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:
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
The Participants
Andrew Stebbins
Architectural Foam and Art
Josh Castillo
Sunshine State Concrete and Masonry
Robbie Walker
Decorative Concrete Specialists
Michael Hickey
Dprint