Both residents of east and west Winter Park have the desire of home ownership but they are defined in very different ways. In east Winter Park your home is defined by whether it is a large McMansion or not. Everyone wants their house to have the newest and latest technology. People are always trying to keep up with the Joneses. On the east side of Winter Park, owning a house on the lake gives the owner additional status. Owning a home in the West side is more about the basic concept behind home ownership. A lot of those houses have been in the same family for generations. Those residences are truly homes and not houses. I have noticed many towns have a divide on home ownership from one side of the city to another. A town I grew up in had this divide between people who lived on one side of the tracks versus the other side. The east side in this town was more prestigious than the west side. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that Lake Michigan is on the east side. Although people in this suburb of Chicago tended to be well off no matter which side of the town they live on.
Lyman Road is a street on the West side of the railroad tracks that has seen few changes since it was first established in 1881 by the free black families who lived here to provide a ready source of labor for building a town “to serve wealthy white winter residents”. Walking along this avenue was quite a unique and different experience, since the houses did not look as well groomed as most of the houses on the East side of Winter Park. In fact this road and the properties along side it looked completely out of place, as if they had been teleported from a different era. It seemed as if there had been no effort to alter, regulate or change this section of town. The centrality of home ownership in this part of the city seemed less focused on the aesthetic appearance of the houses and the overall “look” of the avenue itself. The yards lacked any type of landscaping and the houses looked run down and worn out from the countless years of rain and sun. This tells the story of the unique experience relating to the history of a community told by its members at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center. Interestingly, Hannibal square is developed and has a modern “feel” to it. Members are trying hard to preserve their cultural heritage and minimize the loss of cultural landmarks. In sharp contrast to the West part of town, the East side of town is overly groomed and neat, almost to the point of near perfection. Walking through the East side of town feels as if you are walking in a bubble of uncontrolled wealth, where the centrality of home ownership is taken to a whole other level.
Compare and contrast the centrality of home ownership as it is expressed in west and east Winter Park.
Home ownership is a major ingredient in idea of "living the American Dream". Regardless of social class or wealth, the house is an integral part of what people view as having a successful life. Winter Park has contrasting portions of the city involving the centrality of home ownership. The divide, respectfully, is the railroad that runs straight through the towns core. On the East side, we have the large monetary wealth. Bordering the lakes are homes, or should I say mansions that stand serving many purposes, but mainly to make you feel inferior. This side of town views home ownership as a commodity, a trophy, a way of saying "Hey, I have alot of money, look, let me show you". Park ave and other streets that possess local business' are elegantly kept clean, nice, and expected to uphold this motif of high class. As we transition across the rail road tracks we enter the West part of Winter Park. Historically speaking, this side of town has always looked, like Lisa said, teleported form a different era. A majority of the properties have been owned by generations of families giving the place a deep cultural history. The idea of house and home is reflected perfectly. The East side of town focuses on the idea of a "house" and how perfect they can make one look, while on the West side of town the residents are more focused on what makes a home a true "home". The city tried to revamp the look of the region to conform it be visually pleasing i.e. Hannibal square.
The east and west communities located within Winter Park really signify two diverse identities for the city. The homes on the west look as if they have a history of families that have remained there throughout generations. This can be judged just by the exterior of the houses in this community. The porches are welcoming and the residents sitting outside on them seem as if they have long settled in. The Hannibal Square neighborhood area is a prime example of this. This community is respectable because its history and longtime residents. Although these houses are not as well-maintained and as pristine in condition as the east side of Winter Park. On the east side, there are newly developed homes that seem as if the owners have an excessive affluence. The mansions on this side of town usually have large acreage or are situated on a beautiful lake. Thus, home owners here usually try to maintain the beauty of their houses by elaborate decoration and consistent renovation. Both the east and west sides are different but significant parts of Winter Park today.
East and west Winter Park are so close in distance but completely different in terms of identity. The East side is the upper part of town or so it seems with its’ lavish houses and lake side views. They have the fancier cars the well-manicured lawns with almost no leaf or blade of grass out of place. The east side screams wealth while the west seems to portray the average American dream. A house simple as it may be is still a house that someone worked for. The houses in the west definitely aren’t as rich in comparison to the yards and fronts of houses. The west has kept a subtle charm though of a middle class neighborhood that is relaxed and calming. It’s smaller and the people’s houses are closer together. The west side is smaller homes and seems more family oriented than that of the East winter park area. I have seen kids playing in the streets there while in the East side there is the occasional jogger or lawn man. In comparison both areas have the desire for a home with a yard made to fit your needs. They both have unique houses to the area and no one house looks the same in either area.
