Edgewater Hotel sells for $10.3 million

The historic Edgewater Hotel in downtown Winter Garden has sold for $10.3 million, according to Orange County property records. 

Commercial real-estate broker Michael Curtis, an associate at Millenia Partners, who represented Edgewater Hotel Inc. in the sale, confirmed the sale of the property.

“The sellers have owned the hotel for a while, and they all are Winter Garden people,” Curtis said. “They are people who live in the area and were looking for not just the right group who valued the property correctly but a group that would cast the right type of vision for the sale and would find the right buyer for this historic property.”

Records show Edgewater Hotel Inc. President Michael Lanza signed over the deed to the 28,855-square-foot property located at 99 W. Plant St. to Legacy Edgewater LLC, a corporation that has connections to James Larweth. He is the founder of Anton Rx — a pharmaceutical rebate management company also based in Winter Garden.

Larweth declined to share details about the future plans for the property. He said, “Anton Rx did not purchase the Edgewater Hotel.” Property records confirm this and list Legacy Edgewater LLC was the new deed-holder for the 44-room bed-and-breakfast property with retail shops and restaurants space. 

It is unclear at press time, Tuesday, Aug. 26, what the future holds for the property as a whole or for its various first-floor tenants and local favorites — such as The Tasting Room, Chef’s Table at the Edgewater, Thai Blossom, Scoops Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Store and Earl Brigham’s Barbershop. Tenants have confirmed to the Observer they are unsure of what the sale means for their businesses.

However, Curtis did provide some insight from his experience from the sale that indicates the first-floor tenants could remain at the location moving forward.

“From the seller side, I did market the property as taking the second and third floors … and renovating (them) to make executive office space, or for that buyer to occupy it themselves,” he said. “To be quite honest, because I represented the sellers, I wasn’t privy to the buyer side and what they’re going to be doing with the property, but I do know that the buyer is a great, great owner and loves the Plant Street area as well and views this as a legacy asset for him. … From my approach in selling the property … I connected with the buyer by going up and down Winter Garden and just making a lot of cold calls to make sure every single person knew the property was available, and that’s how we got connected.”

Built in 1926 for an initial $120,000 by a group of local businessmen, the property, which officially opened for business in 1927, was appraised in 2024 by the county to have a market value of $2.57 million. This eight-figure sale is the sixth in the historic building’s existence, last changing hands in 1995 for $90,600. The most this property was sold for, prior to the 2025 sale, was for $276,000 in 1987. 

Before its sale in 1995, conversations about tearing down the hotel was actually the driving force behind the creation of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation — an organization dedicated to preserving the rich heritage and unique architecture of West Orange County. In response to the closure of the hotel at the core of the foundation’s existence, Executive Director Kristi Gomen released this statement. 

“We are saddened by the news that the historic Edgewater Hotel has closed,” Gomen said. “Thirty years ago, our foundation was formed with the specific goal of saving this very building from demolition. The Edgewater is more than just a building; it is a testament to the perseverance and spirit of Winter Garden. It’s a place where memories were made and where our city’s story is told.”

The statement from the foundation went on to say the WGHF will be closely monitoring the sale of the property and any future plans for the building.

“We stand ready to collaborate with the new owners to ensure this vital piece of our past continues to have a future,” it said.