Gilded Age Architecture- Winter Park

The topic I have picked for my research paper is architecture in Winter Park in the late nineteenth century. A prime example of the United States during the Gilded Age, Winter Park offers many examples of growing architectural trends throughout America that started in the 1880‘s. I am choosing this direction because I have a strong interest in architecture, particularly the Gilded Age. Having grown up in Rhode Island close to Newport, a famous Gilded Age town, I am aware of the many architectural styles seen in the late nineteenth century. Many of these styles entail lavish details on grand mansions found on the wealthy side of town. As we have already learned in this class, during the transformation from an agricultural to an industrial society, Americans changed from producers to consumers. This age represented acquiring as many material goods as possible to symbolize one’s wealth and elite social status. Estates and mansions are one of the highlighted examples of these “consumed goods” during the 1880’s and 1890’s. I plan to look into how the architectural trends and details represented the change for Americans to a consumer society. To do this, I will research Winter Park architectural history in relation to the Gilded Age, along with gathering information back home in Newport for additional support. It should be a very interesting project.