Candid Florida » Architecture

On a Mission

Sandra Friend — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:43:48 +0000

Tallahassee’s newest portal to the past is also its oldest. It was a delight to return to Mission San Luis and see the ancient village from a whole new perspective, thanks to a new prominent entrance on US 90 (Tennessee Ave) and a grand two story visitors’ and education center in the style of a historic Spanish mission. The approach to the plaza is now perfectly level, affording the insight that this was once the entrance to the Messer House, a historic site in it’s own right and the former visitor center. There is now a modest entrance fee, but it’s well worth the price, especially with a new museum of artifacts in place and detailed, colorful interpretive signage throughout. Do pay a visit!

The Spaces Between

Sandra Friend — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:00:47 +0000

A visit to the Maitland Art Center recently reaffirmed my appreciation of architecture as art. While I was smitten with some of the works displayed in the gallery, it is this historic site itself that is a wondrous work of art inside and out. Conceived in the art deco era and shaded by a canopy of ancient oaks, it is, in part, a fantasy of a Mayan temple, with hidden niches and colorful murals. But what intrigued me most was the chapel, where positive space meets negative in a very real way. These are not black and white tiles as they appear. One misstep, and your foot gets wet!

Dewey Litl Loj

Sandra Friend — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:54:09 +0000

The Dewey Litl Loj

When I think of libraries, I think of the Dewey Decimal System – that clever categorization (which I’ve yet to puzzle out) of books set up in such a way so you can keep adding books to a section of the library without ever having to renumber them. Well, Melvil Dewey, creator of the system, settled in Lake Placid, New York and started a resort. When the Florida real estate boom hit, Dewey was retired and widowed, and decided to take a look at what Florida had to offer. Arriving in this region of many lakes, he immediately dubbed it “Lake Placid” and bought up land to create a grand resort.

The Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center, recent site of the Regional Tourism Conference, encompasses what remains of Dewey’s Florida empire. We met inside the Dewey Litl Loj, a gorgeous testaments to 1920s architecture with delicate embellishments inside the hall. Howard Hughes, Henry Ford, and Winston Churchill once walked these halls. Now a Christian camp, the complex primarily caters to church and youth groups, but is available for retreats and conferences, with a variety of halls that seat up to 700 people … and some of the best on-site catering I’ve had in such a venue, with extremely healthful food on the buffet. If you’re planning a conference, it’s well worth checking them out!

Lake Placid Camp and Conference Center
2665 Placid View Dr
Lake Placid, FL 33852
863-465-2197