Lake Eola
| Lake Eola | |
|---|---|
View from the park site (2006)
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| Location | Downtown Orlando, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°32′37″N 81°22′22″W / 28.54361°N 81.37278°WCoordinates: 28°32′37″N 81°22′22″W / 28.54361°N 81.37278°W |
| Type | Sinkhole |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 23 acres (9.3 ha) |
| Average depth | 11 feet 5 inches (3.48 m) |
| Max. depth | 23 feet 8 inches (7.21 m) |
| Water volume | 103,802,700 US gallons (86,433,800 imp gal; 392,936 m3) |
| Shore length1 | 4,493 feet (1,369 m) |
| Islands | 1 |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Eola Park is located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. Lake Eola is the main feature of the park. Also located in the park (on the west side) is the Walt Disney Amphitheater, which hosts many community events and various performances year round. On the east side of the park is a Chinese pagoda, a Confederate States of America monument, and a playground. The park is surrounded by four streets: East Robinson Street (State Road 526), Rosalind Avenue (SR 527), East Central Boulevard, and North Eola Drive.
Lake Eola is a small lake in Downtown Orlando, Florida, located at 28°32′37″N 81°22′22″W / 28.54361°N 81.37278°W in Lake Eola Park. The lake is actually a sinkhole and is famous for its fountain. The sinkhole is approximately 23 feet 8 inches (7.21 m)deep and is located 100 feet (30.5 m) east of the fountain. The fountain changes colors at night like a light show. The lake is 4,493 feet (1,369 m) in circumference and 23 acres (9.3 ha) large. A 0.85-mile (1.37 km) multi-use sidewalk surrounds the water.
In 1883, wealthy Orlando resident Jacob Summerlin—owner of the Summerlin Hotel, the first City Council president, and financial lender for the construction of Orlando's courthouse in the 1870s—donated a large tract of land to establish a park in Orlando. In 1883, Summerlin came to a city council meeting and offered the land around the lake on the condition that was beautified and turned into a park. He also required that the city plant trees and put a "driveway" around the lake. To ensure that the city followed through with the stipulations of the donation, Summerlin put reverter clauses in the contract to allow his heirs to reclaim the property if the city failed in its obligations. Several years later, his sons threatened to exercise the reverter clause if the city did not make good on its promise. Today, the park is still maintained according to his requirement that it be kept beautiful.
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Wikipedia