The Legend of Colonial Plaza - The Mall that Changed Orlando History (Part 1)- 'Splorin Ep 102
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Just north of Orlando on a main thoroughfare called Colonial Avenue, the first and largest shopping center of its kind was built in the mid-1950s. Today we'll explore how one Shopping Plaza was able to change the course of Orlando history and how Commerce as a whole was conducted for the next 50 years. Jonas from Colonial Plaza Mall as we do just a little Orlando History splorin!
#Orlandohistory #Splorin
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We moved to Orlando in 1958 when my father became Traffic Engineer. He put the traffic lights on Orange Ave (after making it one way and getting rid of the "amble scramble") on a computer, one of the first traffic engineers in the country to do so. The computer kept the lights in sync, and during rush hour, they changed a little faster to keep traffic moving. If you went a certain miles per hour (usually between something like 27 mph to 35 mph depending on the time of day) you could catch all green lights all the way down Orange Ave. As you stated, by this time, the mall had opened and people were starting to shop at the mall. The downtown merchants accused my father of causing all the people to "quickly drive by" their stores with his computer system running the traffic lights and go elsewhere to shop, not realizing that it was so much more convenient to shop at the mall and parking was so much easier. I remember the computer that controlled the lights took up an entire corner of his office, floor to ceiling!
Haven't been to a mall in Orlando area in at least 20+ years. Was very impressed with Altamont Springs. Is it still operating?
Wow interesting
I moved to Orlando in 1963 with my mother sister and stepfather I was almost 13. Colonial Plaza was the place to shop and be in the 60s. I married and left Orlando in 1979 and was sad to hear of the different stores closing. Things change time moves on but great memories remain. I loved growing up in Orlando and miss the 60s and all the good times.
Spencer Gifts always adds a "touch of class" to any mall. Really enjoyed this Ryan!
Sawyer In The Middle super classy 👌😁
That was so good man! I love this stuff and I had no idea about Colonial Plaza and it’s history. I love me some malls. I love how you added all the other events and history of the current time in place.. that was awesome! Great job puttin all this awesome footage together and all the research. I know that wasn’t easy. This is my new favorite of yours buddy. I look forward to part 2.
PS I wish I had a black light mushroom poster
Tampa Jay agreed. Most mall videos people are posting nowadays seem to be about abandoned/dead malls, which I do enjoy watching, I do enjoy how Ryan shows how this mall affected the Orlando area and how shopping malls affected America in general. Nice job, Ryan.
Infinite Mushroom at Colonial Plaza was THEE place to go for so many things. dc.ocls.info/memory/place/infinite-mushroom-colonial-plaza
Dan beat me to it on my suggestion LOL
This was INCREDIBLE! I know how hard you worked on this and it's great! Funny how important some history is that people know nothing about!
Loved Ronnie's restaurant. I remember when I was about 5, all I wanted for lunch was one of those large sundae's. It was so tall I had to stand up on the booth seat to reach the straw. When we wanted to go to a larger Sear's and McCrory's store from where we lived, we had to drive on two lane US1 to two lane highway 50 over to downtown Orlando.
It really is a shame how the area has turned into just another strip mall
Holy moly dude!!! This was FANTASTIC!!! Very nicely done!!
That means a lot sir, your work was one of The Inspirations for this!
I was born in Orlando in 1958 and grew up going to Colonial Plaza with my parents and on my own once I was old enough to drive. I remember going to Jordan Marsh at Christmas and the restaurant on the top floor. Ronnie’s was my favorite restaurant of all time, so sad to see the changes that have happened over the past 60+ years. But that happens everywhere 😢 Was nice hearing the history😅 of the mall, which I didn’t previously know.
It's amazing how places like Ronnie is just on exist anymore.. everyone who experienced those types of restaurants love them, but for some reason they just couldn't seem to survive
Good stuff! You should make a comparable video about the Winter Park Mall and its demise and transformation into the Winter Park Village.
Excellent. Thank you. Great quality.
I loved Ronnies and it is what I miss the most about Colonial Plaza Mall.
Thank you for this! I remember Ronnie’s as a kid going there, then we moved to South Florida & my mom brought me back there as an adult right before they closed down it was a walk down memory road pointing to where we sat in Ronnie’s, she couldn’t believe because it was such a long time ago!
thank you for sharing that!
Absolutely enjoyed this video. Was disappointing to habe to wait for part 2, but it gives me something to look forward to. Excellent research and historical documentation.
I'll probably start working on part 2 tomorrow... It's already written, I just need to pull all the clips together into the voice over. If this one was any indication, I'll have it out in about 7 years
We enjoyed the intro video, Ryan. We're over 13 and still loved it! Just came over from Riches channel where we just met you. So happy we did. Love to go "Splorin!" We enjoyed hearing about the Colonial Plaza. You add in some great information here. Looking forward to some more "Splores!"
