra 4 Lwin L.wre of UUL N.Y., H 1. John P. Morton of JtauWlll"
ITnnTZ tT As 611 ND aeI y{.,'T BlhopWhipple of W otA Ron. ., WileM Pl WadelptbL. Dr Tanl.tm Ddh.
WINIER FAR E BEFORE LOCATIIG. w ir,Ch.UrIe Comto4k of Chlicg, Gen. Pre ch of Gorgs. ern Ptimer ef biih Camrailn,
G --. Aicltr of New O.mpirrl l, Wilson Phelps of Oibo, J. O. Bto r f olngand, Liet. Dyer
Scte of ebove rp, m I milse-21 In. of UJ.S. @ r, IL M.Pullier of Uosn, end thr, ha ph.te in at quitnr Whtr Pt.
POLITIGCS. -ParS e about enly d4Mhdd, AS Bein m an as riB to lk motd ge
Figure 1-3be p uuverising handbill for W inte IulaPark
Figure 1-3 Advertising handbill for Winter Park visitors
h~im~I
4 SUPPLEMeNT + TO +, LOCHMGDEB
DECEMBER 30th,
1887.
THE SEMINBhE, WINTER PARK, ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
HIS NEW AND ELEGANT HOTEL, i.:,..:.,,r..idaUj 400 guests, opens Jan. 1st. It is superbly located upon
high land, between two beautiful lakes, the ground gently sloping to the shores of both; and from the
promenade on top, 11 lakes can be seen.
Every thing that human ingenuity can devise has been provided to make this beautiful house attractive
and home-like for old and young. Sleepers from New York without change, All trains stop at Winter Park.
WINTER PARK, 120 miles south of Jacksonville, occupies a superb and commanding position upon the high
plateau or watershed that constitutes the backbone of Florida. '"It is one of the loveliest spots on earth," says
a prominent journalist. "The prettiest spot I have seen in Florida," says President Arthur, "As healthy a spot
as can be found on the face of the globe," says Dr. Henry Foster of Clifton Springs, N.Y, Look at the beautiful
"Bird'seye View," on the other side of this sheet, and be sure and see Winter Park before, you leave Florida.
For illustrated pamphlets, maps, plan of rooms, terms, etc., address Forbes & Paige, Winter Park, Fla.
Figure 1-4 Depiction of 1887 Seminole Hotel
._._ =--~"----'
_iL~- -_ --
Figure 1-5 Northern states influenced infrastructure legacy
Figure 1-6 Northern states influenced town planning grid legacy.
.*
. ; n~lp"
":
Figure 1-7 Northern states influenced architectural legacy
CHAPTER 2
MINNESOTA AVENUE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 1850-2007
Neighborhood History and Analysis
To complete a more in depth area analysis, it would be necessary to research the specific
history of the neighborhood surrounding the location of the site selected for the thesis focus, the
Little House property on Minnesota Avenue in Winter Park. When referring to the Minnesota
Avenue site and neighborhood I will be generally describing the three-block section of
Minnesota Avenue running East and West, from Pennsylvania Avenue on the East to the rail line
crossing Minnesota at the Orange Avenue intersection on the West.(Figure 2-1)
The First 75 Years 1850 -1925
From the arrival of the first settlers in 1850 until the late 1880's this area of Winter Park
remained unchanged with the exception of some logging and primitive roads to service that
activity. The area could be described at this junction in its history as simply uninhabited
woodlands and scrub. Soon after the turn of the century some minimal changes slowly began to
creep into the landscape. An excellent folk-map, (Figure 2-2) drawn in 1968 by Mr. Ray
Trovillion, a member of a long established Winter Park family, reflected his own personal
recollections of the Winter Park of 1908. His map rendering, clearly gives a sense of the three-
block stretch of Minnesota as it appeared at that time.
Considered then to be the edge of town, this very same section of Winter Park is today
only three blocks from the city's commercial urban core and Rollins College. The Winter Park of
1908 had a population of only about 800 residents and it was very slowly pushing its growth
outward. Still evoking a rural feeling, this area along Minnesota Avenue contained only one
farmstead, and in 1908 one would look about and see a mix of agricultural, citrus, and lumbering
activities, and plots of undisturbed uplands woods. Just nearby was a turpentine works where
local African Americans would perform the hot and labor-intensive task of producing pine- sap
by products.
Trovillion's early map revealed only one actual dwelling situated within this section of
Minnesota Avenue. From numerous interviews and documents one could conjure up an image of
an emerging neighborhood in the early 1900's, that consisted of clay and sand streets with sand
pathways, shaded by large water oaks running along side of them. Roadway infrastructure was
not that important because there were after all, only three automobiles in the entire town in 1908.
Other residents noted the area supported a few small cottages and agricultural outbuildings and
even had a nearby spring and creek, at the edge of Oak Park later renamed Theodore L. Mead
Botanical Gardens (Figure 2-3) where local people sometimes collected water and close to a spot
that would later became the site of the town's water tower.
Because the area was near the commercial center of Winter Park, yet underutilized, it was
likely considered not as desirable as other more rapidly settled sections of Winter Park, but it did
at least have a reputation as one of the more affordable areas in terms of its land costs. Like most
of the land within the town limits this neighborhood, although unpopulated, had already been
platted into lots and given the name Cherokee Park by town planners. (Figure 2-4)
The Emerging Neighborhood 1925 -1940
By 1925, Winter Park had decided to incorporate as a city. Bolstered by large donations of
land and money from local philanthropists, both the city of Winter Park and Rollins College had
grown into the more established forms we see today.
It was during this period of development in Winter Park's history that the era of
constructing small lakeside winter cottages was coming to an end as a new trend to replace these
seasonal cottages with permanent and more grandiose lakefront homes took over. These original
cottages were then often moved to outlying neighborhoods in an effort to recycle them. Today,
because of the explosive local land values, just a few of those lake area cottages have managed to
survive. They serve as a reminder of the neighborhoods architectural history by telling a story of
its past scale and order. This change of neighborhood scale is significant as it represents the
beginning of a loss of a neighborhoods historic character. Three nearby examples confirm what
was once the norm but today is nearly nonexistent. The location for these cottages can be seen in
(Figure 2-5) while (Figures 2-6, 2-7 and 2-8), depict the actual subject cottages.
By the late 1920's no new homes had actually been constructed on this section of
Minnesota Avenue, although on occasion an existing structure would be relocated onto one of
the many available platted lots. During this period, a soft real estate market prevailed and the
approaching national economic Depression would further keep interest low in this neighborhood.
At a time of fairly low land prices, the city of Winter Park took ownership of a large parcel
of land at the eastern end of Minnesota where they would build, in 1927, the town's first upper
grade level high school, replacing the single all grade inclusive red brick school of 1914. This
1927 school building is today among the few public buildings designated as National Register
eligible in Winter Park. (Figure 2-9) Still in use today as the ninth grade center, the site would be
located almost directly across the street from the final site selected for the future construction of
the Little House.
For the next ten years only spotty growth occurred along the now bricked over Minnesota
Avenue. One of the very few neighborhood structures to actually be built on its still wooded site
was in fact, the 1936 construction of the Little House, a meetinghouse built specifically for the
use of the newly formed Winter Park Girl Scouts. Nestled alone on a wooded lot, surrounding by
still other empty wooded lots and walking distance to the new High School and Mead Gardens, it
was the perfect location for the Girl Scouts, and would become a cultural hub of activity for
many girls in the community over the next 33 years.
Residential Expansion onto Minnesota Avenue
By the 1940's one saw further attempts to fill the still empty lots abutting the Little House
site along Minnesota Avenue with residential structures being relocated out of the downtown
core. The rather deep lots along Minnesota Avenue, had allowed for a second structure to be
legally placed on the properties, making them perfectly suited to provide the necessary space for
these soon to be moved houses and cottages. Often the property owner ended up with a modest
home at the front of the lot and a smaller cottage to the rear. These rear cottages would be used
to generate second incomes for their owners as rentals for winter visitors or student and faculty
from nearby Rollins College.
As the war years concluded, the demand for housing in Winter Park showed a slight
upward spike and the neighborhood filled out with a complement of new middle class working
families, who were more than happy to live close to their schools and churches. Throughout the
1950's the neighborhood infill projects would continue but with a twist. The past form and order
on Minnesota Avenue had consisted primarily of clapboard wood frame single family residences
but the 1950's brought with it the construction of concrete block duplexes as a new form of
housing as well as an economic tool to take advantage of the neighborhoods zoning opportunities
and long tradition of mixed use rental properties.
Life was good in Winter Park's neighborhoods. Doors remained unlocked, as crime was
virtually nonexistent. Shopping and dining out opportunities were expanding all along the nearby
17/92-traffic corridor. For entertainment the drive in movie-theater was an inexpensive evening
out and for special occasions the family could dine at the nearby Langford hotel and wander
around the mini zoo set up by the swimming pool, investigating the many cages filled with
exotic birds and reptiles.
Car traffic had grown along Minnesota Avenue and sidewalks were added as roadway
infrastructure continued to expand. For the next twenty years little more would change in the
neighborhood.
