Sanford’s tallest building to get apartments
If all goes according to plan for a vacant century-old building in downtown Sanford, residents will occupy apartments on the top five floors while dragons, elves, and sorcerers would take over the bottom level as part of a fantasy-themed restaurant.
The city’s Historic Preservation Board is reviewing proposals that aim to bring new life to the downtown area’s tallest building, located at 101 E. First St. It has been around since the early 1920s when First National Bank served as its first tenant but has sat empty since at least the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Plans are in motion to convert the top floors into 24 apartment units with a rooftop bar and a newly added elevator shaft. The effort to add the elevator tower, which would provide access to the building via bridges at all levels, involves the demolition of a drivethrough bank building on adjacent property.
Steve Hepner with Orlando-based Form Works Architecture is leading this portion of the project along with one of the property owners, Mohammad Rashid, a developer. They could not be reached for comment.
George Walker, co-owner of the business venture League of Extraordinary Dining, is gearing up to bring a unique restaurant and bar called The Dragon Vault to the building’s ground floor.
“It’s an absolutely gorgeous location and a beautiful historic building,” he told GrowthSpotter. “It’s dead in the smack center of town. Downtown Sanford is absolutely booming, and it’s riddled with charm and history.”
Walker said the restaurant will surely delight fans of Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.
“Walls are going to be covered in stonework, and the drinks will be potion cocktails,” he said. “We are enlisting a lot of inspiration from basically every popular fantasy genre there is.”
Walker said menu prices would be in line with what you’d find at The Cheesecake Factory.
Walker formerly worked in the creative department for Universal Studios, Disney World, and Ferrari World. He, along with Emad Shahid and David Perry, launched a company that plans to bring Central Florida several themed eateries.
Two of the company’s creations are already open in Tavares. The Argonaut Bar & Lounge, located at 122 W. Ruby St., is a submarine-inspired bar and lounge serving wine, craft beer, specialty cocktails, and tapas-style food offerings. Next door, the company’s Nautilus Coffee Co. follows a similar theme.
New Catholic school planned
When the family behind a local development company learned that a national Catholic school program was looking to bring its first campus to Orlando, they wanted to help.
So since last spring, the Oroszes — which lead Hanover Capital Partners — have been combing Orange County trying to find the right property for a future Cristo Rey High School.
The search ended when the family on Feb. 9 paid $7 million for a 75,000-square-foot office complex off Orange Blossom Trail. The purchase was a gift to the Cristo Rey Network, which has 38 schools in 24 states.
“It’s really just an Orosz family philanthropic endeavor,” Andrew Orosz, the vice president and general counsel with Hanover Capital Partners, told GrowthSpotter.
Hanover is led by Bill Orosz and his three sons, Andrew, Matthew and Steve.
In order to move Cristo Rey and as many as 500 students onto the site, the office building at 6039 Rio Grande Avenue requires a $5.4 million renovation effort, Orosz said.
The Cristo Rey Network delivers a career-focused, college preparatory education in the Catholic tradition for students with limited economic resources. In addition to small class sizes and significantly reduced tuition, Cristo Rey is known for its work-study program as part of a partnership with local businesses, according to a news release from the school.