A Legacy Rooted in Citrus
The roots of The Packing District hint again to 1920, when the Dr. P. Phillips Firm was shaped to consolidate Dr. Philip Phillips’ intensive citrus holdings. Within the years that adopted, the corporate constructed a citrus packing home on the northeast nook of Orange Blossom Path and Princeton Avenue, then located on the agricultural fringe of Orlando.
By the Nineteen Thirties, Dr. Phillips had develop into the world’s largest particular person grower of oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines. In 1954, his firm offered its contemporary fruit packing operations and first grove holdings to the Minute Maid Company and its associates. This landmark transaction, involving over 3,000 acres throughout Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Polk, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, and St. Lucie counties, was among the many largest grove gross sales in Florida historical past.
A Daring Transformation
Annexed into the Metropolis of Orlando in 1996, the historic industrial space is now present process a dramatic transformation. Spanning 202 acres, The Packing District is being redeveloped right into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood. The imaginative and prescient consists of 3,500 residential models, a million sq. toes of retail and workplace area, and a 105-acre regional park. The event integrates historic preservation with forward-looking design, mixing adaptive reuse of legacy buildings with up to date infill development.
Respiration New Life right into a Historic Landmark
Among the many district’s most iconic buildings is the Nice Southern Field Firm constructing, which dates again to the Nineteen Thirties. Initially used to fabricate crates for citrus delivery, this historic warehouse has been repurposed right into a 13,140-square-foot meals corridor that serves as each an financial driver and a cultural vacation spot.
At this time, the Nice Southern Field Firm Meals Corridor & Bar options eleven meals distributors, a central bar, and a multi-purpose occasion area, with plans underway to incorporate a future brewery. The venue performs a key position in energizing the encircling $700 million redevelopment effort. Situated at 2105 North Orange Blossom Path in Orlando, Florida, this revitalized landmark is each a tribute to the area’s citrus heritage and a logo of its city renaissance.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com