The main entrance to Loch Haven with science center planetarioum in the background.
Lake Formosa is one of the three lakes connected by canals along with Lake Rowena and Lake Sue.
The Orlando Musuem of ArtLoch Haven Park was originally laid out in the nineteen twenties by Senator Rose(who owned all the land where Rosemont now sits) as part of the fabled land boom of that era. Nothing sold, and in the 1940's, the senator gifted it to the City of Orlando. Over the next two decades the only building in the park was the Orlando Garden Club. All this changed in the sixties. The publisher of The Orlando Sentinel, Martin Anderson, became convinced that the park should be home to a proposed new performing arts venue to replace the embarrassingly inadequate Municipal Auditorium downtown. Despite all the power he could muster with the propaganda machine the paper represented, the citizens of Orlando were not impressed. Anderson was twice rebuffed in referendums on the subject, and in some ways this defeat represented a falling off of Martin's influence on the community.
In the meantime the park became home to a tiny little brick art gallery that eventually grew into today's attractive Orlando Museum of Art. The Science Center soon followed, then the Civic Theater and Orange County History Museum. Today the 45 acre park is home to Orlando Repertory Theater,OMA, The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, The Shakespeare Theater, Fire Museum and the afore mentioned Science Center and Garden Club complexes.
The physical setting of the park is quite extraordinary as its position surrounded by three lakes makes it appear to be almost an island when viewed from a map, hence its Scottish name. Interesting as well is the fact that these lakes, connected by canals, form the headwaters of the Winter Park chain of lakes, and a kayaker could set out here, and through streams and canals make his way, completely via water up to the St John's River and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
In the meantime the park became home to a tiny little brick art gallery that eventually grew into today's attractive Orlando Museum of Art. The Science Center soon followed, then the Civic Theater and Orange County History Museum. Today the 45 acre park is home to Orlando Repertory Theater,OMA, The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, The Shakespeare Theater, Fire Museum and the afore mentioned Science Center and Garden Club complexes.
The physical setting of the park is quite extraordinary as its position surrounded by three lakes makes it appear to be almost an island when viewed from a map, hence its Scottish name. Interesting as well is the fact that these lakes, connected by canals, form the headwaters of the Winter Park chain of lakes, and a kayaker could set out here, and through streams and canals make his way, completely via water up to the St John's River and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Front entrance to the Shakespeare Theater which has four different venues. (350 seat, 2 100 seat, and a 50 seat)
Close up of the front entrance to the Shakepeare Theater.
The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art
One of the best features of the park is the Mennello. How it came to be is one of the more interesting stories associated with Loch Haven. The contemporary building that in which it sits was once the home of Howard Phillips, heir to the vast fortune of citrus tycoon Dr. Phillips. Howard was an eccentric figure who was murdered by a male prostitute in San Francisco in 1979, bequeathing his home to the City of Orlando. He was a good friend of Jim and Marilyn Spence, who were both two of my favorite people. Marilyn and I became friends when I was her art teacher back in 1972. Jim came to town as president of Southeast Bank and subsequently gave Bob Snow the money to build Church Street station. He would also be associated with Loch Haven. He was onetime chairman of the board of the Science Center, as well as a playwright and founder of The Tropical Theater, which was the forerunner of the Theater Downtown, located one block west of the park and in a building controlled by the Phillips Foundation. Jim was also chairman of PESO, which was the ancestor of United Arts of Central Florida and in that capacity helped raise the money to make the OMA and Orlando Repertory Theater Complexes possible. Jim would be happy that his friends, home would eventually become the repository of the gift of art that became the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art. The paintings of Earl Cunningham that are housed here are truly a national treasure. The jewel like colors and luminosity of their surfaces are mesmerizing and it is easy to see why two such sophisticated collectors as Michael and Marilyn Mennello would have felt compelled to share him with the world. I have no doubt that these paintings will ultimately be called the greatest masterpieces of American Folk Art. They certainly a worth a journey, to use the Guide Mich term.
Sculpture inspired by the space program.Sculpture on the edge of Lake Formosa and the most visible structure can be seen from any part of the east side of the park.
Sculptures along the walking trail in Loch Haven
I am very interested in knowing more about Howard Phillips. He was an amazing character but there seems to be little information about him and his life available through the traidtional sources.
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