Robert Bruce Barbour meets young architect James Gamble Rogers II and commissions him to design a Winter Park home.

Casa Feliz is completed. Rogers works closely with craftsmen to create what would become one of the defining works of his career.

The Barbours open their home for cultural programs, musical performances, charitable events and community gatherings. Casa Feliz earns a reputation as “Winter Park’s Parlor.”

The house passes through several private owners while remaining a prominent landmark on Interlachen Avenue overlooking Lake Osceola.

Demolition begins, prompting an immediate community response and the effort to save Casa Feliz.

Friends of Casa Feliz is formed. Volunteers, donors, preservationists and community leaders rally to raise the funds needed to relocate the house.

A nesting pair of bald eagles on the property provides the preservation campaign with unexpected additional time.

Following extensive engineering and site preparation, Casa Feliz began its remarkable relocation across Interlachen Avenue to its new home overlooking the Winter Park Golf Course. Thousands of spectators gathered to witness the four-day move, which featured live music, community celebrations, and extensive media coverage. Carefully transported approximately 300 yards, the 800-ton masonry house reached its new foundation without structural damage, becoming one of the most celebrated building relocations in Florida history.

A major restoration returns Casa Feliz as closely as possible to its original 1933 appearance.

The first wedding is held at the restored Casa Feliz.

Casa Feliz officially opens to the public with a community celebration attended by more than 2,500 people.

Casa Feliz once again becomes a center for community life through museum tours, the Parlor Series, Music at the Casa, art exhibitions, lectures, weddings and preservation programs.

Casa Feliz is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Thousands of people visit Casa Feliz each year. More than 130 couples celebrate their weddings here annually, and the house continues to serve as a gathering place, historic home museum and advocate for the preservation of Winter Park’s architectural heritage.

“After 10 months of planning, this 750-ton structure had finally inched its way from its original site on Lake Osceola, up to Interlachen Avenue. It was draped in red, white and blue bunting. An enthusiastic Thaddeus Seymour was conducting a Dixieland band from his vintage Packard convertible. Standing among onlookers, both doubters and cheerleaders, we felt fearful, challenged and grateful to be celebrating this hometown miracle.”

“As a 6-year-old child, the moving of Casa Feliz changed my conception of what was possible. The Herculean effort undertaken to protect my hometown’s history inspires me to this day.”

“In 2000 we relocated from Oakville, Ontario—a community just east of Toronto with many of the same qualities as Winter Park—we chose Winter Park because it felt immediately familiar.

We were drawn to the many attributes that reminded us of the wonderful community we were leaving behind: Park Avenue with its locally owned shops and restaurants, Central Park as the gathering place for community events, the Tiffany collection at the Morse Museum, and the vibrant college-town atmosphere created by Rollins College.

What truly confirmed that we had made the right choice, however, was the community's determination to save the Barbour Estate, better known as Casa Feliz. Rather than allowing this historic home to be demolished, residents rallied to relocate and preserve it. We followed the remarkable move with great interest, and it reinforced our belief that Winter Park was a community that valued its history and character.

That experience became an important catalyst for our own involvement in the community. Over the years, it inspired us to become active in a variety of organizations and to serve on boards and task forces dedicated to preserving and strengthening the qualities that first drew us to Winter Park.”

“Every afternoon on the way home from Park Maitland School, the elementary-school-age kids in my carpool requested that we drive by the house being moved. They were so curious and enthusiastic as the house inched its way to its new lot.”

“A home representing an era of Winter Park history and character was being saved. It was not being torn down for ‘development,’ but preserved and repurposed.”

“I remember all the people thinking it would never work and that no one will ever go to events there.”

“I have a memory of walking under the house with one of the staff people from the state historic preservation office while Casa Feliz was up on steel and the floorless interior courtyard was open to the sky. Happy 25th anniversary. How time has flown.”