The Ward Cottage

Winter park house 3

Hi, Catherine.  Thank you for painting our home.  We love the painting, and we will always remember how our lives crossed.   Please come see us before you leave the U.S.  Perhaps someday you can come back to the U.S. and visit us again - or we can meet you in Paris!   We hope you become a famous artist.

Here is a short history of the house:

It is known as "The Ward Cottage" or "The Ward House".  It was built in 1883 by the only Episcopal minister in Central Florida, Charles Ward. In 1883 he was married and had two children, a young son and an older daughter.  Building materials for the house were ordered in March, 1883 and the house was completed in November, 1883.  It is constructed entirely of cedar, cypress, oak, and heart pine - with plaster walls and ceilings, and cypress paneling covering the entry hall, living room, library, and dining room walls. 

In 1884, Winter Park incorporated, Rollins College opened it's doors, and the Reverend and Mrs. Ward (who was eight months pregnant with their third child) traveled to New York.   During the trip Mrs. Ward (Katherine) miscarried; both the child and mother died. Mr. Ward wrote to Mr. Rollins, who was opening Rollins College, that he had built the beautiful home for his deceased wife, he had spent the happiest year of his life there, and he could not bear to come back.  He offered it as the first girls' dorm for Rollins College - and his offer was accepted.   Several out-of-town female students lived at the house for the next 2-3 years. 

The house had a detached kitchen (as most houses did then, to protect the main house from burning down if the kitchen caught on fire) where the little green cottage now sits.   Because Rollins College did not have a kitchen on campus, and the boys dorm (which was in a different part of town) did not have a kitchen, The Ward Cottage served, not only as the girls' dorm, but as the kitchen for the entire campus.  Everyone would come here to share their evening meal. 

Within 2-3 years, a beautiful three story wooden structure (Pinehurst Cottage) was built on campus to serve as the girls' dorm, and the girls were moved from The Ward Cottage to Pinehurst. Pinehurst remains as one of multiple girls' dorms on campus today.  

When the girls' dorm was moved from The Ward Cottege, the first President of Rollins College, Dr. Hooker, moved into the house. It was used by Rollins College in some capacity - including a fraternity house in the early 1930s -  until 1935, when it was sold to an individual and became a private residence once again.   That owner, Mrs. Bennett, donated the beautiful original glass front door to Rollins College, to be used on one of the girls' dorms being constructed on campus that year.

In 1937 the graduating girls of Rollins College placed a boulder and historic marker in front of the house, commemorating it as the first girls' dorm. Since then, it has changed hands several times, with owners sometimes staying only a year to two, others (like myself) staying many years.  I have lived in the house since 1987.

At times we have had incidents which lead us to believe we have two spirits in the house, a male and a female. We call them Charles and Katherine.  If they are here, they must be happy, since the incidents are playful.  

When we were faced with very serious water damage in 2007, we made a decision to bring the house all the way back to her original beauty, instead of razing her or just repairing damage and letting it go.   We hope in generations to come, someone will look back and say, "I think there was a couple living in the house way back in 2012 who really loved this place and decided to breathe new life into it".  Even if that conversation never takes place, we feel a real connection to the house and believe we have given her new life. 

Thank you for your beautiful painting, which captures the personality of our home.