Soon-to-retire Rollins College President, Grant Cornwell, has allegedly floated an idea to convert the former Winter Park Public Library into a new home for the Rollins Museum of Art, according to a recent post by The 32789.
The 33,000 SF building at 460 E. New England Avenue [GMap] was vacated roughly four years ago when the new library and event center opened on the west side of Winter Park, closer to Orlando Avenue/17-92. Dozens of uses have been pitched for the building, including a wellness-focused coworking space, but nothing impressed the city council enough to move anything forward.
Last year, Winter Park approved a plan from Rollins College to build a new 31,792 SF art museum up the street at 200 E. New England Avenue [GMap] which would tie in with its current exhibits at the nearby Alfond Inn. As suggested in the 32789 piece, the project currently has $18 million of the expected $30 million budget raised, but could dramatically lower that target if they retrofitted an older building like the library rather than built something entirely new – something that the gallery developer, Alan Ginsburg, seems keen on.
Early plans presented to the city call for the addition of 5,000 SF of ground-floor gallery space off the side of the original building.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for June 12.
