Robert Bruce Barbour House
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce Barbour House is a restored Spanish farmhouse designed by architect James Gamble Rogers II
, overlooking the golf course in the heart of Winter Park, Florida
. This is one of Rogers' masterpiece residences. In order to save it from destruction, the city of Winter Park moved it to its current location in 2000. Now situated at 656 Park Avenue North in Winter Park, it is known as Casa Feliz (meaning "The Happy House").
connects the living room, entrance hall and library. The home also features a dramatically arched porte cochere.
The interior of "Casa Feliz" affords the visitor rooms that have been refurbished to their original condition. The living room has a vaulted ceiling with massive hand-hewn beams. The public spaces of the house are the living and dining rooms, library, courtyards and detached garden room (formerly the garage). Typical James Gamble Rogers II details include the majolica
-tiled interior courtyard and fountain, arched doorways and a circular staircase.
The exterior of "Casa Feliz" and grounds feature rich textures of original Spanish roof tiles and whitewashed century-old bricks, a turret, a bell tower and a heavy timber balcony detailed in colors of the Mediterranean, lush landscaping, intimate courtyards, sweeping oaks and native plants contained by ancient clay amphoras.
On December 31, 2008, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places
. As of June 2009, the home's former site still sits empty.
James Gamble Rogers II
James Gamble Rogers II was a celebrated American architect practicing primarily in Winter Park, Florida in the middle years of the twentieth century. He is noted for suavely elegant residential and commercial work, in the Spanish Revival, Mediterranean Revival, French Provincial and Colonial...
, overlooking the golf course in the heart of Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 24,090 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 28,083. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. This is one of Rogers' masterpiece residences. In order to save it from destruction, the city of Winter Park moved it to its current location in 2000. Now situated at 656 Park Avenue North in Winter Park, it is known as Casa Feliz (meaning "The Happy House").
History
Here is what architect James Gamble Rogers II says about the creation of this house: "Barbour came along and he had this beautiful lot, you know, on North Interlachen Avenue. Evelyn and I were sitting at home one time and somebody tapped on the door and I went to the door and here were Mr. and Mrs. Barbour, whom I had never met. And he said, “I want to know who your architect was,” and I said well, I was my own... So...Mr.. Barbour said, “I want to know who your architect was,” and I told him that I had designed it myself. He said, “I want you to design me a house, but I don’t want anything like this. I think your house is beautiful, but I don’t want anything like it. He said, “I want a Spanish farmhouse. You may design it anyway you want. I won’t interfere, and if I don’t like it when it’s done, I’ll sell it. I’m not going to interfere with you one bit. You just make me a beautiful Spanish farmhouse.”Design
Rogers created a gracious residence, with large public rooms. From the entrance hall one may enter either the living room or the library. The living room opens to a garden on one side and a courtyard on the other; the dining room also opens to this courtyard. Along the garden front an arched loggiaLoggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
connects the living room, entrance hall and library. The home also features a dramatically arched porte cochere.
The interior of "Casa Feliz" affords the visitor rooms that have been refurbished to their original condition. The living room has a vaulted ceiling with massive hand-hewn beams. The public spaces of the house are the living and dining rooms, library, courtyards and detached garden room (formerly the garage). Typical James Gamble Rogers II details include the majolica
Maiolica
Maiolica is Italian tin-glazed pottery dating from the Renaissance. It is decorated in bright colours on a white background, frequently depicting historical and legendary scenes.-Name:...
-tiled interior courtyard and fountain, arched doorways and a circular staircase.
The exterior of "Casa Feliz" and grounds feature rich textures of original Spanish roof tiles and whitewashed century-old bricks, a turret, a bell tower and a heavy timber balcony detailed in colors of the Mediterranean, lush landscaping, intimate courtyards, sweeping oaks and native plants contained by ancient clay amphoras.
Recent history
As noted, originally the house stood at 656 North Interlachen Avenue bordering one of Winter Park's lakes, with this garden front of the house facing the lake. It stood there for about seventy years. Then, a local doctor bought the property and proposed to raze the house and build something bigger, claiming that this house was too small for his needs. It would have been gone forever had not the community raised a hue and cry, as well as the wherewithal to save it. It is now in a peaceful setting overlooking the Winter Park golf course. It is open for tours or to be rented for receptions.On December 31, 2008, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. As of June 2009, the home's former site still sits empty.