Closing the Little House
Around 1970 the administrators of the busy and well-used Girl Scout Little House on
Minnesota Avenue concluded they had outgrown their meetinghouse's five hundred square foot
facility. For over 30 years the memory filled structure had thrived and fondly contributed to the
cultural memory and sense of place in Winter Park. Sadly, an end to an era came when the Little
House was closed. It would eventually be sold, for use as a rental property satisfying a growing
demand for rental housing for Winter Park and nearby Rollins College. The local Winter Park
administration of the Girl Scouts had gradually been transferred to the more centrally located
Citrus Council headquarters in downtown Orlando. These administrative changes would most
likely eliminate any future duplication of a local Winter Park led community effort to construct a
second scout meeting house. The cultural memory produced by the narrative and the
corresponding structure of the Little House was framed at a formative moment in Winter Park's
history and is unlikely to ever happen again.
Implications for a Transitional Neighborhood
At the same time, the central Florida economy was just beginning to feel the effects of the
new theme park tourist dollars, an upgrading in the neighborhood housing stock began to occur.
The change would not be overnight but the trend was definitely up
Changes in Density and Scale
By far the greatest catalyst for change in this section of Minnesota Avenue was its
attractive zoning. Always adverse to high-density developments, the city of Winter Park seldom
gave in to developer's demands for changes to zoning. The south side of Minnesota was one of
the few exemptions. With the door open to a new type of R/3 zoning for the neighborhood, large
and small projects of condominium town homes would be developed.
By the mid-1980s an economic slowdown had materialized and the momentum for change
along Minnesota Avenue paused. But just ten years later a clear pickup of interest in the
neighborhood could be detected. Unlikely changes were occurring at a faster and faster rate .The
once typical rental house was now being reconverted by its owner to its original single-family
origins and therefore adding to a shrinking rental housing pool. Consequently it was becoming
harder to find the available rental cottages and garage apartments of the past. Rollins students
and other renters who had inhabited this housing niche would move further out into the
surrounding neighborhoods and by splitting the rising rental costs, were just as likely to be found
leasing in the growing high-end housing market. Many older single family homes on large lots
were being sold and quickly torn down and their lot reconfigured to hold two residences where
there had been one. Density changes now meant projects of two and even three story town homes
that could be found dotting the neighborhood and signaling forever, the changing neighborhood
scale.
At the beginning of the 21st century the real estate market in Winter Park like other
communities around the country was preparing to dramatically increase in activity and value.
Older single family housing, duplexes, even 1950's campus style apartment complexes, would
be scooped up all around the neighborhood, sometimes entire blocks would be scheduled for
demolition. Winter Park, it appeared, remained high on the list of desirable places to live in
Central Florida.
Future Infrastructure Improvements and Private Projects
The neighborhood gained more notice as both intersecting ends anchoring this 3 block
section of Minnesota became the focus of activity for improving infrastructure and private
projects and remains so even in today's flat economic conditions.
The positive change resulting from these municipally supported projects and grants began
to emerge in the neighborhood in the year 2000 and have been systematically improving the
quality of life for the residents along Minnesota Avenue.
Prominent examples of this were the costly and expansive street rehabilitation at the
eastern end of this section of Minnesota that took place starting in about 2000. Using historic
street lighting fixtures, under-grounding the utility lines, adding an oversized promenade walk
and bikeway, and finally to the towns credit even re-bricking what had been formerly an asphalt
paved Pennsylvania Avenue, resulted in the creation of an environment that lured developers like
bees to honey. The result of these infrastructure improvements was literally two blocks of two
and three story luxury townhouses selling for prices not seen before in this area of Winter Park.
While this was happening on the peripheral eastern end of the neighborhood other major
developments were also drawing attention to the neighborhood. Adjacent to the Little House site
itself and also at the eastern end of Minnesota, four existing rental properties were demolished in
preparation for another proposed three-story townhouse project.
To the south of the neighborhood, Mead Gardens had become the beneficiary of a sizeable
grant as part of a major facelift to upgrade and maintain this beautiful wetlands and park. The
recent confirmation of a commuter rail line stop in Winter Park starting in the year 2009 and a
$350 million dollar streetscape project along Orange Avenue at the western end of this section of
Minnesota Avenue, would both contribute to the neighborhoods plus column.
Finally, also at the western end of Minnesota an unused parcel of land on the corer of
Minnesota and Orange Avenue is currently being considered for redevelopment. This project is
significant, as rarely does such a large parcel of commercially zoned property become available
in Winter Park. At 5.76 acres of property, the land parcel is an exceptional opportunity to create
a mixed-use project of some magnitude, and has become the subject of several neighborhood
informational meetings sponsored by the developer. The proposed project, which includes
restaurants, shops, offices, residential rental units and pocket parks is soon to be presented to the
city council for final approvals.
Teardowns verses Preservation
In summary, it is in this increasingly changing neighborhood environment that one finds
the site of a piece of Winter Park history and its cultural landscape in the form of the Little
House. The future of the older historic structures in this neighborhood is unknown; but the odds
are stacked against their survival due to their current land values. Therefore, this unique
neighborhood may soon become only a memory, and recognizing this fact is mandatory and the
first step in looking to find solutions to save the Little House and other structures like it.
Conclusion
Cultural memory and sense of place are human responses to the natural and built
environment, and by definition subjective, this does not mean they should be ignored.
For a community to sustain its sense of place, it must not only recognize its identity but also
synthesize its land use policies and regulations so that they protect and support structures such as
the Little House. In this way one promotes true sustainability by balancing community heritage
with issues of community development.
Figure 2-1 Subject study area
37
.--Sw,
Figure 2-2 Trovillion folk map rendering of Winter Park in 1908
38
Figure 2-3 Aerial view of Minnesota Avenue circa 1930
39
Winter Park, Florida OfiaCe
Winter Park owes its present civic beauty to the wisdom of its
early founders, who filluwed. their traditions by planting its 1920 107E
avenues with water oaks. These have now become great over-
arching shade trees, reminders of the immemorial elms of New 1925 236C
England. Numerous connecting small lakes gleam, blue in the 1930 368E
sunlight, their shores glowing with the flowers of beautiful gar-5 4
dens and stately homes. 1935 4837
Winter Park has never been the arena of the frenzied specu-
lator, It owes its growth and the quiet dignity of its beauty
to the educated taste of its citizens. The late Edward W. Bok
declared it to be: "The most upstanding, the most civically
'awake, the cleanest and most beautiful town in Floridd, if not
in the United States."
Figure 2-4 Early plat map showing Cherokee Park subdivision
----- ----
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Figure~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~~~~~.. 2- :,oao hwn ie f uvvn aeae otgs
Figure 2-6 Lake area cottage #1
Figure 2-7 Lake area cottage #2
Figure 2-8 Lake area cottage #3
Figure 2-9 Winter Park High School built in 1927
CHAPTER 3
CURRENT MINNESOTA AVENUE CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY
Documenting Local Structures
The legacy of the architecture as seen in the remaining structures surrounding the Little
House site was surveyed in order to create a record. The survey guide (Figure 3-1) and the actual
survey (Figures 3-2 through 3-13) results are shown.
Within this targeted section of Minnesota Avenue there are approximately 18 lots, of
which 7 of the surviving residences represent the pre-1950's street order and all had been moved
to this neighborhood from other locations, mostly coming from the downtown core.
Evaluation of Survey
As a result of the survey, the findings suggest that the existing older housing stock is a
very unique and valuable blend of historic structures in style and form, from farmhouse to
Victorian with cottage style thrown in. This diverse mix of building ages and styles contributes
to an interestingly complex and rather confusing time line when first exploring the
neighborhoods origins and the actual age of the subject structure, the Little House. For example,
although the land was platted for homes by the 1910's, a residence west of the Little House site
wasn't moved to its new site until the 1940s, but the house itself was built in the 1880s.
Resulting Record
The research recorded in this survey, both in comment form and photography will provide future
researchers with a window of understanding into the nature of the Minnesota Avenue
neighborhood's architectural evolution and contributes in establishing the Little House's sense of
place as part of its neighborhoods cultural memory. This survey can be constructive in
recognizing the contextual significance of the neighborhood and honors that. In other words,
unlike the quantitative information gathered from review of regulations and governmental
organizations, sense of place is recognized, not measured.
11
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Figure 3-1 Minnesota Avenue neighborhood structures locator map
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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BUILDING MATERIALS t4- 277 -fAAIiC
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Figure 3-2 Subject structure #1 The Little House
Figure 3-2 Subject structure #1 The Little House
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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Figure 3-3 Subject structure #2
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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Figure 3-4 Subject )
Figure 3-4 Subject structure #3
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Figure 3-5 Subject structure #4
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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Figure 3-6 Subject structure #5
Figure 3-6 Subject structure #5
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
ADDRESS "+71 ,aa$ 4J,,,.) ID# 4 o/.5 22.- o 4<.. 9i
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES) SU L. v
DATE BUILT 19?2 ARCHITECT BUILDER
BUILDING MATERIALS ^t/CV f gtJ4U
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REMARKS O irC, .A/rte S #- t.1 M.ac^i d4 s;t"fe. a.lsZ 4-,
Figure 3-7 Subject structure #6
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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Figure 3-8 Subject structure #7
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
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REMARKS t>ACl:.-I f ULl._> I .c ~;.''. ~Lc.--- ,i(f: 4.