In both, east and west Winter Park home ownership is a thing of pride. However, other than that the two diverge completely. In East Winter Park, the pride in ownership is found in having the largest house on the block. It is a constant competition to prove oneself. You can feel the bubble created when walking down the street. Nevertheless, West Winter Park is like entering a completely different world. Unlike the east side it has experienced little to no rebuilding. It is not a competition to build the better house, it is a pride in history. From visiting the Hannibal Square Heritage Center you see a pride in the history of the community. There are family photos all over the walls giving stories of different peoples experiences. They are proud of their "growth" as a whole community.
Both East and West Winter Park place high value on the home. The idea of owning a home is still tied to a sense of place. People in East Winter Park, however, are more selfish, they are more concentrated on making sure things are made the way they want to be. These are the type of people that have no qualms tearing down a home like Casa Feliz in order to build a giant castle looking thing that is only missing a moat. As the woman in Hannibal Square put it, East Winter Parkers only save what they want to save. West Winter Park inhabitants however, have a higher sense of history. Their home ownership story is full of rich stories of pain, of struggle and eventually of triumph. West Winter Park inhabitants know architecture carries history and that sometimes that is more important than personal aesthetics. Meanwhile, East Winter Park inhabitants remain blind and rather than conserving true history they tear down home after home, taking history down with them and leaving something insipid in place.
Although my image of Winter Park has always been Park Avenue and Rollins College, there is definitely a difference that exists between the east and west side of Winter Park. The east side is defined by huge houses and a competition between neighbors relating to who has the best of the best. These houses are aesthetically pleasing, but for the most part there is no real history behind them. The west side of Winter Park is defined by history and pride relating to how long each family has been in the area. Areas of the west side look very different, because for the most part they remain unchanged. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that one part or side is better than another. They are just different and valued in their own unique way.
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Both residents of east and west Winter Park have the desire of home ownership but they are defined in very different ways. In east Winter Park your home is defined by whether it is a large McMansion or not. Everyone wants their house to have the newest and latest technology. People are always trying to keep up with the Joneses. On the east side of Winter Park, owning a house on the lake gives the owner additional status. Owning a home in the West side is more about the basic concept behind home ownership. A lot of those houses have been in the same family for generations. Those residences are truly homes and not houses. I have noticed many towns have a divide on home ownership from one side of the city to another. A town I grew up in had this divide between people who lived on one side of the tracks versus the other side. The east side in this town was more prestigious than the west side. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that Lake Michigan is on the east side. Although people in this suburb of Chicago tended to be well off no matter which side of the town they live on.
Lyman Road is a street on the West side of the railroad tracks that has seen few changes since it was first established in 1881 by the free black families who lived here to provide a ready source of labor for building a town “to serve wealthy white winter residents”. Walking along this avenue was quite a unique and different experience, since the houses did not look as well groomed as most of the houses on the East side of Winter Park. In fact this road and the properties along side it looked completely out of place, as if they had been teleported from a different era. It seemed as if there had been no effort to alter, regulate or change this section of town. The centrality of home ownership in this part of the city seemed less focused on the aesthetic appearance of the houses and the overall “look” of the avenue itself. The yards lacked any type of landscaping and the houses looked run down and worn out from the countless years of rain and sun. This tells the story of the unique experience relating to the history of a community told by its members at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center. Interestingly, Hannibal square is developed and has a modern “feel” to it. Members are trying hard to preserve their cultural heritage and minimize the loss of cultural landmarks. In sharp contrast to the West part of town, the East side of town is overly groomed and neat, almost to the point of near perfection. Walking through the East side of town feels as if you are walking in a bubble of uncontrolled wealth, where the centrality of home ownership is taken to a whole other level.
Compare and contrast the centrality of home ownership as it is expressed in west and east Winter Park.
