NEWS & PRESS
Grant Chapel's New Steeple Addition
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This week, our Grant Chapel restoration project has been focusing on building a strong foundation. We placed approximately eight yards of mixed concrete and masonry on the back side of the building, preparing us for the continuation of the wall along the train tracks. In addition to this, we poured concrete into new masonry columns that will be supporting the new roof extension and steeple. We were able to finalize this work with little destruction or disturbance to the existing hardscape and plaza at the front of the church.
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Grant Chapel Preservation Project
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Grant Chapel is located in the Hannibal Square district. Unlike such purely residential historic areas as Virginia Heights or the College Quarter, Hannibal Square also contained churches, schools, a library and commercial businesses. Every contribution helps! We need your help to save this historical chapel from demolition! For more information or to make a tax deductible donation please mail us at: [email protected] Historic Significance: The Grant Chapel is eligible for historic landmark status under the National Register of Historic Places. The Grant Chapel was organized in Hannibal Square in 1906 as a member of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches (MacDowell: 59,88). The History of Winter Park states that the Grant Chapel congregation constructed a church on West New England Avenue in 1935 at a cost of $4,000 (MacDowell:212). The existing building’s dedication plaque dedicates Grant Chapel Methodist Church on May 30, 1943. Reverend E. J. Sheppard was the Pastor. Hannibal Square is listed in the black Heritage Trail guidebook published by the Florida Department of State. Relocation
Traditional Neighborhoods, Inc, (TNI) is taking great efforts in the relocation and preservation of the Grant Chapel and to retain its history in Hannibal Square. Grant Chapel will be relocated to the gateway of Hannibal Square at New York Avenue and West Lyman Avenue. The setting and orientation will provide for a prominent new home for the Grant Chapel. The new foundation will have a full functional basement that will allow for event rentals raising the much needed funds for (TNI). The chapel will be listed in Winter Park Register of Historic Places. Cost to relocate Grant Chapel 1. Actual Move: $50,000 2. Allowance for Electrical: $10,000 3. Permits: $635 4. Foundation: $50,000 5. Water Meter Relocation Fees: $500 6. Upgrade Electrical Service: $5,000 7. Utility Connection fees: $1,500 8. HVAC: $7,000 9. Minor Repairs to Structure $5,000 10. Landscaping & Irrigation $35,000 11. Estimate $164,635.00 |
Massive Winter Park Ravaudage For Sale
Photo by Tim Freed
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From Tim Freed at the Winter Park/Maitland Observer... Winter Park’s largest mixed-use development now has a price tag on it. Developer Dan Bellows recently put his 73-acre Ravaudage Development up for sale through commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley. Bellows has slowly expanded the property along U.S. Highway 17-92 by purchasing smaller lots since the project started in 2012. But plans to add a variety of developments to the property — from ballparks to grocery stores — never completely took shape. Today, only Miller’s Ale House stands facing the intersection at Lee Road. Mark Stratman of Cassidy Turley said that Bellows is hoping to test the waters to see what offers come up. The response has been strong since the property first hit the market on April 28, Stratman said, with Cassidy Turley receiving more than two-dozen calls from people requesting more information. To read more, click here... |
Dan Bellows Starts Work At County Level
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From Anjali Fluker at The Orlando Business Journal... Developer Dan Bellows, president of Winter Park-based Sydgan Corp., has jumped through lots of hoops at the state and local levels to get approvals for his planned $500 million mixed-use Ravadauge project. In fact, he’s spent nearly 14 years assembling the 50 acres and finalizing the development of regional impact process (DRI) through the state to get the project ready for breaking ground." Read more here... |
Dan Bellows Gets OK for Taller Apartments at Ravaudage
"A new 6-story apartment complex is on tap for the Ravaudage mixed use development in Winter Park"
Photo by Finfrock Design
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From Anjali Fluker at Orlando Business Journal... "The developer behind the mixed-use Ravaudage project in Winter Park got the greenlight from the city to build a proposed 296-unit, estimated $60 million apartment complex taller — setting the stage for construction to possibly start early next year. The city commission on Dec. 8 voted to allow developer Dan Bellows' Benjamin Partners Ltd. and Miami-based American Land Ventures to change the development order for a planned apartment complex in Ravaudage to be built six stories high, instead of a maximum of four stories, in certain areas. Read more details on the changes in our previous story." |
Tom & Jerry's Hosts Its Last Call
"Tom and Jerry's will host its last last call on Dec. 19."
