Construction crews are now working on the long-vacant Rosenwald School property in East Altamonte, where Seminole County is building a $4 million community park and center on land tied to one of the nation's most significant Black education movements. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on October 29, marking a visible milestone in a transformation that has been years in the making.
The Rosenwald School opened on the Merritt Street campus in 1931 as part of a national effort, backed by Sears Roebuck leader Julius Rosenwald and educator Booker T. Washington, to expand educational access for Black children during segregation, according to WESH. That initiative ultimately funded nearly 5,000 schools across 15 Southern states, as detailed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, only 10 to 12 percent of the 5,357 Rosenwald schools, shop buildings and teacher homes built between 1917 and 1932 still stand, underscoring how few remain.
The School's History and Closure
Seminole County Parks and Recreation Director Rick Durr said the original school building on the site burned down, a detail WESH's report includes alongside the broader history of the campus. The school closed in 2011, leaving the neighborhood without the centralized gathering place it had relied on for decades.
East Altamonte was once known as Winwood, according to the Florida History Blog. Former U.S. Congressman Alcee Hastings, who served 28 years in the U.S. House and became Florida's first Black federal judge, was born in Altamonte Springs, the same outlet notes.
From Demolition to Groundbreaking
Seminole County bought the roughly 12-acre property from the local school district in 2019 for $1.75 million, aiming to redevelop the vacant site into a public community asset. Demolition of the remaining dilapidated buildings on the Merritt Street campus began in August 2024, according to Click Orlando, clearing the way for the construction now underway. In May 2026, the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners approved rezoning the roughly 12.96-acre site from single- and two-family residential to Public Lands and Institutions, the entitlement needed for the planned park and community center.
Seminole County has already opened a park with walkways and pavilions on the property, and an extension of adjacent Lake Mobile is currently under construction. That extension includes a fishing pier, extended walkways, stormwater improvements and a canoe-kayak launch, per WESH's reporting. The centerpiece 6,000-square-foot community center, first outlined by Click Orlando in April 2024, is designed to host youth programs, cultural events, job training and civic meetings — restoring the kind of centralized hub the neighborhood lost when the school shut its doors.
Design Pays Homage, Residents Push for a Name
The new community center is intended to honor the Rosenwald site's history through its architecture, featuring brick facades, tall windows, high ceilings, airy spaces and a symmetrical, classic appearance, WESH reports. Malesah Thornton, a member of the local community, said the project will be something residents are looking forward to, according to the same report.
Seminole County is now seeking community input on what to permanently call the park, with plans to bring a recommended name before the Board of County Commissioners. Durr said the name should come from the community itself. That outreach continued earlier this month, when Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart hosted a community meeting to share updated project milestones and gather input on the naming decision, according to a post on her Facebook page.
The entire project carries an estimated price tag of $4 million and is expected to be completed by 2027. Hoodline reported that Amy Lockhart has called for completing a community center in East Altamonte in its recent look at the commission race.
