EDIT: The permit in question is for 64 E. Concord Street and accessory structures outside of the main Orlando Sentinel. A permit has not been filed to remove the main building yet, at the time of this post.
An application for a permit has been filed with the City of Orlando to begin demolishing the former Orlando Sentinel campus.
Orlando Sentinel staff vacated the main building, located at 655 N. Orange Avenue [GMap], earlier in the year when its parent company made the announcement that it would abandon the building, along with the buildings that New York Daily News, Allentown Morning Call, and Capital Gazette also called home, forcing their staffs to work remotely in the interim.
The newspaper had been operated out of the building since 1951 but the property was sold to Miami-based developer Midtown Opportunities for roughly $35.1 million. Midtown sued Tribune in June 2020 for three months of unpaid rent in the amount of $370,000, prior to them vacating the building.
An exact date for the demolition of the building has not been given at this time but the application was still open at the time of this posting and under review. Midtown intends to remove all buildings, foundations, dead trees, and shrubs, during the demolition. Parking lots will remain – according to the application filed with the City.
The Adult Literacy League (Website) which had moved into the Orlando Sentinel building just months before the announcement was made that they were leaving the property, has since been forced to move to a new home at 2221 Lee Road [GMap] in Winter Park.
Editor’s Note: The Adult Literacy League is currently looking to onboard more students and has a waiting list of volunteer tutors looking to be matched with adult learners looking to learn how to read, write, and speak English. If you’d like to learn or would like some help for yourself or someone you know, click HERE for more information.