“As shown by its use after being a power and water plant, the building offers opportunities in the marketplace to creatively repurpose the site and facilities especially as the Ivanhoe Village neighborhood continues to grow,”
– CLINT BULLOCK, OUC GENERAL MANAGER AND CEO
The Orlando Utilities Commission will issue a Request for Proposals on June 18 for licensed real estate brokers to assist in determining the potential sale of its historic Ivanhoe Building at 1111 N. Orange Avenue [GMap] in Ivanhoe Village.
The former OUC power plant was decommissioned in 1958 and was the utility company’s first source of energy and water for the City of Orlando, and was designated a historic landmark by City Hall back in 1987. It has been through a lot in the last few years, but most notably a black mold scare in 2013 that sent the current tenants (Orlando Ballet and CFCArts) packing. The building has sat vacant ever since.
OUC has been hard at work with soil remediation and waterproofing projects in the years it has been closed, which began in 2015. That work has been “mostly completed” according to OUC officials, but waterproofing is ongoing as the building sits slightly below the waterline with the adjacent Lake Ivanhoe, located just across Orange Avenue.
OUC is looking for RFP respondents who have experience with Orlando commercial market valuations, brownfield development, adaptative reuse of older facilities, and working with municipal government clients.
The RFP will be available HERE on June 18, 2021, with proposals due by July 19 and broker selection set to be complete by the end of July.
A representative of OUC told Bungalower that proceeds from a possible sale would likely be put towards the utility company’s current clean energy initiatives.
Anyone who purchases the building should keep in mind that it is crowned with the historic “Happy Holidays/Happy New Year” sign that was restored in November 2013 and is list each year to announce that the holidays have arrived in the City of Orlando.
Note: The Aloft Hotel in downtown Orlando is in what used to be the former OUC headquarters.
Love that building. There are so few Orlando originals around. You said it was decommissioned in 1958. When was it built? I like the repurpose idea, but parking needs to be addressed.
Make it into a homeless shelter.