Architects from Baker Barrios went back to the drawing board on a planned apartment tower in Downtown Orlando’s North Quarter District, completely redesigning it as an homage to the city’s historic downtown character.
The developer, New York-based Acram Group, scrapped the modern design from 2022. The new concept, unveiled Thursday to Orlando’s Appearance Review Board, consolidates the project from three separate towers into a single building and introduces more traditional materials, such as tan brick for the podium and dramatic arched windows and doors along Magnolia Avenue.
Architect Wildred Rodriguez said they selected the finishes, like brick and raked stucco, to “give a tactile feel to the lower levels of the building” and to activate the streetscape for both pedestrians and vehicles. As the building rises, the materials start to “lighten out and become more of a crown at the top.”
Acram paid $6.7 million in 2021 for a pair of 50-year-old, low-rise office buildings at 924 and 934 N. Magnolia Ave., just north of Orlando’s senior recreation center. Those office buildings would be razed to clear the way for a new 17-story apartment tower, adding 350 residential units, a public greenspace, and 3,300 square feet of retail space to the downtown market.
The new plan reduces the number of apartments from 386 to 350 and eliminates the previous live-work units along Weber in favor of townhouse-style units with front stoops overlooking the Orlando Urban Trail. The building is recessed at the corner of Weber and Magnolia to create a small parklet that will be open to the public
The 8-level parking garage is rotated and the entire project is shifted back 30 feet from Pasadena Place to create better flow and lessen the impact on the senior center.
ARB members Mike Brown and Cecelia Maier both praised the new design, particularly the arches. “I think that’s kind of a neat element that’s different from other buildings downtown,” Brown said.
They both asked if the design team could find ways to incorporate the arches in other areas of the building, such as the rooftop crown and parking garage.
“I’m going to say yes,” architect Meghan Dietz said. “We have been playing around with that, as well, because that is one of our favorite features. Obviously, this is early, but we do appreciate that because I think as we continue forward, you might start to see some of those elements reappear in subtle ways, but to tie the top and the bottom visually, have some connection there.”
Since Thursday’s meeting was just a courtesy review, several matters were left unresolved. For example, the team did not submit any renderings of the proposed rooftop architecture, saying it was still a work in progress. The streetscape was another topic of discussion, as ARB Director Richard Forbes added a condition that the developer should cover the costs of burying the power lines on Magnolia.
“We are in discussions on how to potentially clean that up,” Dietz said. “But I’m not going to make any promises here because every decision on electrical wires is pricey, so we’re trying to find the right solution.”
The team hasn’t submitted a design for the parklet at the corner of Magnolia and Weber, and some ARB members thought it might make more sense to have the restaurant adjacent to the courtyard instead of on the opposite corner. ARB member Damien Kolb said it would help activate the public space and provide room for outdoor dining, but Dietz said ruled it out because they felt the restaurant would help anchor the southeast corner of the building.
The property is surrounded by other sites that have been primed for development. Two blocks to the west at 1000 N Orange Ave., Boca Raton-based Gables Residential just received MPB approval for a 295-unit building. And a few blocks to the north, construction will commence later this year on a new Holocaust Center for Hope & Humanity at the former Chamber of Commerce building on Ivanhoe Boulevard.
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