Nils Schweizer’s downtown Winter Park office; photo by Rick Kilby
While Modern Buildings from the 1960’s through the 1980’s may seem dated to an uneducated public, their sparse classic lines are quiet and stately, and still contribute to the upscale feeling of Winter Park. Some recent attempts to cover some modern buildings with Spanish Mediterranean skins, just strike me like a woman with way too much make-up. Not really an improvement.
A recent article by Christina Madrid French on the Preserve Winter Park Blog, provides insight into this era, and the helps us appreciate some of the great treasures, from the middle of the last century. Architects like Joseph Shifalo, and Nils Schweizer left beautiful articulated residential and commercial buildings throughout the area. It would be a tragedy to loose the Winter Park Post Office, City Hall or St. Richards Episcopal Church.
On a walk through Winter Park, you can discover many buildings with complex wood detailing by Nils Schweizer, similar to the example in the photo above. These buildings only exist in Winter Park. They deserve to be preserved because they make Winter Park unique.
Read the whole article by Christina Madrid French on the Friends Of Casa Feliz Blog: https://friendsofcasafeliz.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/midcentury-modern-winter-parks-hidden-heritage/