This quarter the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation (WGHF) commemorates the Downtown Historic District’s progress in recent decades with its new exhibit Modern Day Renaissance: The Winter Garden Story. It chronicles the town’s journey from abandoned streets and empty shops to the unique, lively environment of today. This includes the success stories of institutions such as the Edgewater Hotel, the Garden Theatre, two railroad depots that serve today as museums, and the West Orange Trail.
The display will be up in the Winter Garden Heritage Museum at 1 North Main Street from January 2, 2024, until March 31, 2024.
The display consists of framed photographs taken before, during, and after the restorations alongside written captions and contemporaneous artifacts preserved in the WGHF archive since the date of their original use. These elements synthesize a fun, digestible narrative of residents working together to breathe new life into their beloved community.
“The Downtown Winter Garden experience draws both newcomers and natives alike,“ said Will McCoy, Writer and Curator at the WGHF. ”Rather than explore the past of many decades ago, as we usually do, we want to tell the story of how the magnetic environment of recent times came to be.”
For more information and images, please contact the WGHF.
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About the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation
The mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is to preserve the heritage and architecture of West Orange County, while creating new cultural experiences. Since 1994, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation has been an integral part of the preservation and revitalization of historic downtown Winter Garden, fostering an understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental transformations that have shaped the area. Today, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation continues to accomplish its mission by operating three locations in the heart of Winter Garden: The Heritage Museum; The Healthy West Orange Heritage and Cultural Center, which houses an extensive archive that documents the area’s past; and the Central Florida Railroad Museum, which showcases the influence the railroad has had in the development of Florida.
