We’ve been telling you about Project DTO which is a task force looking into how to continue to improve Downtown Orlando.

As part of process the Project DTO Arts & Culture Committee created  list of findings of need. One of those was looking at concepts for an updated Lake Eola amphitheater and a master plan for all of Lake Eola Park.

As part of that report, two concepts were looked at by the committee. According to Arts & Culture committee chairperson Jennifer Quigley it’s important to remember that they are just that, concepts.

“The DTO process was for the Committee to do research and present the findings to the Executive Committee who will then analysis and make recommendations to the CRA Advisory Council and City Commissioners,” she told Bungalower.

The report also does not identify funding for the potential improvements.

Both concepts call for a an entire new structure that faces in towards the park instead of out toward the street. To provide ample space, the concepts also call for filling in a small part of the lake.

The design of the amphitheater is based on the one in St. Augustine which has around 4,000 fixed seats, the concepts show only grass seating, but provide for a secure area for ticketed or private events including an “art/retention wall.”

On both plans there is a beach area. While the plan notes that swimming will most likely be prohibited, it won’t prohibit “scenic views and between your toes.”

Both concepts also include an extension of the current plaza just off Washington St which is used for vendors and also adds more concessions and restrooms for the park.

The main difference between the two plans is the angle that the amphitheater faces and therefore how much of the lake they will need to fill in.

On one concept the amphitheater faces north towards Robinson St and this provides for more park space and seating and even calls for a water feature along Central Blvd behind the amphitheater.

The other concept faces more into the middle of the lake, but does not have as much seating area/park space added.

Here’s a look at the two concepts:

Lake Eola Amphitheater Concept B Lake Eola Amphitheater Concept A

H/T nite owl

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  1. Every prior post misses the point.

    The city is sopping up tax dollars (just increased them 17%!) and putting money into infrastructure (and EXPENSIVE infrastructure, at that) with the PRE-sumption it will improve the city’s “equity”.

    Wrong.

    The administration should first work on cleaning up its own act – the police are predatory but who can blame them, there are rapes, shootings, murders, stabbings, homelessness, panhandlers, and psychotics roaming the streets in downtown. They have weekly meeting of all the above at the Greek Orthodox Church. Dyer bent to the will of “food not bombs” and agreed to let them remain in downtown.

    Add to this mix the adolescent drinking binges from Thursday through Sunday nights.

    Now add a significant influx of professionals living in apartment and condos – this is a volatile mix. The administration can’t seem to decide:

    1) do we want drunks, murders, panhandlers, and bars – none of which pay taxes, or

    2) do we want professionals and residents.

    One of these things doesn’t go with the other. Ever.

    Orlando needs to GROW UP. A bandshell based on ethereal “tourist money” on the heels of a BILLION dollars for the DPAC and T-bowl (Citrus) / Tinker Field money is just ignorant.

    The CULTURE needs to be fixed first as downtown has no soul, save for scrubby bars that are place holding businesses designed to mark time until the land owners decide it’s time to sell to a high-rise developer.

    NEW BANDSHELL?

    This would be like adding a tuba to the Titantic’s band.

    He’s no “buddy”, he’s a bond salesman.

  2. The lake is a major waste of real estate. Makes sense to fill in some here and there. The park is not even a park. It’s a sidewalk. Needs to be totally rethought. Yay Project DTO!

  3. DTO Project members must be smoking pot when they came up with ridiculous and tacky idea. A beach area? Really? We live in a state where real beaches surrounds us and are within short driving distances. This will never come to fruition.

  4. Not crazy about destroying some of the lake, but the corner plan seems to be less destructive.
    BTW, why are the maps rotate 90 degree? Be nice if they were layout with north at the top, you know, like a normal map or architectural plan.

  5. A horrible idea!!! Fill in the lake??? Are you kidding? Lake Eola is the iconic signature of downtown Orlando. There are plenty of other areas to “improve” in downtown Orlando.