Figure 3-9 Subject structure #8
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
'ka LA-AA '74
ADDRESS 5Z5 45rUi Ak zr ID# /:l7 2 Z, -7 3 45 6 o
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES) H i rIisf~c-_ A&
DATE BUILT I /q-1 ARCHITECT / BUILDER
BUILDING MATERIALS ________
USE (X.4,4d,,i L ti-. ', I21 ,i > ,..t,,> At ,,C4,,-, YA.-, tztt
*5 Mcrt c .c '-tst-^ its^c- .II x ALrhf -bIL.t-" ca rra,.
CONTRIBUTING _/ NONCONTRIBUTING
REMARKS S structuL e---7 9i e)
Figure 3-10 Subject structure #9
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
ADDRESS
-51 l,,.c-.5 c -4 lA C'.L tID# 50/o7 z.L- t2. zRZ,- ;- l c
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES) "/f
DATE BUILT I-~
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BUILDING MATERIALS I - t
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CONTRIBUTIING /
NONCONTRIBUTING
REMARKS $i rC-L';^..t rss A k1Wl, (j4&4aqtJg 1F
F iczg .-Tuc t r, -- 3-11 Sujc RtErurt.-- 0-rc ct'
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.Oi-cr -iSA C rte~.-s.^-1^ z.cct icrY~L j T~t
Figure 3-11 Subject structure #10
i =
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
.. .
,, -. ., 4
t. I
ADDRESS I 0C JA. &LID# C( ZI >L- iZo a12 S OS c'10
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES) Lc1-0,i jP) pl7-i
DATE BUILT i~ti C.) ARCHITECT I BUILDER
BUILDING MATERIALS LJoL> c-oqc_
USE
CONTRIBUTING J NONCONTRIBUTING
REMARKS SC ULclLDii ? i.Ht oi <-S i& 1 LS 7 -TJ
OX 4i>--^i'ii Ll- TZ5.i, aN. c -ibriPT. T r ^.A
4 l^t^t$ ~ 4- ft> LRa1at Vtt O g.- flft IA=JElJILc-i- t'ACafC-)
Figure 3-12 Subject structure # 1
Figure 3-12 Subject structure #11
CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES SURVEY THE LITTLE HOUSE PROJECT
1ID
ADDRESS IODi C SY ID# Ar ID#7 ,3_ _i__._ & _6
ARCHITECTURAL STYLES) r T "L
DATE BUILT I""* ARCHITECT I BUILDER
BUILDING MATERIALS C4]oJ> zS-4-"fj
USE Af L/
CONTRIBUTING / NONCONTRIBUTING
REig ARKe S structure I c o - g #12c
Figure 3-13 Subject structure #12
CHAPTER 4
THE LITTLE HOUSE HISTORY
Juliette Gordon Low
In 1912, in the gracious Southern city of Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Juliette Gordon Low
was putting the finishing touches on her plans to create a new civic organization for young girls.
Not long before, she had summoned to her residence, six of her closest confident, asking them
for their thoughts on forming the first band of Girl Scouts, or as they would initially be called,
Girl Guides. One of those invited that day was the then Carol Purse Oppenhiemer, born and
raised in Savannah and daughter to a prominent Savannah family.
Meanwhile, and in this context, one day's journey south by train was the emerging little
community of Winter Park, Florida. In that same year of 1912, Winter Park only had a
population of about nine hundred residents. Like Savannah, the local townsfolk of Winter Park
were establishing their own civic organizations. Groups such as the Woman's Club, which
formed in 1915, the Kiwanis Club, the Winter Park Garden Club, the Community Chest, and
numerous other civic and church organizations began responding to a developing need for a
social network in their community.
Finding a Permanent Home
The nascent girl scouting organization appears to have shown up in Winter Park as early as
1932, with the first troop being led by Mrs. Edward Lawrence. Minutes from a November 9,
1932 meeting at the Woman's Club noted that the mothers of the Girl Scouts had asked to hold
meetings in the Club Hall and that they had been granted that permission.(Figure 4-1) Yet, there
may have been area Girl Scouting years earlier, as evidenced in an article found in a local paper
which reported a meeting held at the Winter Park Woman's Club in 1933 when Mrs. Edith Tadd
Little spoke fondly of the Girl Scouts for the relief work they did in connection with the storm of
1928.(Figure 4-2)
Up to this time, the first Winter Park Girl Scout troop, led by Mrs. Lawrence had had no
permanent home or meeting site. Interviews, oral history transcripts, and newspaper articles
carried a theme of a nomadic existence for the Girl Scouts. Their meetings had at times been held
in private homes, or church meeting halls like the All Saints Episcopal Parish house.
Community Effort
Packing and unpacking of scouting materials at the ever-changing meeting venues began to
take a toll on the scouts and their leaders which resulted in a determined community effort to
find the Girl Scouts a more permanent meeting site. Many local events were held in order to help
raise funds for the scouts. Charitable functions such as carnivals, spaghetti dinners, dances and
music events took place throughout the community of Winter Park for the Girl Scouts.
Thus, in March of 1933, girl-scouting mothers emboldened by the significant community
support petitioned the city for a site on which to build a Girl Scout House. Soon after, a 1933
newspaper headline said it all, "Club House Site Given To Girl Scouts Monday". (Figure 4-3)
Two of the biggest supporters of this effort were the Kiwanis Club and Woman's Club, but
soon many other civic organizations and private citizens would lend a hand and get behind the
idea of finding and funding a fixed site for a clubhouse.
The newspaper reported the adoption of a resolution in which the Girl Scouts had
requested lots 7 and 8 North Charmont, and that the property now owned by the city of Winter
Park be set aside for purposes of a park where the Girl Scouts could meet and camp with the
privilege of erecting a camp meeting house. The Scouts would have use of the property for 10
years. This resolution was carried unanimously
Just when a solution to find a site for the Girl Scout meeting house appeared to be over, a
major blow to that plan occurred when at the following months' April city commission hearing,
the site became a focal point for protest by Miss Anne Stone, H.V. Conduit, and A.R. Davenport,
all protesting the location. The site was dropped.
Soon after a second site emerged, at the May 1933 commission hearing the city offered to
lease lot #22, Block "D" of Comstock Park for a period often years to the Girl Scouts but like
the first location this second parcel too was dropped.
Time passed, but interest never wavered in finding a suitable site. It would be nearly 4
years before the official dedication of the new Little House. Interestingly enough, during those
intervening years a striking confluence of events would take place behind the scenes, all of
which swirled around the notion of creating the necessary synergy for locating, building, and
dedicating the Winter Park Little House.
Juliette Low's Legacy
In the meantime, Miss Carol Oppenheimer, the aforementioned protege of Juliette Low
and a strong proponent of the national scouting movement had herself become involved in
outdoor camping activities for girls as the founder of the Eagles Nest Camp, in Brevard, North
Carolina. In 1935 she announced her marriage to Dr. Thomas Pearce Bailey. Miss Oppenheimer
had met Dr. Bailey while directing the Blue Ridge camp for girls in North Carolina. Dr. Bailey
was well known throughout the country as a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and educator, and
coincidently then a professor at Rollins College in Winter Park.
Shortly after the wedding, the then new Mrs. C.T. Bailey would relocate to Winter Park
and become an active community member involving herself in the local efforts in creating the
Girl Scout Little House but more importantly she would be bringing along with her, her historic
first person ties to the then deceased Mrs. Low.
Such was the environment in Winter Park in 1935 for the creation of a scout meeting
house. With community wide support, renown local figures in scouting, and generous private
citizens, it happened that the Little House finally began to take form.
In 1936, Foster Fanning, a local owner of a plumbing supply business donated the land.
The third and final selection for a site was lot # 14, in a sparsely inhabited area on Minnesota
Avenue in the platted neighborhood of Cherokee Park. The site was near the new high school
and only a short walk to Mead Gardens, a 55-acre Botanical Gardens and park, all interested
parties it seemed could finally agree that it would be a good fit and therefore the city commission
passed it through, permitting the building of the first and only Girl Scout Little House ever to be
built in Winter Park.
Breaking Ground
The construction began, with the structures many parts being plucked from a variety of
sources, literally invoking the often-used design axiom, that the whole is greater than the sum of
its parts.
Local Contributors
The Little House was a testament to an impressive and generous community effort in
1930's Winter Park. Here are some of the many individuals and civic groups who contributed to
that effort:
The Kiwanis Club's contribution of labor and materials.
Mrs. Tracey Turner gave the windows.
Mr. Foster Fanning's donation of land.
The Garden Club Circle put in plantings and shrubbery.
The Woman's Club raised $117.00 to donate the fireplace and chimney.
Friends of the troop donated $98.00.