Home ownership is a major ingredient in idea of "living the American Dream". Regardless of social class or wealth, the house is an integral part of what people view as having a successful life. Winter Park has contrasting portions of the city involving the centrality of home ownership. The divide, respectfully, is the railroad that runs straight through the towns core. On the East side, we have the large monetary wealth. Bordering the lakes are homes, or should I say mansions that stand serving many purposes, but mainly to make you feel inferior. This side of town views home ownership as a commodity, a trophy, a way of saying "Hey, I have alot of money, look, let me show you". Park ave and other streets that possess local business' are elegantly kept clean, nice, and expected to uphold this motif of high class.
As we transition across the rail road tracks we enter the West part of Winter Park. Historically speaking, this side of town has always looked, like Lisa said,
teleported form a different era. A majority of the properties have been owned by generations of families giving the place a deep cultural history. The idea of house and home is reflected perfectly. The East side of town focuses on the idea of a "house" and how perfect they can make one look, while on the West side of town the residents are more focused on what makes a home a true "home". The city tried to revamp the look of the region to conform it be visually pleasing i.e. Hannibal square.
The east and west communities located within Winter Park really signify two diverse identities for the city. The homes on the west look as if they have a history of families that have remained there throughout generations. This can be judged just by the exterior of the houses in this community. The porches are welcoming and the residents sitting outside on them seem as if they have long settled in. The Hannibal Square neighborhood area is a prime example of this. This community is respectable because its history and longtime residents. Although these houses are not as well-maintained and as pristine in condition as the east side of Winter Park. On the east side, there are newly developed homes that seem as if the owners have an excessive affluence. The mansions on this side of town usually have large acreage or are situated on a beautiful lake. Thus, home owners here usually try to maintain the beauty of their houses by elaborate decoration and consistent renovation. Both the east and west sides are different but significant parts of Winter Park today.
East and west Winter Park are so close in distance but completely different in terms of identity. The East side is the upper part of town or so it seems with its’ lavish houses and lake side views. They have the fancier cars the well-manicured lawns with almost no leaf or blade of grass out of place. The east side screams wealth while the west seems to portray the average American dream. A house simple as it may be is still a house that someone worked for. The houses in the west definitely aren’t as rich in comparison to the yards and fronts of houses. The west has kept a subtle charm though of a middle class neighborhood that is relaxed and calming. It’s smaller and the people’s houses are closer together. The west side is smaller homes and seems more family oriented than that of the East winter park area. I have seen kids playing in the streets there while in the East side there is the occasional jogger or lawn man. In comparison both areas have the desire for a home with a yard made to fit your needs. They both have unique houses to the area and no one house looks the same in either area.
In both, east and west Winter Park home ownership is a thing of pride. However, other than that the two diverge completely. In East Winter Park, the pride in ownership is found in having the largest house on the block. It is a constant competition to prove oneself. You can feel the bubble created when walking down the street.
Nevertheless, West Winter Park is like entering a completely different world. Unlike the east side it has experienced little to no rebuilding. It is not a competition to build the better house, it is a pride in history. From visiting the Hannibal Square Heritage Center you see a pride in the history of the community. There are family photos all over the walls giving stories of different peoples experiences. They are proud of their "growth" as a whole community.
Both East and West Winter Park place high value on the home. The idea of owning a home is still tied to a sense of place. People in East Winter Park, however, are more selfish, they are more concentrated on making sure things are made the way they want to be. These are the type of people that have no qualms tearing down a home like Casa Feliz in order to build a giant castle looking thing that is only missing a moat. As the woman in Hannibal Square put it, East Winter Parkers only save what they want to save. West Winter Park inhabitants however, have a higher sense of history. Their home ownership story is full of rich stories of pain, of struggle and eventually of triumph. West Winter Park inhabitants know architecture carries history and that sometimes that is more important than personal aesthetics. Meanwhile, East Winter Park inhabitants remain blind and rather than conserving true history they tear down home after home, taking history down with them and leaving something insipid in place.
Although my image of Winter Park has always been Park Avenue and Rollins College, there is definitely a difference that exists between the east and west side of Winter Park. The east side is defined by huge houses and a competition between neighbors relating to who has the best of the best. These houses are aesthetically pleasing, but for the most part there is no real history behind them. The west side of Winter Park is defined by history and pride relating to how long each family has been in the area. Areas of the west side look very different, because for the most part they remain unchanged. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that one part or side is better than another. They are just different and valued in their own unique way.
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