At 656 North Park Avenue in Winter Park, a brick Andalusian farmhouse with tiled roofs, arched windows and a leafy courtyard welcomes visitors as Casa Feliz, “Happy House.” The Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum is the signature work of noted architect James Gamble Rogers II, built in 1933 for Robert Bruce Barbour, and today it serves as what its stewards proudly call Winter Park’s community parlor – a gathering spot for cultural discussion, education, music, history and art.
Its survival is its happiest story. Twenty-five years ago Winter Park came together to save the house from demolition. In September 2001 crowds watched as the 1933 masterpiece was moved across Interlachen Avenue, restored and given a new life overlooking the Winter Park Golf Course. Throughout this 25th anniversary year, Friends of Casa Feliz are celebrating the house that moved Winter Park – and the community effort that preserved a defining piece of its character.
Visiting is beautifully simple. Docent-led tours of the home and grounds run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., starting at 10:15, 11:15, 12:15 and 1:15, with a suggested contribution of $5 per adult, payable on arrival. The first floor is wheelchair accessible. Check the official tour page before you go, since some tour times sell out – then come and enjoy one of Florida’s happiest houses.
Photo: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)