Mr. H.T. Kitson donated a piano.
Presentation of the Keys
Once completed, the architectural byproduct was the Little House structure, which
appeared rustic and well built with simple symmetry and situated well back from the road. The
Little House, for all practical purposes looked like a "cozy cabin" extracted from some woodsy
northern setting.
In early November of 1936, the regular Monday night Kiwanis meeting was held at the
Little House on Minnesota Avenue. The occasion that evening was the presentation of the Little
House keys to Mrs. Edward Davis, the Girl Scout executive leader and counselor for Central
Florida. The presenter of the keys was Mr. Raymond O. Ward, chairman of the Kiwanis Girl
Scout Committee. Mr. Ward was singled out for his tireless efforts to complete the house in time
for the scouts opening fall meeting. In fact, Mrs.G.Colado a leader at the Girl Scouts Little
House recalled in a 1997 oral history transcript, that the Little House was still being given a final
coat of paint shortly before the actual presentation of the keys. Also that evening the scouts
officially thanked Mr. Kitson, for the donation of a piano and shortly afterward two attending
girl scouts performed piano solos for him in order to show their appreciation.
Hence, with spirits high the Winter Park Girl Scouts, led with great kindness by Mrs. Guy
Colado, moved into their new meetinghouse. The fall of 1936 would herald in the start of a
period of some 33 years of continuous Girl Scout use of the Little House. Troop after troop
would pass through its doors, each adding something different along the way.
Scouting Activities Through the Years
Here in an encapsulated form are just a few of the many interesting glimpses of scouting
life as seen over the years that were uncovered during my research.
* 1936 Organized by Mrs. Colado, the first Vesper Services of the local Winter Park Girl
Scouts was held in Knowles Chapel on the Rollins College campus.
* 1937 On Saturday, January 16, the formal dedication of the Little House took place. Its
dedication was big news throughout the community with articles and notations in
numerous local publications even making it into the Woman's Club Presidents annual
report. (Figure 4-4) The combined Dedication and Arbor Day ceremony took place starting
with the planting of a tree donated by the Winter Park Garden Club. Interestingly, the
person accepting the tree was Mrs. T.B. Bailey, noted associate to Juliette Low. Mrs.Bailey
had written a poem for the tree's dedication, which was read by Majorie Humpfer,
followed by the blessing of the Little House. The Woman's Club who had donated the
fireplace and chimney added to this a very special gift of a plaque to be placed over the
fireplace. The plaque, an original sculpture created by Miss Beverly Jones depicted two
Girl Scout figures sitting around a campfire. The plaque would be at the center of an
ongoing mystery well into the 1990's, as attempts to recover the missing plaque were made
public.(Figure 4-5) The nearby wetlands and park, (Oak Park) in this year would officially
become designated as Mead Botanical Gardens and would, because of its location, have an
important role in early scouting activities, especially outings and naturalist
programs.(Figure 4-6)
* 1939 The yearly credentials fee for the Little House paid by troop number two to the
National Girl Scout Organization was just $5.00. (Figure 4-7)
* 1942 In this year, Winter Park Girl Scouts make lapel string dolls to be sold for 10 cents
each with all money to go to the National Victory Fund set up to help other Girl Scouts
after the war. (Figure 4-8)
* 1952 Segregation still prevailed in the community of Winter Park as noted in a news article
covering the Negro Scouting Program chaired by Mae Rose Williams.(Figure 4-9) Young
African American girls would not become a part of the Girl Scouting life and history at the
Little House except through their noticeable absence. It would be a big year for the Little
House as the Little House Scouting Annual Report illustrated in 1952. The Winter Park
Little House would now also be the location of the Winter Park Scouting office. The yearly
report noted the installation of fluorescent lighting as well as the addition of an outdoor
fireplace grill built by troop number 6. The annual report also provided a wonderfully
simple rendering of the Little House. (Figure 4-10) Cottrell's Five Cents to a Dollar Store
on Park Avenue housed a display of Girl Scout memorabilia to commemorate Girl
Scouting's 40th Anniversary. (Figure 4-11) The highlight of the anniversary week was a
mid-week afternoon tea attended by local scout leaders, members and honored guests at the
Winter Park Scout Little House.
* 1956 On July 5th of that year members of the Winter Park Senior Girl Scouts, began a two-
month European tour of England and Scandinavian countries. The scouts would cover the
trip by writing home with update columns for publication in the local Winter Park
newspaper.
* 1957 An American flag flown over the U.S. Capital was forwarded to Mrs. Gordon Kiester
by U.S. Senator George Smathers and presented on May 1st to the Girl Scouts of Winter
Park, to be used for ceremonial functions at the Little House. The base for the flagpole
(Figure 4-12) was located some 50 years later under several inches of dirt on the adjoining
property during the actual restoration of the Little House.
* 1960 On the 100th Anniversary of Juliette Gordon Lows birth, a tile was taken from the
garden of her home in Savannah, Georgia and installed on Sunday, October 30th of this
year, placing it onto the Rollins College Walk of Fame. At the festivities was a large
contingent of Winter Park Scouts from the Little House. The tile and marker can be seen
today on the Rollins College campus at the walks upper east circuit.(Figure 4-13)
* 1966 On Sunday, October 28th, the Girl Scouts from the Little House celebrated and
honored Juliette Low at their 30th annual Vesper Service at Rollins College. Invited that
day was Mrs. Thomas Bailey, who was still living locally in Winter Park and still admired
as Mrs. Low's former protege and contributor to the original concept of National Girl
Scouting.
* 1969 Sadly, after 33 years, the Girl Scout Little House would shut its doors to scouting
activities. The Scouting leadership decided to close the Little House citing its small size
and need for major upgrading.
Ownership Changes
In 1969, the Little House was sold, as is, for $5000.00 to the adjoining property owner.
As investors in rental property the new owners of the Little House set about to quickly
reconfigure the interior space in order to adapt it to a form more utilitarian to a potential renter,
by adding walls, wall paneling, carpeting and a drop ceiling. As for the structures exterior,
although there was an initial repainting no other changes to the Little House exterior took place.
A succession of students, professionals, and retirees would move in and out of the Little House
as renters over the next 30 years.(Figure 4-14) In the late 1990's the owners began divesting
themselves of their rental houses. It was in 2001 that I would become the new owner. As the new
steward of the Little House with its expanding narrative, I had come to view the Little House as
an important structure, by strongly contributing to Winter Park's cultural memory and sense of
place and as an advocate for its preservation I began the dual processes of research and
rehabilitation.
Mothersof the Girl Scouts were granted permission to hold
meetings in the Club. The Scouts and their mothers were
also invited to attend plays at their discression. Nov. 9,
1932
The Music Department will be allowed to sponsor a Community
Woman's Chorus. Oct., 28,-1932
It was brought to the notice of the Club the fact that the
heart of the cabbage palmetto, known as the palmetto cabba.3e
was being sold in large quantities. It was moved and
seconded that the attention of the County Commissioners be
called to the fact that the law was-being broken by this sale
of palmetto cabbage. Nov., 25, 1932
.j~p- peo-i-E: board meeting, Dec., 16, 1932. It was moved and
carried that the Club House be turned over to Mrs. Little,
who was to be responsible for a Christmas Dance for the
College set.
At..-4he-reegu ta-r citing, Dec., 9, 1932 a play "-.c.k.ns
Christmas Carol', was put on by the 6th grade children of the
Public School. A free will off.=ring at the door of $8.00 was
given to the children for the school lunch fund.
A motion was carried that the Club pay for "Hold up"
Insurance again this ,year. Dec. 14, 1932
The Chairmn of the Art Department gave a most interesting and
inspiring talk on Art in its relationship to home and
community. She illustrated the importance of art to youth
and older people by having four small children draw, followed
by some of the Club members. Jan., 6, 1933
It was voted that the Woman's Club accept one book of stamps
to sell to help pay the expenses of the World's Fair in
Chicago. Jan.-13, 1933
Nov. 5, 1941 Money for black out curtains be taken from
house furnishing fund. On Nov. 7 a meeting concerning
National Defense and the part woman's clubs can play.
During World War II the Club subscribed to the Book of the
Month Club for books to be sent to the men at the air base
hospital.
It was voted to accept all resignation with regret. Dec.
18, 1935
Motion carried that $20.00 was ordered paid to the
Elementary School Fund PTA for a child's luncheons during
the current school year. D[.e. 2, 19.b
Figure 4-1 Permission to use Women's Club Hall
Woman's Club
of Winter Park
T tb;^'iree" fiiap n &J.ia :' -
SIL: z'jter'.&:yPKg'- rk' under the direc-
Etor o>Msa.': Ed ia&rd ., M. 'Davis,
c, n niismioner of the Orange Laka Business occupied most of the I
Council, last Friday had charge time at the Executive board lun-|
x: of *thxe program at the W /nuter cheon last Wednesday at the club-_
-Park Womans Club. The meeting house. Members were urged t7o.%B .
opened -with a talk by Mrs. Da- make every effort to at tirl Lh..-T-'
Svis in which she described the Court of Awards of the G ir Scouts
Work done by the Scouts, and told which will be held at the TVoanas VJ
Sof the great good they accomplish club Thursday evening, April 19,
U for the coinmuniity and for them- at 7:80 o'clock. All troops of the ,
selves- She gave a description of Orange Lake council, which in-S
ju stJ. what it. nean tn he a Gir cludes- Orlando, Winter Park and
SSOiit:-:-and% told- sornetbhini of- the Eust;s will participate. AwardinTg-
Shistor-*y- ..the.r.organa.tion: ... of proficiency badges, attendance
tra Uit.l i ct. avl a"i stars, and service stripes, and the
s rs e -- .; j.k 6-..0 Golden Eaglet, highest award in ;
b ba't^, gqnj*.J scouting, will feature the evening.
