Lake Eola Master Plan

Last updated on March 31, 2021

Lake Eola skyline

Since its renovation over 30 years ago, Lake Eola Park has become a destination for residents and visitors alike. It is the home of countless events both large and small, an award-winning Farmers Market, and has been a key component of the resurgence of downtown Orlando into the vibrant city center that it is today. Having hosted millions of annual visitors over the last 30 years, the City of Orlando has re-envisioned the park in anticipation of the next 50 years. A new Master Plan has been created to determine the changes needed to guide the park’s place in the context of the larger downtown, city and region.

Download the Final Lake Eola Master Plan(PDF, 22MB)

The Foundation

First, the project team gathers information about the existing conditions of the park including infrastructure and environmental conditions that could create opportunities or challenges in the future design of the park. In order to understand the needs and desires of the community, the City looks to the residents and key stakeholders to provide ideas for the future of the park and help shape the future master plan. With a baseline of needs and desires established, a series of guiding principles can be developed to help guide the development of the vision of the park.

The Exploration

Shaped by the guiding principles developed, a conceptual master plan will be developed and explored including plans, renderings, architectural character concepts, and materials selections. Throughout the process, concepts will be reviewed by the City Steering Committee and Stakeholders for guidance. Conceptual plans will be presented to the public for further comment.

The Vision

Based on feedback received from the public, a final vision document will be developed showcasing a complete vision for the future of Lake Eola Park.

 

Downtown Context

As the centerpiece park in Downtown Orlando, Lake Eola Park influences and is influenced by its downtown context. Lake Eola Park provides opportunities for enjoyment for residents within its 10-minute walk, to those using City bicycle lanes and the Downtown Loop, to those using transit or car from beyond the downtown. In order to best assess the park’s function and needs it is necessary to look at the downtown as a whole.

Lake Eola Park serves as the primary green space for downtown Orlando creating significant pressure on the park to perform as a green space and event space. By relying on and celebrating the surrounding park network, pressure on the park can be alleviated. Pictured: (top to bottom) Lake Lorna Doone Park, Festival Park, Seneff Arts Plaza, Proposed Under-I Park, Heritage Square

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Lake Eola serves not only as an important green space but also as the drainage basin for much of east Downtown Orlando. Future visioning should consider water quality reaching the park to create a healthy lake with wildlife viewing opportunities. Pictured: Various drain art projects occurring throughout Downtown Orlando

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For park users within the park’s 10-minute walk, Lake Eola Park serves as their backyard and the character of these neighborhoods influences the character of different areas of the park. Beyond the 10-minute walk, residents of downtown’s east and west neighborhoods are also regular users of the park with additional reach provided by bike/scootershare programs and Lymmo bus lines. Pictured: (top to bottom) Magnolia Ave, Church Street, South Eola, Thornton Park fountain, and Lake Eola Heights bungalows.

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Since 2000 there has been a growth of residents living in the downtown of 74% with many of them living in Downtown’s residential towers. For many of these residents, Lake Eola park is their primary access to recreational green space creating a lot of pressure on the park particularly on event days. Pictured: (top to bottom) Camden Lake Eola, Modera Central, Orange and Robinson Apartments, Society Orlando, and Amelia Court at Creative Village

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Lake Eola Park provides a safe location for Orlando’s homeless population to seek haven from Florida’s heat, charge mobile devices, and connect with others. In envisioning a future for Lake Eola Park, it is important to understand the relationship between the park and other downtown services to connect this population with the resources necessary to receive help. Pictured: (top to bottom) Downtown Ambassador Program, DTO Go Public Restroom Program, Coalition for Homeless of Central Florida, aid at St. George Orthodox Church, homelessness at Lake Eola Park

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In the past few years the City has dedicated funding to improve the safety and quality of bike infrastructure. These new projects increase connectivity within the Downtown and provide additional access to Lake Eola Park for those outside walkable range. Pictured: North Quarter Trail Gap Project, Colonial Overpass Pedestrian Bridge, Gertrude’s Walk, Pine St. Separated Bike Lane, Robinson Separated Bike Lane

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Extended Lymmo bus routes to the north-south and east-west provide additional access to the park outside the 10-minute walk zone while the SunRail Stations/Lynx Central Station provide a regional connection for users outside the downtown who are able to ride into the downtown and walk or scooter to Lake Eola Park. Pictured: (top to bottom) Lymmo stop, Lymmo buses, SunRail station, Lynx Central Station, Scooter-share program

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Existing Park Conditions

In order to gain an understand of how the park currently operates it is important to dissect the parts of the park and how they affect the user experience. Layering these pieces together provides an understanding of what works in the park and what can be improved.