Thank you so much- Rich is true blue!
Thanks for the great video, I loved "The Rocking Chair Theater at the Colonial Mall" as it was known and so unique it definitely needs a mention, that would be so cool if Live Pub still used them.
They had a wood backing and if you reclined back about 6inches your seat cushion would shift forward and give you the option to rock.
Oh wow, I missed that! I would have loved to experience something like that
@@SplorinRyanmy family moved there the year before Grants closed and I remember being disappointed when It closed, the earliest movies I remember seeing at the Rocking Chair Theater were The Sting, Sleeper, American Graffiti and Papillion and became the spot for Midnight Movies in high school, one side played The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the other side was the usual rock movie like Woodstock, Yessongs, The Song Remains the Same.
Alot of high school drinking going on in that parking lot.
@@fredmehr-sx2kg I grew up in Cleveland help me have something very similar... I really do hate that malls have fallen out of favor so much. I get the reason, but they really were a piece of American culture
I'm Brazilian and I was at Colonial Plaza in June 2023, at the Dick’s store. It's a region where tourists definitely don't go. I was very impressed by the grandeur and decadence of the mall. These videos clarified a lot of questions for me.
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and to leave a comment! Hope you enjoyed your trip!
I went to the old rocking chair theater several times after I moved here in nineteen eighty five@SplorinRyan
The?
Amendment was passed in the sixty's , not the seventies
I do believe the Dick’s sporting goods that you visited on Colonial was apart of Fashion Square Mall’s development. The modern Colonial Plaza is actually a block away in the direction of downtown. Fronted by a Chick-fil-a amongst other restaurants.
@@madi7178 for sure!
My great grandfather, Charles Tiedtke, coined the phrase “ one stop shopping “ at Tiedtke’s in Toledo Ohio, at the turn of the century. Most of my family lives in Orlando and Winter Park. Tiedtke’s also had the first escalator in the United States and it only went up.
As a northern Ohioan, I love hearing this kind of history!
This was great Ryan! Cannot wait to see part 2 of this!
I miss Ronnie's restaurant(close unexpectedly in 1995). My parents used to go there all the time from 1964 - early 1980's..I remember the pickles and getting yelled at when I would walk in through the wrong door..they had 2 doors, 1 for a table to dine and the other for the bakery.
Glad to see a vlog from you ! Keep em coming
Oh this is an awesome vlog, Ryan! Love this style of vlogs.
Moved down here with my family as a little kid in '67. The Colonial Mall had already hit it's "heyday" and was going strong. I also remember the "Lil' 500" go-kart place (still there today!) on 17-92 South of Winter Park. Disney had just opened their Preview Center on Buena Vista Dr. That gigantic table-top model was an incredibly exciting thing for 5 year old me to see. And Hwy 50 West of 435 (Kirkman rd.) was still a tiny little two-lane road that you could safely cross even during the afternoon. Mr. Barnett was in the middle of his multi-phase expansion in West Orange county (that eventually became Pine Hills and the surrounding areas) -but everything just outside of his developments was still scrub-pine, cattle-fields and orange groves.
It's really painful to watch the weeds overtake the go karts on 17-92, isn't it?
I thoroughly enjoyed this! I can't wait for Part 2. And I'm hoping for more like it. Thanks for this Ryan!
Thanks George! I've got about 15 more of them on the docket, now I just need to figure out how to find the time LOL. More is definitely to come though!
@@SplorinRyan Awesome! I look forward to it!
That was awesome Ryan ! I love hearing about the history of places. Can't wait for part two.
My Dad and brother worked on the expansion that added Belk Lindsey. My mom, nana and I often lunched at the Oakmont Restaurant in Jordan Marsh and I worked at Ivey's.
Very interesting channel! Thanks for sharing! 😊😊👍👍
I appreciate that!
You did an awesome job, Ryan, on this vlog! I love learning about history of places. Can’t wait for part 2! Loving your new direction on your vlogs and still having the little clips that make you chuckle mixed in them randomly throughout. 👍👍👍👍
I definitely want to mix a little bit more humor into future episodes. This first one was pretty much just figuring out how to do the technical aspects of it!
I really enjoyed this .
Your research and history is very interesting .
Much appreciated Tracy!
This was really fascinating. I loved learning more about the history of the Orlando area when I lived in Apopka from 1990-2003. I saw a lot of changes just in that time and I am sure I would hardly recognize the area now. By the way, I love the video of Gus in the beginning! I remember the first Gus, the kissing camel, would show up at many area events. I took a picture of him kissing a friend of mine. Looking forward to Part 2!
Gus was awesome, wasnt he? Unfortunately, he met a sad end :(
@@SplorinRyan I know. I think they got a second one, but none could beat the original!
