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The Place

The Maguires of Lakeland, with the support and assistance of Platform Art, has partnered with the First United Methodist Church to establish a significant public art installation on Lake Morton Drive to illustrate and celebrate the essence and endurance of the city’s first neighborhood. 

The overall design centers on a family picnic scenario with stylized, life-size characters representing men, women, and children surrounding a detailed street map of the historic neighborhood, laid out like a picnic blanket, with the residential blocks embossed on its surface.

 

A signpost displays directional arrows and QR codes linking users to the websites of Lakeland’s creative community partners:

 

Florida Dance Theatre 

Florida Children’s Museum

Lakeland Community Theatre

Lakeland Symphony Orchestra 

Platform Art 

Polk Museum of Art 

Polk Theatre

Among other impacts, Lake Morton Place intends to strengthen the residents’ attachment to the place itself and to ensure that visitors are warmly welcomed. Officially designated as an historic district in 1985, the neighborhood continues to thrive, and remains a modern version of its original form with a wide variety of architecture and living spaces that accommodate broad economic diversity. 

 

According to the designer, Michael Maguire, “While many such places tout “historic preservation”, this project focuses on “historic perseverance”, recognizing that the area is alive and well, not mummified!”

 

 

The Partners

First United Methodist Church

The City of Lakeland

The Lake Morton Neighborhood Association

Lake Morton Century Homes

The Maguires of Lakeland

Platform ART

The Participants

Andrew Stebbins

Architectural Foam and Art

Josh Castillo

Sunshine State Concrete and Masonry

Robbie Walker

Decorative Concrete Specialists

Michael Hickey

Dprint

Lake Morton Place is featured - at location 25 - on the City of Lakeland's interactive

Public Art Trail

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