Mountain Lake Estates Historic District, Historic residential district in Lake Wales, Florida.
Mountain Lake Estates is a historic residential district spanning about 900 acres north of Lake Wales with homes in Mission Revival and Colonial Revival styles. The district contains around 65 preserved buildings, including the Mountain Lake Colony House with Mediterranean Revival design and the El Retiro Estate.
Frederick S. Ruth purchased the land in 1915 and began developing it in the 1920s as a residential community for wealthy winter visitors. The development was one of the first major residential projects of this type in central Florida.
The houses here show Mission Revival and Colonial Revival styles that shaped how this early residential community looked. Visitors can see in the architecture how wealthy winter residents built their homes and which building styles were popular at that time.
The district is located north of Lake Wales directly on Florida State Road 17 Scenic Highway and is easily accessible by car. Visitors can drive through the streets and view the homes from the outside, though the Mountain Lake Colony House functions as a club for residents and their guests.
The grounds were planned by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and featured a golf course designed by Seth Raynor. This combination of landscape design and golf was unusual for central Florida in the 1920s.
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