@@trish5556 I'm inclined to agree
I loved this flashback and it brought back lots of childhood memories. I was born at the air force base in 1964 2 miles from here. One item that is off is the closing the downtown Sears. I have been there with my parents when I was young so I wonder if the closing was in 1973 rather than 1963 as mentioned in the video.
I remember in the 70s growing up my dad worked at Publix in Tallahassee. It had those huge wings on front. It was the first and only remote warehouse support store built. Huge store for the time with twice as much basement access storage for dry goods and dairy products for the other local stores. It went well until an employee missed their footing on the service elevator and fell down the shaft breaking his back. The building still stands on North Monroe and the basement has been remodeled into offices but the Northwood Center is still there.
very cool!
To think that Sears across the corner from the Plaza would become one of the first anchors of the now nearly-dead (less than 15% storefront occupancy last month when I visited) Fashion Square Mall.
Lived 3 blocks from colonial plaza grew up there as a kid worked a belks when i was 20 Woolworth, grants,Ronnie's,jordan marsh,walgreens all had restaurants,fat boys bbq and beefy king across the street, when my mom was little the mall property was tg lee dairy she would hear the cows mooing at night it was sad when they tore it down a lot good memories through the decades
Cool share Ryan, interesting story, thank you for this 👍
Thanks for coming by again! This town is full of amazing history, and it's amazing how little of it comes to light
Colonial Plaza was fun during Halloween.
Great job, can’t wait for part 2. I was born in Orlando and the only thing I can remember about visiting Colonial Plaza is the Walgreens and a watch repair shop inside, and the Plaza Theatre during daycare field trips to watch Pippi Longstocking 😂 My parents rarely went, they preferred Winter Park Mall.
Pipi, lol! Now you're taking me back!
Nice video! Fond memories. Anyone remember the restaurant inside Grants? I worked there. I would love to find a photo of it.
I was actually shocked how few photos there are out there!
Always love some history xx
This was my favorite mall as a kid.
Infinite Mushroom was so much better than Spencer’s lol.
you're not wrong ;)
Well here’s something I had no idea about.
There's so much here that is just below the surface
I don’t think I even stepped foot on this property when I lived in Florida.
HELL YA ORLANDO HISTORY
this is my local shopping center!
Wow cool video
Great video! I love dead mall videos. 👍🏻👍🏻
Great history bro👍😁
Morris Lapidus designed the original Colonial Plaza? I had no idea. He was the architect who designed the Fontainbleau Hotel and Eden Roc Hotels in Miami Beach. He was a big deal.
Magic Mall!
Oh wow, I hadn't even considered doing that one.. me thinks you may be on to something!
@@SplorinRyan 🥺😅 stupid me… I honestly thought Magic Mall was part of Colonial Plaza..
Wow- way off!
@@mason96575 hey, pretty sure this is how the greatest innovations come about LOL
I used to shop there! I first saw the trailer for Phantom Menace in that movie theater
Listen to that serious voice! How long did this take to make?! I can imagine a very long time. Very cool. Did you know that?! Nooow you know!
Oh, give or take 5 weeks of my life LOL
last time I drove past there 20 yrs ago there was a adult bookstore there serving the community
I'm happy to say that it's gotten better. I wouldn't say that it's been restored to its former glory, but a lot better than that, lol!
I can almost smell Ronnies bakery. Went there every trip to that mall with my Grandmother to pick up some bread with her. Man, I miss that place.
I truly hate that I missed it, but I've only been in town full time for 7 years...
Yes. It's too bad it's gone like a lot of the old restaurants on the Colonial strip. But hey, at least we still have Beefy King and Hot dog heaven.
Disney destroyed Central Florida....
I have been saying that for a couple decades. I always wondered what Florida would be like if Disney never came here
I have not had any TG Lee milk in a long time it’s different up here
But it's so goooood
Splorin Ryan Purity is just not the same as TG Lee one of the few things I miss about Florida the name of the milk
Hey Ryan, mind if I link to this and part 2, for my video on Fashion Square? Because I seriously think that your vids need something to follow into the mall that took down Colonial Plaza (and now is not doing well). I'll provide as much credit for anything I have learned from your vids to you.
sure thing! I appreciate that!
@@SplorinRyan and appreciated from a fellow Orlando regional Also, you want some late-80s/early-90s mall aesthetics, go hit up Lakeshore mall down in Sebring. Hot damn, it's such a nostalgia trip.
nice, I wasnt aware of that one, thank you!
@@SplorinRyan No prob! Was honestly one of the first FL dead malls I've ever been to, and the first mall I had gone to years ago that had a K-Mart as an anchor.
The street is Colonial DRIVE, not Avenue.
Or as alot of people called it Highway 50 or just 50
Wasn’t it The infinite Mushroom and not Spencer’s?
Hi!!
Why hello
UM, ACTUALLY... it's Colonial Drive, not Avenue.
It is. Stupid mistake I made 5 years back
@@SplorinRyan all good. Fun video!
Moved here 1985