%T f0o11o-wing "-the A program will be presented by the
"tAiiNi-- 928 :S. l stated thut I1 combined troops. Invitations have
you w-anted someuhir, done effi- heen extended to the Boy Scouts
i-iAltly and without fuss, call oUi a and the Sea Scouts and the public'
Scout. i.s -o.-lially invited. Members of:
A denronrstration of signaling the board also asked members to..
followed by the singing of an Irish rresrve the night of May :first,:--
folk-song was given by troop rnuin- when the annual club picnic will 'i
her one, under the; leadership of be' held, closing the eluh season.
Mrs. E. J. Lawrence. Girls of the iThe party this year will be at -r'
troop are Anna Houser, Virginia the home 'of the president, Mrs.'
Churchill, Elaine Wilson, Gerald- HI. E. Oesterling, :and will be for -.
ine Cook in Cookinifr Cook. and Ruby members and their friends. Fur -, (
.Lee Warner. -Mi-S S44i4gt4 thur plans. for the picnic will be.-
& ]K'rBid f osldy'troo 7p HnuTber announced later-.--: .i
g~~e ^trec'l'th^ ~iv Iki . :-Th-e -meeting this afternoon at i
.r =ff F'. .fTNtfde-fot -t"staJ M
Users of the troop are Aldine Ba- auspices of the drama department.,i
Sker, Phyllzs Baker. Barbara Brow-n. A talk bry M rs. Franz Bellinger,":
-Jane Gary, Helen Jean Flutno, well known lecturer and -writer,'
Daphne Mctcalf and Anin Marie on "'How- VWomenr Broke. Into the
Roney. XTheatre," will feature the programmer
_.jtihrd _ebad'ddh :-$.~ii.' for -the afternoon,: ..-
...denonstratcd :."Inidia as IC Knew. It," will be d--
Tt hijur. 1MienbersI scribed by .Mrd? Jack Thompsont
of this troop are Rachel Harri., at -the meeting of the literature
S-Flora THarris, Etri c. Warner, el- department next week at ten
en 'Ward, Elsie flakes, Penny -Da- o'clock. Mrs. Thonmpson spent three
vis, Dorothy Steele, and Margaret nd a -half years in .India, where
Moore. The .Brownie Pack, headed 1Mr. Thnompson was corinected wit hI
:by their pack leader Emily Sho- the steel .industry, and is felt to
I::walter-, gave their. promise -and be :well qualified to talk on the 4
:t-heir group song, ending with the subjest. I-rer talk will be of the
pledge.. The Brownies created "every-day" side of life in that
much interest, as -the aro te.e country.
zationh agesrangig fromeit t Particnlar interest centers in
: youngest members of the organ- .Partila interest centers
aten-io, ackyes ranging -arba it t the Flamingo "Animated Maga-
Marian Whityno re, Wi ifred sZin e, -which will be presented by
Clarke,' Molly- 'White and othy studetsof collins College nextr
SChurchill ai.re members of- this Friday -at the: regular meeting at
gt : -. three o'clock, with Robert Black
g ron-p -,..... :., I".--. "-F as editor. The program will be car-".:
"Oil for the -a s China. e
-e"Oil for :the -LLaps hn." tied .ut alon the lines of tle.
was reviewed by Mrs. William- F.. gul- Roisd
ust before the morning meeting Z hld in Winter Park each
;- of the literature department last year.-
Tuesday. -The book, Wu which came -
out last October -and. reach-ed- its
u peal, of popularity in February. is ;
a novel dealing -with.life -in Chinla .-
from the vie w-point of an :Ameeri-
Scan living there-" It shows a keen
-i insight into the character, customs ---
-' and habits- of the Chinese- The
characters are clearly drawrin d -
the descriptions -are clear and
.'- charming.. Mrs. TY'-st said that she -
felt the. title to be misleading, and -
that the -book -should "not be con- "-
fused with'the.'type. of novel -writ- .--- -
ten by Pearl Buck,'" as they deal -''- --
: within t-wo -. widely separated sides of - .: : '- .
Chincc.e life. -
Figure 4-2 Early documentation of local Girl Scouts organizations
67
CLUB HOUSE SITE
GIVEN TO GIRL
SCOUTS MONDAY to
It was moved by Commissioner that
Detwiler, duly seconded and carried Hotel
Z ing Comm n IS on a vote. that the report of the Ed fo
lining C mnmission I Committee be accepted and the sale of Co
Pre aring N w confirmed, and the Mayor and Clerk oeded
Preparing N w Or instructed to issue contract for sale Port
d inan of Lot 2. Block "M' Charmanr, to The
t r nMd r. and Mrs. G Fr. Coolado senate
o sita- .anid 8. pblocrk N tin Cha d-' Glt-b' out. b. n' eq t th e PB
m bont divlo, have been ve i -ts d'Bgik i, havIn
a na
S ea-ot byGth City Coifniario$n, Ctk fa and
.,th .th.e:Gi gae.otf .e if "- a n th
suitable~iub' iouse ifor ineettngs- and
A. M. Hasis, secretary of the uWS-t **A. v',
Zoning Commision, with other C._ aesnu r o the fat. The sa
members, attended the meeting Upon motion o( Commissioer Upo
Monday and explained many points Carleton duly seconded and carried Barnu
of the new zoning ordina.,e which on a vote, the above resolution was Carlpn
is being prepared by te Zoning adopted. above
Commission for presentation and' onVa000-._23. -F, loimn
aid op etyidu the Lact I 1V2t
adoption by the City Commission. he
Minutes of the adjourned meet-, aere
ing held Monday, March 27th, are Payro
given herewit h: to rAt.
The iaeeting was called to order haer r m' at r
by Mayor-ConminiBeloner J. A- Treart
at 7-30 P. M., with C~mmisslonre --- It'
Carlnetn, Delwller and Kraft ores- RArnu
ent. Commissioner Barri mn report- on a v
Ing later. be dut
3. C.. Cook, owner of Lot H, BlooK LUD
"A". Olympla Heights Anner., a- Carlet
pearId before the ConrmislT and r :rn a
eomplalnto.I of over-assessment on 'ourne
his property due to the fact thi1 t'
the house on the property was not .
conmle ted January 1, 198. Com- .;
mlssioners Barnum and Carleton
were appointed by the -Mayor tot ...
In'.eulcn ace and report. -' t. ,
The members of the Zoning Cdm- .
aistlon were present and Mr M. M '
Har-ls secretary of the board, ex- .:
plalned the .onnlrI mal as prepared : "
by the Zoning Commissilon, Thea"
Corrnislon was assisted In prepar-
ing the mnap by D, Harold Hair,'' '
archltec.- -
Commissioners H. W. Barnum and
George Kraft were 'appointed to,,'.';i :, ..... .
meet with the Zoning Commisslon' "
on Wednesday, barch 29th, 1933, at
2.30 P. M at the City Hall, to dis- .
SCUes the ordinapcs and general zon-
Lng regulation .. '
CommlseJooners Carltaton and Bar- .-
rnum reported on the sale of Lot ,2.
Block 'M" Charrrnc, to Mr. and .
Mrs. G. F. Colado, as follows. Price,
as per Hat "125000, Cash 27.0, ,.
balate6 payable over a period of'
three year, deferred payments to.- ,
bear 6% Interest.-
S.it..srciIrin a- suitable. Mip
tpw -iiua.--t prfods, Sb
'." t ten yearar6.ntliia'5ate.V
sBnwAz arrlaed a.mi.nhh oiiau..-
nmtasloners Barnum and Carle-
made a report recommending
the assessment or the Alabama
SCo. property stand as assess-
r the year 1932. Upon motion
mmiasioner Detwiler, duly see-
i and carried on a vote, the re-
was accepted.
a fEllowing resolution was pre-
d:
It Resolved by the City of Win-
ark that Caroline H. Hackney
a submitted a Replat of Lots
* 25 inclusive, in, BLocku "A",
all or Blocks "E., "F", "G',
'L" of Green Oaks subdivision
e City of Winter Pari, the
replat being designated as Lot
that the said replpt be and
Ime is hereby confirmed.
n motion of Commissioner ,'
im, seconded by Commissioner'
on and carried on a vote, the
resolution was adopted. AH
issioners voting In 'avor of
Iorption of the above resolution.
following vouchers were pre-'
and read
II of March 25, 1933 .... 1TS. t:
Heart .....;....... ........ 55 s o0
J. 'Dea _.,.................. 30. 00
was -moved by Commisnaoner'
m, duly seconded and carried l-'
ate that the vouchers, as read, .