  6. The current amphitheater is so dated and garish. It’s an eyesore. Either one of these plans would be a great addition to Lake Eola, especially because there are already so many events there. Neither of them would change the size of the lake too much, at all.

  7. This is so sad..Some people will not be happy until they erase everything that made Orlando wonderful?

  8. I don’t like either plan.
    They both take up too much of the lake.
    They would both take out “bird island.”
    We are supposedly getting a brand new outdoor venue as part of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center.
    And mostly because that money should be used for more substantial needs like expanding the Lynx LYMMO bus rapid transit system.

  9. Leave this alone. It would be nice if we could just have a park. Quit adding “attractions” to it. And  dear God, can you imagine all manner of issues that arise from a “beach” area on this lake?

  10. Leave it alone.  Just keep putting things around Lake Eola. First the high rise condominium complexes and then the art sculptures.  Music blaring from speakers.   Its just too much.

  11. They should have a cool modern circular stage with some glass panels so the events could been seen from all angles!….

  12. I think it has potential to do very well if done right. I think an amp with a great view and plenty to do before and after shows could be huge. Tampa’s Amp gets a lot of great talent in there but has no view and nothing to do in the immediate vicinity with the exception of the casino. As long as it doesnt dive too far into the lake, id say go for it!

  13. Both of these look to mess up the feature that most people use the lake for now, walking or running around the path. The proposed routes have a convoluted shape, and go directly through the amphitheater, so would presumably be closed for events. There is no reason to destroy a popular feature to answer a question no one asked (let’s bring giant concerts to an already congested area).

  14. The park is already wildly popular, and it’s also beautiful. I don’t want a theme park; we already have those. Leave it the way it is.

  15. I like growth and evolution, but this is way too big.  We loose much of the park and lake?  The best and most unique part of Lake Eola Park is how it is an oasis of beauty in the middle of downtown density.  What are we hoping to gain?  The park is already a destination for residents of downtown, families from the burbs, and even tourists.  All we gain is another venue (which we don’t need with DPAC) that will sit there empty on most days while completely dominating the park.  If we feel like we need this to help put DT Orlando “on the map” let’s build another park.

  16. I like the first concept with the water feature better. Not sure how I feel about the potential impact on the ecology of the lake by filling it in. What type of entertainment are they hoping to draw with these improvements? I think the area would be better served with a large scale amphitheater at the fairgrounds like Tampa or Fort Lauderdale. In which case, I think refurbishing the current amphitheater would be a better option. The alteration of the exercise path seems unclear in both concepts. Plus, what would happen to the hideous “Attack of the 50 Foot Woman” sculpture?

  17. The one looks to take up a huge portion of the lake. Way too much IMHO. Are these the same events that the outdoor space at Dr. Phillips Center is supposed to be used for? The beach idea seems like it would be gross even if you don’t swim in the water. You have a ton of swans making a mess and people will be using it as a full time bed. I think it will have a derogatory nickname in no time.
    I think Lake Eola needs a fenced in dog park similar to Sanford. How bad is it that Sanford has something so simple that Orlando doesnt have.

  18. I have mixed feelings about this. I feel like this could go a lot of different ways. I like the idea of making the park a place where people hang out and do stuff, but I feel like they should work with what they gave a little more. Like the movie in the park thing they did this summer was great, or like a regular food truck installation with places to sit. Or a beer garden. I’m picturing Madison Square Park in NYC as a better go-by than an amphitheater in St. Augustine. I would want something more like that rather than an outdoor music venue. I also feel like this might be a little excessive, and this is filling in a lot of Lake Eola.

  19. looks interesting, curious how much study there has been around the types of functions that have passed on the amphitheater in the past 5 years because it is too small and if there is thought to what types of events it could accommodate once it’s enlarged….On the other hand I can’t imagine many grosser things than a beach on Lake Eola, That water is so gross – I think it’s dyed blue. The mere idea of the gross water, of bums lying in the sand and swans and other birds cleaning their feathers on the sand gives me the hebegebies (sp?)