Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The Clermont Citrus Tower, located on US-27 and Citrus Tower Boulevard, celebrated a milestone 70th Anniversary on Sunday, June 14th, complete with an abundance of family-friendly fun that included complimentary rides to the top of the Central Florida icon.
Guest speakers included Tuskegee Airman Daniel Keel, Florida’s Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, Lake County Commissioners Leslie Campione and Sean Parks, Clermont Police Chief John Grazcyk, Minneola Mayor Pam Serviss, Former Citrus Tower owner Greg Homan and Citrus Tower founding family member Will Thacker.
One special attendee who has seen many changes to the Citrus Tower was Clermont resident Mac Jones. Mr. Jones has been a continuous employee of the Citrus Tower since 1972 when he was employed as a full-time maintenance man and groundskeeper. Mr. Jones began his career with the Citrus Tower at a time when visitors could see a “miniature flea circus” complete with circus pieces and a miniature “big top” tent that had highwire acts and dancing clowns. Mr. Jones has eased off the hustle and bustle of work life a bit by working only 3.5 days a week now instead of 5. “I have slowed down a little bit lately, but I still enjoy working here,” says Mr. Jones.
Will Thacker, the son of the original visionary, A.W. Thacker, provided an informational history of how it all began in 1952. Clermont remained a sleepy little town with plenty of vacant land available for growth and dreams for those that dared to venture into new business ideas. Long before Walt Disney set his eyes on swamp land and private homesteads in the area, Florida’s biggest tourist attractions were far and few in between, and did not include the Lake County area at all.
During the time when US-27 was a two-lane highway and considered to be the backbone for vacationers headed south, land in the Clermont area could be purchased for $10.00 an acre for undeveloped property in that part of town.
Thacker’s original idea was born with the urging of friends to build an observation tower like that of the fire watch towers that were common in Central Florida at the time. Thacker climbed a tall pine tree that was located on the property to catch a glimpse of what that view would be like from the treetop. “I remember dad descending from the tree with misty eyes,” says Will Thacker, the elder Thacker’s son. “He claimed that he had something in his eyes but I’m sure that the view is what teared him up,” says Will, who was seven years old at the time. The elder Thacker commented that, “the rows of orange trees, and how they were placed in perfect lines, adorned the surrounding hills and slopes leading down to Jack’s Lake and as far as the eye could see.”
Construction on the new tower would begin in June of 1955 with completion in July of 1956 – a construction miracle for the times. Designed to withstand 190 mile per hour winds, the tower shaft is 26 feet square and contains 5 million pounds of concrete and 149,000 pounds of reinforcing steel. The spectacular tower rises to a height of more than 200 feet, or 543 feet above sea level, the highest observation point in the state. At the peak of the citrus industry in Florida, the observation point provided a view of over 2,000 square miles of citrus trees and lakes.
When opened for business in 1956, the Citrus Tower had three observation decks – two of which were glass enclosed and one deck – a crow’s nest. The ground floor included a large elevator lobby, gift shop and a post office counter. A Schulmerich “Arlington 61” carillon (bell-chime system) was installed soon after the tower was built but eventually was replaced by an automatic mechanism that has now, unfortunately been silenced. Early years also included the addition of a glass blower, a candy shop, citrus for sale, ice cream parlor, marmalade house and a cookie and nut store.
Fast forward six plus decades to a time when Florida’s infamous citrus industry has all but disappeared and one must look with diligence for any trace of Clermont’s rich history in the surrounding area. Explosive growth and overwhelming traffic have replaced the rolling hills of citrus trees and nearby pioneering businesses, but with all the changes, you will still see the iconic Citrus Tower standing proudly on top of the tallest hill in Central Florida. It is hard to miss the bright white tower that still stands strong and wears her bright orange stripes with statesmanship and pride.
While time has changed the purpose of the Citrus Tower to some degree, the tower and present-day businesses in the Citrus Tower remain open for returning locals and visiting curiosity seekers alike. Greg Homan, a native of Clermont, owned the Citrus Tower for 27 years before selling it in 2022. Greg once spoke of the tremendous pride that he and his family felt in being a part of the Citrus Towers exciting history. The Homan family also created the original “Light Up-Citrus Tower” family-friendly festivities several years ago. The festivities, which take place over the Christmas and Hannukah holidays, remain in place today with activities for children and adults alike.
The Citrus Tower and surrounding buildings were sold in September 2022 to Simchat Torah Beit Midrash (STBM), a non-profit organization recognized worldwide that is led by Rabbi Ralph and Maureen Messer. The organization promotes biblical education and the Hebraic roots of Christian faith.
As with each new owner in the past, STBM have made improvements and upgrades to the Citrus Tower campus since taking ownership. A popular restaurant, Guavate Puerto Rican Eatery and Bistro is located in the main lobby of the Citrus Tower and is open on Wednesday through Sunday of each week. The Citrus Coffee Company, also located in the main lobby, offers a wide variety of coffee blends, and lattes, along with delicious pastries. A large room that has served in the past as a restaurant, a gift shop and most recently, an arcade, has been transformed into an elegantly decorated banquet hall available for weddings, corporate events, anniversaries and other social events.
With all the excitement and banner of the day, a deep need that can only be seen from the observatory platform of the Citrus Tower lingered in the minds of STBM staff. The original roof that is now 70 years old needs to be replaced. With an estimated replacement cost of $850,000, the owners are reaching out to the public and other community organizations for assistance. Another summer rainy season is on the horizon, and leaks have become a big issue for the tower roof and one of the back buildings. Raffles and fundraisers were established at the celebration, but more help is needed. Local family business Blue Star donated a $18,000 roof raffle ticket for sale with all of the funds raised being donated back to the Citrus Tower for the new roof purchase.
If you would like to donate to the new roof project, please visit https://GoFundMe.com/f/help-replace-the-roof-on-the-iconic-citrus-tower
Please visit https://CitrusTower.com for more general information and hours of operation.
