Seminole County will hold a groundbreaking at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, for a new community center on the grounds of the former Rosenwald School in East Altamonte, the next phase of a years-long effort to turn the 12-acre property into a public park.
The school opened in 1931 as one of the thousands of Rosenwald Schools built across the South through an effort led by Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist, and Booker T. Washington to expand schooling for Black children during segregation. According to the county, it later served as a special education center and closed in 2011. The county bought the property in 2019.
"There are many, many Rosenwald schools," Rick Durr, the county's parks and recreation director, told WESH 2 in a story aired Monday. "The school itself on that site burned down."
What is built and what comes next
The first phase, already finished, added walking paths, pavilions and stormwater work. A presentation the county gave residents at a Sept. 30 community meeting said permits were complete for the second phase, a fishing pier, a kayak launch and more drainage improvements, and that construction was expected to begin that week.
The community center comes after that. County commissioners approved a building of more than 6,000 square feet in April 2024.
The final design includes a covered entrance, a lobby with a front desk, a multi-use room for classes and computer use, and an event space that seats 200 and can be divided into three rooms, along with covered porches, a metal roof, high ceilings and large windows.
Durr told WESH the architects drew on the look of the original Rosenwald Schools, with brick facades, tall windows and a symmetrical design.