Ly approved and ordered paid..
n motion of Commissioner
on, duly seconded and carried
vote, the meeting was ad-
id. .
Figure 4-3 First club house site selection
r/ ..c r -,,
7,Our Club beinE open from November May and our election taking place
in February, the officers are only asked to serve three months in the
SprinE and three months in the Fall. If this was better understood,
more members would be willing to take their turn to serve.
8,As Sponsors for the Girl Scouts we were happy to join with the other
organizations of the city In the dedication of the Scout Little House.
Our share in Red Cross, Colored Day Nursery and School Luncheons, and
now the call for Flood Relief. Ever siice the first early days of Winter
Perk, before our Club was organized our women have worked hand in hand
for the need of this community. In the reports that will follow the work
of the Club year will be presented.
This year we have added Internstional Relations. Miss Long,
National International Relations Chairman was our guest and speaker last
Spring --- this week Miss Leeter of Enrland.
We are moat fortunate to be able to call on Rollins College
for assistance in programs. Last Yarch we were especially grateful
for their uniting with us in presenting Princess Cgntacuzene in the
Annie Russell Theater.
Your President has attended with few exceptions all Club and
/ Board meetings, including several special Board meetings called for
/ the purpose of taking care of our rapidly growinE membership. She has
also attended and spoken at National Conference and State meetings.
-With great appreciation for all helpfulness from the Board and
the Club and for constructive criticism and suggestions-this annual
report is given by your President.
I wish to acknowledge the efficiency of our Junior Department
and the splendid work which they are doing.
Figure 4-4 Formal dedication announcement
AbKT tt?~ t.~ CU~ .~ Ut4-
'h/Vi 4u %uk
U'
iFormer Winter Park Girl
\ Scout leader Jeanette "Dickie"
,;. Colado is looking for a piece of art
that graced her Girl Scout office
onlMinnesota Avenue. The piece
is a 5-foot-by- 11-foot bas-relief
sculpture depicting two girls sit-
ting around a campfire. Colado
said the artwork was not found
when the Citrus Council of Girls
Scouts moved to its new head-
quarters on Mills Avenue this
month. Colado is interested in do-
-nating the work to the Winter
Park Historical Association's new
museum. Anyone with any infor-
mation should call Colado at (904)
647A083.
Figure 4-5 Missing plaque mystery
rt,
Othr C~fuidraser
7'
1-
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Figure 4-6 Mead Gardens outing
Figure 4-7 1939 yearly Credential Fee
Winte r Pork News:
`irl Scoutsto Buy I1cWdr Stamp
Each Per Month for victory Fund
E MA.GARIT GREENE, "' v.C ,,,, r.!' cr 3
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ma:i;e t;:: trm ;,:.
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1-ifll'i r. t;l ;e s dr: 5 ['lili.
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i:n Julia ?rri, all : ;rrm n, .
girls h:' Fall; 3 nr .Ne
ton s .re Ill, Ann 1:hl rr
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SWahe A ie Condict GC
C Ii 3ii.i'. l.. ,l Dolove. Jeani :.
I Nan, Neide, :'!
ITTr L'V Acrig
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Figure 4-8 Charity lapel dolls
Triurdti' T.,]rur. I.0- THE WINTER PARK HERALD
Scouting Is Major Prop ram Winter Park's Senior Girl Scout T
In Winter'Park Youlh \\orrk
Girl Scouts--a growing force (or free-1
nIt.11; ttl :al ut aite ftir community p crt.ice,
fit ort,. it itienihiiI: n metnu of pT r-
m ti %i [t l ti ittmint. l I-l
iio u II ln r io io it n i~ o f
i l Oiiii lii 01I 1 Ioillntii' n 11 hilnt
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1.113ll~ S tI li' F *k C4 ll11 11tin t t
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iSiiit-iti-..1-0iiMl to o .t1 FlotitI MMftoti-C
1hi Aniit it Giol tous ot Woniz
Icoritiff untl r5> io C ith t ito cht I
Sco .ttg or ', 1 ad MacI f I lo" ', I. Jo lol lan I lne W
c'nomtm nortdd lb pa e ,I Crne. shli it LliII. Janet L.-lr Mise Irtr, i .'r l r Eea
orthr rl of the ctl of t M el. 1
rod Poeortm is d'ue 'i , r,. l .. .
t:uy Coledo. Taied r during. tot.he I m-
itre. Col do e t e oe ae t l.r vel ya e
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iroops c noo [rnthe hand. of 4 volun i l i t t I1,U rr.,
t-oi adult.. Those saomen haee been iram- lont are also planned during Ihe sum.
Imer, Fr sevral years the Brownie
mnon
mmitl
g: Dori
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lunn
Figure 4-9 Negro Scouting program
e... .r n ir urt,
is iIrI. il:Cn. I .rr Iape
ith rr;.. F i; lr. t Sie
I- a r ,- i r
S 1 : r r,
1: .l-r hl i ...
a made a "know-yotur-oote" camp-
IContinued on lpge 37)
s Chairman A
House
ttee has
ir.g, paint- '
terior of the
sed for troop
Neighborhood
Mrs. Ralph
Committee
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when needed
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ing was in
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Figure 4-10 Little House rendering
W. P. Herald
Figure 4-11 Cottrells 40th anniversary
-- *1L -r C-
Figure 4-12 Rediscovered and relocated base to flag pole
Figure 4-13 Juliette Low marker at Rollins College
Figure 4-14 Little House as rental property 1974
CHAPTER 5
PRESERVING THE LITTLE HOUSE
Methodology Plan
The project of restoring the Little House, like the research surrounding its history was
completely compelling, full of mystery, creatively rewarding, and always a challenge to my
design skills.
One of my favorite parts about the physical restoration process is in the discovery. The
Little House had been altered only once in 70 years, and most of its original form (Figure 5-1)
was still intact allowing for a more narrowed focus in choosing a particular restoration
methodology process.
From the start, the concept of curb appeal attracted me to the Little House. Even though the
object of that appeal was to most eyes, just a small dwelling sitting amidst an overgrowth of
bushes and trees, awaiting the wreckers ball. (Figure 5-2) Who would have known that such a
little structure could have such a big story to tell?
At the time of acquisition of the Little House I was not aware of its history. By first
researching the Little House's history a clearer plan for my restoration process and goals began
to emerge. By understanding The Little House's contextual history and its physically "built"
history, I could begin to both understand and interpret better the architectural forensics I was
starting to reveal.
As I viewed the Little House from the street I could not help but be amused by its "no fear"
attitude to the neighborhood order, with its deep setback and woodsy cabin-like sensibilities right
in the heart of Winter Park.(Figure 5-3)
I began immediately to set into motion a methodology plan mixing rehabilitation and
restoration with a goal of authenticity in restoring the Little Houses. Restoration in its purest
sense of preservation would not apply to this project since one of my final goals would be to
change a rustic public group space into a useable energy efficient living space. Hence, my
defined methodology would be to use principals of both preservation and principals of
rehabilitation, more simply defined as a plan for adaptive reuse.
Exterior Rehabilitation
On approaching the overall project I focused at first on the exterior components, by
drawing up a plan for the sites landscape, secondly, making an analysis of the structures exterior
building materials, components and original exterior color paint scheme, and lastly an
examination for any structural alterations.
Florida Friendly Yard
I started by drawing several preliminary sustainability landscape plans, the landscape plan
would be dictated by both my very serious intention to design with a "green", point of view, no
lawn, native plants, and numerous shade producing trees, as well as taking cues from the over-
riding cottage-themed architectural qualities themselves.
Fortunately, a natural "green" type of landscaping plan has a long tradition in Winter Park.
And it would not be at odds within my neighborhood or with my neighbors as one might
experience living in a planned suburban development. Winter Park has always taken a position
on the environment stressing the use of native plants, tree canopies, and lake water management.
More importantly for reasons of suitability and authenticity this natural landscape plan would
have certainly resembled how the surrounding vegetation at the Little House originally appeared.
The idea of preserving historic plant material is new but recognizes that plantings can also reflect
social, cultural and economic history as clearly as the structure itself (Meier and Mitchell, 1990,
17).
The landscape plan would metamorphosis along the way, and by setting it in the ground
early, an approach I have repeated in other preservation projects, plants would have a more
mature look at about the time I estimated I would need for the general completion of the
restoration process. My primary goal was to substantially increase the square footage of the areas
to be set aside and designated as green areas for landscape by letting them return to their natural
upland-woods state, reforesting if you will, this deep residential urban lot.
As a naturalist and outdoorsman, I have long respected the environmental theories dating
to the 1960's stressing the importance of linear bands of green space left in place for the
transference of flora and fauna across landforms. Thus, I wished to do the same albeit
in miniature and I can state unequivocally that this endeavor was an unmitigated success, since
those north south running green strips for all practical purposes have become small mammal
turnpikes.
