Event hopes to spur historic preservation

Timing is everything, especially when history is involved. Just as the debate heats up in Winter Park concerning the community value of historic preservation versus individual property rights, Casa Feliz will host its 10th annual James Gamble Rogers II Colloquium on Historic Preservation to celebrate the area’s rich architectural resources. Winter Park Commissioners recently debated the issue as reported by the Winter Park-Maitland Observer’s Tim Freed on April 7. Read that story at bit.ly/WPPreservation.

The event will feature the noted preservationist Donovan Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics, who will speak on the topic of “Historic Preservation and Economics: Recent Lessons from Home and Abroad.”

The day will conclude with a tour of Grand Dames of Winter Park, a charter bus tour of some of the area’s oldest and grandest homes.

The colloquium will be held on Saturday, May 21, at the Tiedtke Concert Hall at Rollins College. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the keynote speech starting at 10 a.m. There will be an option for lunch at 11:30 a.m. at the Skillman Dining Hall at Rollins, and The Grand Dames Tour will commence at 12:30 p.m. and return by 3:30 p.m. A full day ticket with catered lunch is $65 per person, or $50 per person without lunch. Lecture-only tickets are $25 each.

Betsy Owens, executive director of Casa Feliz, said that this will be the second year that the city of Winter Park will present their Historic Preservation Award at the Colloquium.

“The award recognizes residential and commercial projects that are shining examples of historic preservation and restoration,” she said.

Owens noted that the Casa Feliz Board of Directors supported the December 2015 city of Winter Park ordinance change that lowered the threshold needed for historic district designation from two-thirds to a simple majority of all property owners in a proposed district. Newly elected City Commissioner Pete Weldon proposed restoring the two-thirds voting requirement to form a historic district and wants to exempt property owners who vote against forming a district from the rules of the district. Owens said that “there is no city in the state of Florida that I know of that allows for opting out of a historic district.” To clarify the position of Casa Feliz, she said, “All city of Winter Park Commissioners will be invited to the Colloquium.”

About Casa Feliz

Casa Feliz, or "Happy House" in Spanish, is the signature residential work of noted architect James Gamble Rogers II. Initially known as the Barbour Estate, this Andalusian-style masonry farmhouse has significantly influenced the architectural and cultural aspects of our community. In 1932, when Massachusetts industrialist Robert Bruce Barbour commissioned Rogers to design a home on the shore of Lake Osceola, the young architect described it as a "dream come true." Barbour offered Rogers unheard-of freedom for an architect; "Design it any way you like. If I don't like it, I'll sell it." Built during the Great Depression for a cost of $28,000, the house was Rogers' only project at the time. He set up his drawing board on site, rolling up his shirtsleeves to help with the carpentry and masonry.

Casa Feliz was saved, relocated and restored with a combination of private funds and a state grant. When the property was first threatened, a “friends” group was formed to raise funds. Thanks to endangered eagles nesting next door to the property, there was time to “battle plan” and fundraise while waiting for the baby eagles to fledge. With a smile, Owens adds, “Time and local passion was on our side as we (optimistically, but correctly, as it turned out) insisted that the house could be moved and successfully operated.”

When asked about the Casa Feliz message, Owens said, “In Winter Park, when we discuss historic preservation, some people act like we’re inventing it. Historic preservation is a tried and true public benefit. We are late to the game in Winter Park. I hope people will come and see the good that strong historic preservation programs have done around the country. Nobody is a better messenger for that than Donovan Rypkema. Not only is it good for the soul to preserve our history, but its good economics. Cities that have strong downtown historic preservation programs have stronger economies; they are more creative places with stronger heritage tourism. Think about the places that people like to go and they are usually drawn to cities with history.”

For more, contact Betsy Owens at 407-628-8196 or visit casafeliz.us