Adorning Orlando city signs as well as the city seal, “Eola Girl” –the nickname for the fountain on Lake Eola in downtown Orlando– has been an icon of Orlando for about sixty years. Considered a uniquely beautiful beacon, Orlando citizens have embraced the fountain as a symbol for the city, and very recently became concerned for its fate, after a lightning strike to the guts of the machinery rendered the fountain out of order.
The History of Lake Eola’s Fountain
Named the “Centennial Fountain”, The fountain was completed in 1957 and commemorated the 100th anniversary of Orlando’s naming. The current fountain, named the “Centennial Fountain” replaced the original which had been installed in 1912 just south of the deepest area of the sinkhole that created the lake.
In the recent weeks, officials worried the repairs would cost over $100,000 and many supporters scrambled to propose a variety of fundraising ideas while maintenance workers began assessing cost of repairs against cost of a complete upgrade.
This week, officials announced a solution, in filing a claim with Orlando’s fine arts insurance policy, which is a repair or replace policy and will cover the value of replacing the fountain. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is relieved to find that despite the value of the fountain sitting at $1.5 million dollars, the fine arts insurance policy deductible is only $1000.
Despite plenty of necessary upgrades, the city has decided to keep the basic style the same as the fountain before it was struck by lightning—same shape, lighting and water jets. Eola Park is nestled within an urban community in the heart of downtown Orlando, where many residents desire an active city life.
The VUE is a new 36-story, 375-unit luxury condo high rise in downtown Orlando, on the corner of Rosalind Avenue and Robinson Street. Walking distance from the developing Performing Arts Center and a great selection of Orlando bars and restaurants, this downtown luxury urban living Orlando high rise overlooks Lake Eola and its surrounding park.
Tags: active city life, downtown Orlando, high rise, History of Lake Eola, luxury condo, luxury condo high rise, Orlando high rise, performing arts center, urban community