Landscape and Sustainability
With a goal of good stewardship of the land, I wished to leave this property in better shape
than when it came to me, I had deliberately decided against the use of a water impervious,
permanent concrete driveway slab, instead choosing to use natural leaf matter and pine needles, a
naturally renewable resource, which is more resistant to termite infestation than the often used
pine bark and cedar chips. The overall aim in this approach was also the superior water
percolation that would benefit my property and reduce my need for water consumption through
irrigation. To supplement my landscape watering needs I also added three water cisterns
strategically placed to capture roof runoff, which enables me, on a typical Florida rainy day to
collect around 100 gallons of free water.
For a renewable pine needle supply I visited my local native plant nursery in order to
purchase native long leaf pines. By planting these specific trees I accomplished multiple goals,
first, an ongoing natural source of pine needles for my drive and plant beds, secondly more tree
shade means reduced air-conditioning bills through passive solar air-conditioning, third more
tree canopy shade also means less water loss from evaporation in the landscape, and lastly by
picking long leaf pines I am reintroducing a native tree almost completely gone from Central
Florida due to years of over harvesting and thereby protecting and reviving the cockaded
woodpecker who, coincidently will only nest in this particular tree and as a consequence is now
rarely seen in the Central Florida area where it was once abundant. By teaching myself how to
cultivate and move native plants like cherry laurel, scrub holly and the beautiful southeastern
beautybush with its flowers and long trains of deep purple berries favored by many birds, I was
able to create a sustainable supply of new plantings. With this general scheme in mind I either
newly planted or reestablished some 50 trees and bushes into my landscape often infusing the
design theories of procession and repetition into the landscape plan. I finished my landscape plan
by tying these ribbons of green space together by encircling the property with narrow walkways
and paths.
To further commit to the ideas of sustainability I started a large composting station to
reduce my contributions to the local landfill and thus my own carbon footprint and also have
applied to have this landscape plan considered for Florida Friendly Yard status. This
environmental program is offered through the Orange County extension office in conjunction
with the University of Florida (http://ocextension.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty.html).
Yard Archeology
Mainly it was during this process of landscaping that I began to discover an archeological
collection of buried scouting and related artifacts. As one might guess there were many hair
clasps, but also there were marbles, toy soldiers, uniform ribbons and sashes, broken pottery
shards, lipstick containers, buttons, pop bottle tops and more.
Adding Elements to the Exterior and Landscape
Concurrently, I added a number of structural elements to the landscape having established
my property boundaries immediately with a privacy fence being careful to raise it slightly off the
ground for an undisturbed passage of small animals and reptiles. Following my landscape plan,
I designed and built an entry arbor, garden seat and gate, at the newly planned entrance junction.
(Figure 5-4) This was coordinated with a redesigned off-centered entry point, created by shifting
a new bricked-in-walkway to the extreme right of the property. This design approach helped by
forming a swath of landscape buffer in the front of the Little House, and in turn formed a
planned private courtyard.( Figure 5-5) For the entry walkways and courtyard I used discarded
bricks that I had salvaged. A heavily landscaped water feature was created using natural forms
that would produce the soothing sounds of falling water in the courtyard area, with the goal of
amplifying this sound as it bounced off the body of the Little House structure, reverberating in
the courtyard. This produced the additional end goal of eliminating a portion of the street noise.
At the rear of the Little House a deck was added, by removing a window, and putting it aside for
future use. It was replaced with salvaged 100-year-old bi-fold French doors. This created a
needed rear entry and exit point. (Figure 5-6) Lastly, a nearby outdoor shower was installed,
designed to capture a natural ambiance by the use of large potted and hanging plants.
Examining the Envelope of the Little House
With the landscape plan taking hold I turned my attention to the structural body or
envelope of the Little House, for a look at its material composition. To this end, examining its
material composition would mean first identifying the specific wood materials used to build the
Little House. Posing that question to even the most experienced carpenters, I would receive
several different opinions, all substantiated with very believable arguments as to whether the
siding was cedar or pine, both woods being typical for early Florida construction. Personally, I
had hoped it was a wormy cypress siding, as I have always been impressed by the durability and
look of the old time unpainted cypress cottages. However, after much debate the deciding factor
was clear and to the point, when we took a freshly sawn wood sample and smelled the newly
exposed wood. Visually, the wood had been difficult to categorize, but its fragrance was like
smelling an uncapped bottle of pine-sol. This was the end to that debate.
Examining the wood siding was also a curious matter since the siding bore tool markings,
which did not necessarily concur with the age of the structure.(Figure 5-7) The siding was clearly
hewn with a more primitive circular saw blade, a type of lumber production less commonly used
at the recorded 1936 building date. There could be two explanations for this. The first, is that
through my extensive research I found that the preponderance of materials for the Little House
construction were donated, and therefore perhaps the siding itself had been salvaged, coming
from a tear-down of a much older home or out-building.
Secondly, keeping with the notion of thriftiness in the original construction of the Little
House it might be that the wood came from a smaller, less expensive, rural mill, which still used
the more dated circular saw. One carpenter friend observed that the Little House was built with
what West Virginians would call "barn wood". No matter, as I was pleased with the rough
texture of the wood and it also clearly delineated the area where an enclosed porch had been
added and where the old rough sawn wood contrasted strongly with the newer wood, which had
been milled as smooth as possible.
Structural Alterations
During the period of ownership by the Girl Scouts, a small side porch appeared to have
been built, added onto, and enclosed, probably sometime between 1952 and 1964 on the western
side of the Little House. It was probably done so by the Scouts, in an effort to add a little much
needed space. It eventually became the interior site for a bathroom and kitchen, although this
probably was at first used to provide space for a Scout leader's office.
As to any other visible changes made to the exterior, they all seem to have been made to
the Little Houses as it transitioned into a rental property. To create rental housing a rear southern
exposure window had been boarded over to complete an interior closet space. Another widow,
this one facing east had been completely removed and filled in with siding. This was done in a
effort to solve an interior design problem stemming from a lack of interior wall space. Another
alteration was the result of a window mounted air-conditioning unit which when installed was
formed in, in a manner that reduced the actual window opening by three quarters. These changes
belie the ongoing tension of updating a spartan public use structure to one for habitation in the
late 1990's, while at the same time not losing the structures charm and authenticity. I would
repeatedly need to consider such tradeoffs as I began to explore my own new approach while
restoring the Little House.
Original Paint Analysis
Amidst this more thorough examination of materials and building alterations, the original
paint palette of the Little House was slowly being revealed. The limited deconstruction of the
Little House exterior took place with the removal of a plywood cover used to board over the rear
southern exposure window. By doing so it provided a direct link to the past paint scheme. The
original window, sealed up and hidden for the last 35 years still sported its original if somewhat
faded trim colors. (Figure 5-8)
As additional siding was removed a more authentically conclusive paint sampling for the
general body of the Little House became apparent. The earlier owners had painted the house only
once when they initially purchased it and then I was told, they had painted it in a manner similar
to its original color scheme. The newly discovered original paint palette was typical for a cottage
of its day, a traditional cottage or barn red color for the body of the house. The trim color
uncovered was a grayish green. Once a new fresh coat of paint was applied, it immediately
transformed the Little House into a more visible and attractive structure. (Figure 5-9) The added
details of cedar flower boxes and hand fashioned exterior cedar shutters were the icing on the
cake (Figure.5-10)
Rehabilitating the Roof
The roof would be the last exterior large-scale project, and I knew it would need replacing.
Right from the start one could easily see the roof had been patched and repaired several times
over. Some of the shingle style roof looked to be in very good shape while other sections were
worn down to the felt. I had romanticized the use of a tin or metal roof in spite of its expense but
in the end I wanted more, to keep the restoration accurate by replacing shingle with shingle. I did
take some artistic license by installing architectural style roof shingles for their dimensional and
definitional qualities. I think ultimately this added to a more appealing quaint cottage-look.
These types of inner arguments over the process tradeoffs can often result in better than expected
results. For sustainability factors, I choose a lighter colored shingle in a direct effort to reduce
surface roof heat as had been created with the prior nearly black shingle. By deflecting more
solar heat back into the air the new open planned interior would be helped in staying cooler and
any new future cooling system would operate more efficiently.
Finally the roof had had a history of leaks and if it's true that water is the enemy as an
architectural professor of mine was fond of saying then finding the source and repairing the
existing damage would be crucial. A long-term existing roof leak had occurred in the wall behind
the fireplace, originating at the collar junction of the roof and the chimney. To completely
eliminate this problem a decision to install a new cricket collar at the chimney junction was
made. The built up roof angle cap would keep the rain and moisture moving down and away with
its improved drainage flow. At the front entrance of the Little House, also a site of water damage
from years of water seepage down behind the front entrance porch stairs, a large linear overhead
roof water diverter was incorporated into the new cottage-era roof overhang as a preference to an
extensive and highly visible rain gutter system, which I felt would detract from the Little
House's simple architectural lines. (Figure 5-11)
No doubt any individual who chooses to restore a structure like the Little House will
face the reoccurring questions of authenticity verses the need to modernize. Hopefully such
compromises can be looked upon as a challenge where you may find yourself making
concessions to one's more purist notions of preservation but with some thoughtful and creative
approaches you can more often than not achieve a satisfactory finished look, balancing
preservation and modernity.
