contributed by Sheree Schold [World Design Day 2005 project leader / ASID & IIDA student member]
Mention Orlando, Florida, and what inevitably dominates your thoughts” Disney World, of course. The ultimate playground staffed by an army of perpetually cheerful, life-sized 
cartoon characters entertaining a mass (truly) of overindulged guests. Acres of faux Bavarian castles juxtaposed against Ye Old Shoppe and America’s Town Square. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But did you know that within reach of this worldwide tourist mecca are some lesser known, yet equally interesting, design attractions” So if you find yourself all Disney’d out and need to take a break from Mickey, Donald, and their posse, you’re in luck.
On The Road
First off, check to see if there is anything of interest happening at the Orlando Convention Center (Orlando has a thriving design community), then take a little side trip to the quaint 1920’s land boomtown of Lake Wales.
Lake Wales, and the surrounding area, was a popular winter spot for wealthy northern industrialists. It has buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and great little shops and eateries — not to mention many of those old estates that are still “in the family.” If you are in need of serious genteel luxury, Chalet Suzanne, a three-star restaurant and historic inn (discovered by the original Hines family and included in Adventures in Good Eating, by Duncan Hines), is just to the north a bit. U.S. astronauts chose soups from this place for Apollo 15 and 16.
Seeking Sanctuary”
But it is Bok Sanctuary, with its fabulous bell tower and acres of well-kept and mostly natural Florida land, that will provide inspiration and peace of mind for the designer who rebels against mass-market mania and waaaaaay too many mouse ears. If you see film characters fly across your eyeballs when you need some rest or think you’ll totally fall apart when you enter another “cute” little shop and discover the same inventory as the last one — you need to find a car and take a little drive.
Edward Bok emigrated from the Netherlands to America at age six, in 1869. He became an advocate for world peace and the environment. He was a philanthropist, humanitarian, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author for his autobiography. He also served as editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal. His grandparents inspired him to love beauty in life and to leave the world more beautiful than he found it, and he did just that.
Think sanctuary. This place sits atop the highest point on the Florida peninsula and you won’t be disappointed. There is nothing like a garden retreat to soothe over-stimulated senses. This 250-acre gem was designed by the famous Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. His father designed New York’s Central Park, the White House Gardens, and the fabulous North Carolina Biltmore Estate Gardens, among others. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. took over the family landscape firm (the largest in the world) and made a name for himself as well.
Creature Feature
Ahhhhh relaaaaaxx… walk around, shake off those worldly woes, mouse foes, and resort clothes (well, maybe not the clothes). Let yourself fall back into the rhythm of nature. Listen to and admire real birds and other creatures — I came across a huge, colorful cricket-looking thing that I at first thought must have escaped from a Disney feature film. To my delight, I discovered it was REAL. The largest woodpecker I’d ever seen was real too. And so were those gigantic lily pads.
Once your blood pressure is lowered and you find yourself enjoying nature and feeling some of that designer inspiration that is sure to bubble up now that all the cartoon and storybook characters have cleared from your mind, you’ll want to take a close look at Bok Tower.
A Singing Tower” What, More Disney”
The creation of Bok Singing Tower brought together some of the best artisans of the time. Imagine a Gothic tower influenced by Florida’s tropical landscape and nature. The tower was completed in 1929 of pink and gray marble, mined in Georgia (US), and a peculiar stone called coquina (composed of coral reef and indigenous shells that were quarried near St. Augustine, Florida, as early as 1598).
This 205-foot-tall Neogothic structure includes Art Deco-influenced carvings of Florida fauna and nature, and houses over 60 tons of metal bells at the top. It has a steel frame and includes a library and a study (now called the Founder’s Room). Don’t forget to check out the ironwork detail and the bronze door. We’re talking peak U.S. Industrial Age and some of its best contributions.
The Bok Stops Here
As you will most likely be in a Design frame of mind by this point in your visit, you should pay the extra, small fee upon entering and go marvel at Pinewood Estate. This was not the winter home of Edward Bok but of U.S. steel industrialist C. Austin Buck. It is in a residential community that adjoins the sanctuary and is now part of the Bok Tower grounds.
This 1930’s era Mediterranean Revival is one of Florida’s best. A nice mix of design influences come together in one fantastic composition of property and building. Hey, these well-known architect and designer guys were bringing the outside in and the inside out to perfection way back then! A Spanish frog fountain in the setting of an Italian Villa” An oriental moon gate” Did you say tiles from Cuba and massive olive pots” Canal zone tropical influences too” And an English herb garden” How did they do that” They did it very well indeed! Original lighting, windows, ironwork, exposed beams, and trim, as well as many original antiques and oriental rugs await your inspection. The mansion as a complete package is spectacular.
Music To My (Mouse) Ears
If you plan it right, you can hear one of the daily carillon concerts, listen to the Orlando Philharmonic, or maybe even catch one of the midnight summer concerts while you enjoy the tower grounds.
Then you can scoot on back to Disney World and let those pulse-quickening rides and fantastic fantasies coexist with some new-found design inspiration! Whoa! Who knows what great design possibilities may find their way out of this vacation mix!
Photos courtesy of AlesiaKaye.com.
