After delays, big projects roll forward
Downtown Orlando courtyard, Science Center improvements are on tap
After a three-year delay, Central Floridians are a step closer to a new art-filled gathering spot in downtown Orlando.
The Downtown Arts District’s plan to transform the alley next to its CityArts galleries into a cozy courtyard for congregating is back in high gear now that funding recommended in 2020 has been released by Orange County.
Also sharing the county’s $1.57 million cultural investment after the years-long wait are three Loch Haven Park institutions: Orlando Ballet, for necessary theatrical equipment for its performance and rehearsal space; Orlando Science Center, for parking improvements; and the Mennello Museum of American Art, to move forward with an expansion.
All four projects were recommended for Cultural Facilities Grants from Orange County’s Arts & Cultural Affairs department back in 2020. The grants are supported by the Tourist Development Tax, a levy on hotel and other stays within the county, and are designed for specific non-programming purposes such as improvements or renovations.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the cultural sector in the spring of 2020, the facilities-grant funds were diverted to essential expenses in an effort to ensure arts organizations didn’t go out of business while they faced an unknown period of time with reduced or no revenue.
“We said it’s more important to keep arts groups going than to make building improvements,” Arts & Cultural Affairs director Terry Olson told the Sentinel at the time.
But as organizations — and the tourist-tax coffers — rebound from the pandemic, the facilities funding has been restarted with the first round going to the four organizations whose plans have spent years on hold.
In some cases, the results will be seen very soon.
“We are excited to get started,” wrote Orlando Science Center spokesman Jeff Stanford. “Now that the funding is approved, we plan to begin this project by the end of August and hope to have it completed by the end of this calendar year.”
The garage renovations will be done in phases, so there will always be some parking available, said Stanford, adding the
center receives fewer visitors in the fall, making it the ideal time for the work.
As with all the grantees, the Science Center received roughly half the money needed for its project. The garage renovation is expected to cost roughly $1.1 million; the county paid $500,000.
The Downtown Arts District received more than $318,000 toward its $637,000 courtyard project — and results also should be visible beginning this fall.
By November, visitors will see beautiful wrought-iron gates in the courtyard, with the whole project completed next spring.
Not only will the courtyard feature public seating, but it will also be available to rent for weddings, private parties and other special events.
“It's really for the community,” said Paul Skomsky, a Downtown Arts District board member who is leading the project.
Community partners already have pitched in: The gates, other metal and bricks that will line the courtyard come from the now-demolished Church Street Ballroom. Lincoln Property Company, which owned the building, said, “you can have whatever you need for your courtyard,” said Skomsky, who estimates from 5,0006,000 bricks were saved.
So far, more than 250 community members have donated to the project in return for having their names inscribed on a courtyard brick. For more information on that fundraiser, go to downtownartsdistrict. com/cityartscourtyard.
For Orlando Ballet, the three-year delay in receiving funds gave the organization more time to become acquainted with Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre, which was a brand-new structure in early 2020.
“We have had to wait,” wrote executive director Cheryl Collins, “but that is not a bad thing as we are far more knowledgeable about the various uses for the facility.”
The county's $253,640 in funding will be used to add acoustical paneling and audio equipment to the main theater as well as other studios in the building, she said.
Audio capability in the lobby and other common areas also will be enhanced during the $507,280 project, and the front doors will be
upgraded.
The Mennello Museum's $500,000 from the county will go toward architect design fees as the institution maps out a future building to complement the historic house in which it currently resides.
Skomsky also sees the new downtown courtyard as looking to the future, though it comes with one bittersweet aspect. Because of the delay, project advocate Ford W. Kiene will never see it completed. The businessman, philanthropist and downtown champion died last year.
Before his death, he donated the historic RogersKiene Building, which houses the Downtown Arts District and its CityArts galleries, to the city — with the stipulation it is used for arts and cultural endeavors.
“The more you can dress up that part of downtown, the more that can happen downtown,” Skomsky said. “That was always Ford's dream. This is really a tribute to Ford Kiene. He did so much for this city.”