On Oct. 24, winds swept across The Alfond Inn Courtyard as guests gathered for the groundbreaking of The Innovation Triangle. The Innovation Triangle will include an expanded Rollins Museum of Art, as well as the new Institute for Management and Executive Leadership and the recently expanded Alfond Inn. The goal of this project is to create “a hub for arts, leadership education, and hospitality that is poised to enhance Winter Park’s reputation as a premier cultural destination.”
The groundbreaking ceremony featured remarks from Rollins College President Brooke Barnett, Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio, Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings, Dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business and Global Leadership Anil Menon, and Rollins Museum of Art Executive Director Leslie Anderson.
“Transformative projects are never the work of one leader or one moment,” Barnett said. She acknowledged the work of former President Grant Cornwell and architectural teams, as well as donors. Mayor Jerry Demings spoke about how tourism has helped with funding and how Orange County has a budget of over $35 million allocated toward the arts.
The speakers discussed the benefits these new facilities will have. Anderson focused on the impact of an expanded museum; according to her, The Rollins Museum of Art houses a collection of around 6,000 works, and the new location will allow them to display more of their collection. Menon discussed how the facilities will be beneficial in advancing management and leadership.
“We are a community that embraces progress while honoring tradition,” Mayor DeCiccio said. DeCiccio expects The Innovation Triangle to affect the greater Winter Park area and increase the number of visitors downtown.
At the end of the ceremony, Barnett and distinguished guests were invited to partake in the “groundbreaking,” in which they dug shovels into pails of sand to symbolize the start of construction on this project.
As of now, the estimated date of completion for The Innovation Triangle is August 2027.
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