History’s
Mysteries
12 West Plant Street
The structure at 12 West Plant Street in Winter Garden, Florida, was the first brick commercial building built in
1912, after a 1909 fire destroyed all the downtown wood buildings. It was built by James L. Dillard and Benjamin T.
Boyd, both of whom served on Winter Garden’s first City Commission. Originally, it housed a bakery operated by
Albert E. Jones and a real estate company operated by Dillard. Lewis L. Kenneday opened the first Winter Garden
theatre in the second floor of the building about 1913. It operated until 1917, when it was replaced by the Lyric Theatre.
In the 1920s, A. D. Mims, later a county commissioner, operated a barbershop along the Main Street storefront. A
barber by the name of Allen Bland occupied the space later. Eighteen boarding rooms were available on the second
floor after the theatre closed. Various businesses, such as the Leader Department Store, the Winter Garden Pharmacy,
Tibbals-Rexall Drugs, J.S. Reddick’s meat market and a beer parlor, occupied the building at other times.
The image of the storefront (courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation) was taken in the early 1920’s.
The picture shows the Winter Garden Pharmacy, which occupied the first floor of the building. A display of citrus
advertisements- “Florida Sealdsweet Grapefruit”- adorns the window, and the Kodak and Rexall brands figure
prominently. Refl X