Photo Taken & Article Written by Tim Freed
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From Tim Freed at the Winter Park/Maitland Observer... "Residents who miss the last call tonight at one historic Winter Park bar may have to wait three months before they get another chance. The historic Tom and Jerry’s Bar and Lounge will be torn down next month to make way for the new Ravaudage development, a 70-acre shopping, dining, and residential area. The 67-year old bar along North Orlando Avenue wil be given new life by March, with a new location set for an open lot along New England Avenue near Dexter's in Hannibal Square." To read more, click here... |
Winter Park-Maitland Area Gets A New Look With 'Ravaudage'
Photo by Meredith Albury
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From Joseph Freeman at the Orlando Sentinel... "A proposed commercial-and-residential development that could one day remake the landscape between Winter Park and Maitland may take a big step forward this week. Orange County commissioners are likely to approve zoning Tuesday for "Ravaudage" at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Lee Road. Ravaudage is a French word that means "mending." Developer Dan Bellows, responsible for much of the redevelopment of Winter Park's Hannibal Square, said he chose the name because the area had a lot of "junk" in it and needed fixing." Read more about this article here... |
TR Fire Grill Restaurant opens in Winter Park’s Ravaudage
Photo via TR Grill Facebook page.
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From the Bungalower.com... "TR Fire Grill is opening a 5,600 SF restaurant in the Ravaudage Development at the corner of 17-92 and Lee Road [GMap]. TR Fire Grill (Website) is an American bistro owned by Romacorp, Inc. that focuses on fresh, artisanal dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients. Romacorp is the parent company of Tony Roma’s." Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. |
"Ravaudage" Up For Sale by Dan Bellows
Photo Rendering by Margaret O'Rourke
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From Mary Shanklin at Muck Rack "Winter Park developer Dan Bellows has listed his 75-acre Ravaudage development, one of the largest urban-style, mixed-use projects in the Orlando area, for sale. Located at Lee Road and U.S. Highway 17-92 in Winter Park, the project opened in 2012 after years of purchasing lots and small pieces of land and then going through a protracted government-approval process." |
Winter Park Takes a Vote on Dan Bellow's Plan
Photo by Meredith Albury
Photo by Meredith Albury
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From David Breen The Orlando Sentinel... "The 73-acre Ravaudage site at Lee Road and U.S. 17-92 — the name comes from the French word for "mending" — currently has just one tenant, an Ale House restaurant. But when built out, it's envisioned to include 489 residential units, retail and office space, a 320-room hotel and perhaps even a baseball stadium. To more quickly transform the sprawling site into the mixed-use development he envisions, Bellows is turning to a mechanism that has financed projects including The Villages, Celebration and Baldwin Park. There are more than 500 CDDs operating in the state. The districts have advantages for developers because they offer autonomy and the ability to sell tax-free bonds and charge assessments, rapidly financing amenities and infrastructure that might otherwise take years to build." Read more here... |
Ravaudage in Winter Park Shows Promising Development
Photo by Lola Gomez
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From David Breen at Orlando Sentinel... "A sprawling, seemingly dormant Winter Park development may soon see signs of progress. The Gardens at Ravaudage project, which includes dining, retail and office space, is slated to open in the summer of 2014, according to Unicorp National Developments President Chuck Whittall. Ravaudage developer Dan Bellows has sold a parcel at the site to Unicorp — the company bringing Trader Joe's to a different site in Winter Park — for the project. Unicorp, which is based in Orlando, is also the company responsible for redevelopment projects along the International Drive tourist corridor that include an aquarium, a wax museum and a 425-foot-high observation wheel. At Ravaudage, the 18,000-square-foot two-story building will include two restaurants and some retail space on the first floor, with office space on the second floor, Whittall said. He said he could not divulge the restaurants' names yet, but "one is high-end casual dining, and the other is family oriented." The building will have an "old Winter Park" feel with a clay tile roof, Whittall said. Construction on the building, which Whittall said will cost about $6.5 million, is scheduled to start in early November." Click here to read more. |