Roadway conditions impact the experience of entering the park with larger roads such as Rosalind and Robinson providing some difficulty crossing and many park visitors accessing the site from parallel parking locations.

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The park has various distinct entry points on its east and west sides whereas users from the north and south enter more generally through the park’s edges. Entry points are key points in forming the park user experience and welcoming users to the park.

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The primary walkway in the park circles around Lake Eola and receives heavy use showing wear to the landscape surrounding it. From this main pathway, smaller connecting pathways lead to different amenities and entry points for the park.

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The park includes several structures used either for daily support functions or for events. These will be individually examined to determine their future role in the park.

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While Lake Eola Park is a large park, about half of that space is taken up by Lake Eola itself making large contiguous open green space limited. This space is heavily used both as a space for relaxation and active event space.

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Correlating with Open Space, this diagram shows activity zones throughout the park centered mostly around the Amphitheater and Eola House.

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In the hot Florida sun tree canopy is essential for comfort and Lake Eola Park is a good example of what good tree canopy coverage can do for a park. Throughout the park a combination of large oaks, cypress trees, and dense palms provide shade that allow the park to be comfortable year-round. Future visioning of the park should include specific consideration to maintain the tree canopy and plan for future tree succession.

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Lake Eola receives stormwater for a large portion of Downtown Orlando serving to filter and clean the water before reaching the aquifer. Because of this there are several drainage structures that impact the design of the park and special considerations to be taken to maintain the condition of the water.

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Lake Eola Park provides many opportunities for visitors to view wildlife, particularly birds, within its very urban setting. Although some of the natural features of the park have been erased through time, such as its littoral zone and native plantings, the park remains alive with wildlife. It is not uncommon to see a wide variety of animals in the park, from its famous swans to various birds such as anhingas, egrets, green herons, common gallinules and coots, to numerous fish and turtles. There are opportunities to improve the natural systems of the park to support its biodiversity and natural offerings.

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View previous meetings 

Pre-Design

  • December 2019 - November 2020
Public Meetings
  • Kick-off Event - October 22, 2020
  • Public Workshop #1 - November 10, 2020
  • Public Workshop #2 - November 12, 2020
  • Public Workshop #3 - November 14, 2020

Conceptual Master Plan

  • December 2019 - April 2021
  • Conceptual Master Plan Report - March 19, 2021
  • Public Workshop -TBD

Final Master Plan

  • April 2021 - TBD 2021
  • Public Workshop -TBD
  • Final Master Plan Report -TBD

Since its establishment in 1888, Lake Eola Park has served as an iconic symbol for the City of Orlando. Donated by local cattle rancher Jacob Summerlin, the park is protected against future development in perpetuity including a reverter clause transferring the land back to Summerlin’s descendants if the park is ever developed. As a result, the park has served as the backdrop to Orlando’s growth from a small citrus town to a bustling city.

In its early days, the park served as a popular swimming spot known as Sandy Beach, helping residents cool down on Florida’s hot summer days. As the city grew, the park changed and adapted to its growing city. The first Lake Eola fountain was installed in 1912 and was replaced in 1957 by the current Linton E. Allen Memorial Fountain.

In 1922, swans were introduced into the park from nearby Lake Lucerne and have since become mascots of the city. Throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, Lake Eola Park was a bustling place with visitors strolling its paths and attending concerts and events.

By the 1980s however, the park had fallen into disrepair with few regular users and a large homeless population affecting the park and surrounding areas. Additionally, pollution started to become a major problem with oil, air conditioning coolants, and debris flowing into the lake with every rain. The city installed filters to help control pollution and plans were put forth to revitalize the park and reinvigorate the downtown. Completed in 1988 at a cost of $3.3 million, the renovation included much of what you see today at the park – wide sidewalks with brick borders, restrooms, and black railings. Also added were the bandshell, Japanese garden with giant marble piece from sister city Taipei, Taiwan, and the Ting, a Chinese pagoda-like structure. The new and improved Lake Eola Park reopened to much fanfare with regular users returning to the park, helping to reinvigorate surrounding neighborhoods.

Fueled by the momentum put into place in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, downtown Orlando has continued to grow and evolve over the last three decades becoming a bustling metropolis attracting visitors worldwide.

Location

512 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801  View Map

Google Map

Project Snapshot

  • Type: Parks Infratructure
  • District(s): District 4 and 5

Contact

Tara Russakov
407.246.4245
tara.russakov@orlando.gov

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