Interior Rehabilitation
As I thought through the process of restoring the interior space of the Little House I
wanted to be sure and have a clear understanding and interpretation of that interior space.
Realistically the interior of the Little House was never really what we would call today, a
finished space. It was meant to be a simple, rustic, meeting space with few details or
ornamentation. The space as built did have a simple symmetry about it, which probably attracted
me to it. The focal point was undeniably the fireplace capped with an enormous single slab of
pinewood for its mantel. On seeing the fireplace the first time I could make no sense of it, as I
had never seen such a large fireplace opening in a Southern home of this period. It was only later
after learning of the Girl Scout connection, did this focal point begin to make sense.
Deconstructing the Interior
The interior, converted as it was into a one-bedroom rental, would need to be
deconstructed for my restoration purposes, that is, to return it to its original single large room
layout. Out came the wall-to-wall carpet and pads revealing basic rough wood unfinished
flooring, the same type of floor condition the Girl Scouts would have seen. Next came down the
acoustical tile drop ceiling and the grid support system created to hang it. Also removed were the
interior added walls used to create a separate interior bedroom space. The built in closets, doors
and door jams all would be removed. Eventually, all the 1970's era wall panel board would go as
well.
In removing all the interior panels of wallboard I made two interesting discoveries. One
was the uncovering of two small areas where an old tongue and groove pine panel was nailed to
the vertical wall supports. One spot was located above the mantel area of the fireplace where
little of it was left in-tack due to wood rot damage from the long neglected roof leak. A second
spot was a floor to ceiling area of about 7 feet in length surrounding the doors to the bathroom
and kitchen, an area probably added on in the 1950's. A second odd find I made was the
discovery of only a single two by five foot strip section of insulation near the fireplace wall. In
other words, there had never been any insulation in any of the walls. I verified this when I asked
the previous owner, if she recalled a finished wall or the use of insulation at the time of their
purchase and rental conversion. I found no indication of nails from any earlier wallboard or
wood wall panel on the wall supports.
Through this process of deconstruction, a finished space was achieved that appeared as a
large oversized and hollowed-out room, opened to the rafters with its great old fireplace as its
focal point and feeling with some certainty that this was probably the same type of visual
experience the girl scouts had had over the years (Figure 5-12). The space had been used in this
more rustic manner, with only the outside clapboard wood siding used as a skin and nailed to the
wall framing supports. This would have been in effect the walls makeup at that time with no
insulation and no interior finished walls. There probably was some seasonality in the use of the
Little House by the girl scouts, possibly affecting the need to use wall insulation. In both the
serene heat of Florida's summer and the more chilling months of Central Florida's winter, the
activities may have waned at the Little House. I did manage to find a photograph, which seems
to support the bare bones nature of the interior of the Scout Little House, as the background
seemed to show unfinished walls (Figure 5-13). I had also seen similar examples of this rustic
bare bones finish in a number of other cabins and cottages as in the interiors of historic summer
cottages on Nantucket.
With the overhead drop ceiling removed the 70-year plus underbelly of the roof was fully
visible. The patina of the old wood was exquisite and I knew then that I would definitely be
leaving the rafters exposed.
The lingering problem of repairing the water damaged wall and supports behind the
fireplace meant removing the entire wall section, which had suffered badly due to the effects of
the water penetration. I would need to assemble together a new insert support form. This insert
could then be scabbed into the original old wall framing behind the entire length of the fireplace,
cutting away as much as necessary of the original framing, now completely rotted out. Once the
form was attached onto the existing supports it would be as good as new (Figure 5-14). All the
wood removed during the deconstruction process as well as new scrap suitable for burning ended
up in a newly built exterior firewood stand, for use in the Little House fireplace as a
supplementary winter heat source, and a further nod to sustainability
Unlike my predecessors, in order to live in the Little House I would need to completely
insulate the walls and devise an appropriate wall treatment to finish them off. I choose to create a
rustic cedar tongue and groove wainscoting wall treatment using a mix of salvaged old wood and
new, placed into a pattern of adjusting heights, capped with a simply designed chair rail molding
trim. The top half of the lower walls would be a painted drywall, with an orange peel textured
surface finish, and topped with a matching rustic cedar ceiling molding. Lastly, the newly
exposed interior upper end walls would be finished with tongue and groove cedar panel boards.
As part of my efforts to use ideas of sustainability I found a plentiful supply of large
sections of discarded drywall, offered to me at no cost from a number of nearby construction
sites. Nearby was also a newly opened recycling store for unused construction materials that I
would gladly frequent as part of my larger commitment to participate in the ideas coupling
preservation and sustainability.
Forensic Architecture
The windows were truly a big bump in the road on the way to unfolding the true timeline
history of the Little House. The windows appeared to be very old, containing most of their
original glass panes, and making their wavy glass quotient so high that if you looked through
them while walking by very quickly they had the potential to make you dizzy. Further, as I
examined the windows more closely I was amazed to find their mortise and tenon construction.
How could the Little House, built in 1936 contain this distinctive form of construction? I
was certain that the labor intensive art of building door and window frames by fitting wooden
components together without the use of nails or screws was highly unlikely to have been used in
this mid-1930's construction. A colleague of mine whose knowledge I deeply respect and who
had been part of the team restoring the Florida State Capital building, had seen pictures of my
new project and had mentioned that the two-over-one style windows on the Little House were in
his estimation quite old, probably dating to the 1880s. Of course this was prior to my research
unearthing definitively, that the windows were donated at the time of construction, making
perfect sense of an otherwise stupefying discovery. In the meantime, it had thrown me
completely off track in the application of architectural forensics, as a way to verify the dating the
Little House.
When it came to the bathroom and kitchen the need to restore them with a degree of
practicality meant the removal of about 6 feet of existing wall in order to open the tiny kitchen
up. The kitchen had been accessible through a single doorway and had a total width of about 5
feet, two feet out from the wall extended counter space with a run of about 8 feet. An additional
3 feet of passage in front of the counters was the allotted workspace. By removing the wall
section, separating the kitchen from the scout meeting room, I had at once opened the kitchen up
to be part of the larger living space with a great result. Deciding the original cabinets were worth
saving I stripped off their white paint, ending up with warm honey-colored pine wood cabinet
doors. A new refrigerator was added but the old enamel double sink would stay (Figure 5-15).
An incredibly compact, full bathroom, was treated with a new high gloss white painted
wainscoting, chair rail, cap, and a similar upper wall textured orange peel treatment. Both the
toilet and sink would need to be replaced, with the possibility of using the antique wall sink later
after its porcelain is refinished. A large wall mirror, with its reflective surface was added to give
the sense of a larger space.
Rehabilitation End Goals
In the end, my goal to authentically transform the Little House back to a period when it
existed in a landscape setting of natural upland woods and when its structural interior plan was
more open for its practicality, as demanded by the Girl Scouts usage as a meetinghouse, seemed
to have been successfully achieved through balancing a realistic methodology of adaptive reuse,
with the needs of contemporary habitation.
Creating a space more energy efficient with modern insulation products, an open plan
kitchen and upgraded bathroom, juxtaposition with a cosmetic overhaul was enough to generate -
a high degree of satisfaction with my end product. I would continue to fine tune the overall
rehabilitation project and in the meantime begin to assemble and finalize my notes in order to
complete the larger historical documentation.
MAP OF SURVEY
DESCRIPTION
LOT 14. BLOCK B, CHEROKEE PARK, AS RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK L. PAGE 137, PUBLIC
RECORDS OF ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA, LESS THE NORTH 5 FEET THEREOF.
LOT 4 NOl~
M LOT 18
14.66' MAS ji.
14.8' PLAT 2755'MAS
ni 27.55' MEAS FN"
I 27.8' PLAT
-. ,- -2 r
LOT 3
LOT 2
LOT 1
sU
i81
12/.O' MEAS
N
LOT 75
ANGLE CHART
A1. 90'23'13' MEAS
A2. 93'47'18" MEAS
A3. 266'47'54" MEAS
A4. 89'15'35" MEAS
A5. 90'01'39" MEAS
A6. 89'44'21" MEAS
A6, 89'52' PLAT
:SOTA AVENUE (20' HALF R/W) (PER PLAT)
/-Cm' umcf cRIt\ m nm In n nm
Figure 5-1 Site plan
- 4- 3-~s~~y~
Figure 5-2 Front entry view
Figure 5-3 Street view
Figure 5-4 Relocated entrance with arbor
Figure 5-5 Front courtyard
Figure 5 6 Rear deck with new rear entrance
95
Figure 5-7 Wood siding with circular saw markings
~:*i;
ri
S.
Figure 5-8 Boarded over window reveals original paint
Figure 5-9 Finished exterior
Figure 5-10 Hand fashioned exterior shutter
99
Figure 5-11 Roof water diverter
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