Winter Park

Winter Park. Downtown Historic District. In 1881, Loring A. Chase (New Hampshire) and Oliver Chapman (Massachusetts) purchased the 600 acres that now comprises Winter Park. They envisioned a community influenced by the New England towns of their childhood. Chase and Chapman designed brick streets to curve around the sparkling lakes and designated sites for churches, lakeside hotels and a business district that is set adjacent to a large town green, Central Park. They named their creation Winter Park. , The Town of Winter Park attracted educated and affluent northerners who built winter homes and contributed to the cultural, educational and business vitality of the frontier town. Their architectural preferences and the shady oaks they planted to line the streets reflected their northern roots. Florida's first college, Rollins College, was established in 1885 with the foresight and financial backing of these first residents. , In 2011, the Downtown Winter Park Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This district runs along Park Avenue from Canton Avenue to Comstock Avenue. Central Park and its surrounding streets composed the town center for commerce, transportation and homes for the early settlers.