Casa Feliz

Welcome to Casa Feliz, the beautifully restored Spanish Farmhouse designed by acclaimed architect James Gamble Rogers II, overlooking the golf course in the heart of Winter Park. 

The exterior of the house and grounds feature rich textures of original Spanish roof tiles and whitewashed century-old bricks... a turret, a bell tower and a heavy timber balcony detailed in colors of the Mediterranean... lush landscaping--courtyards and sweeping oaks, and native plants contained by ancient clay amphoras. 

Enter inside to discover interiors skillfully refurbished to their original splendor. The rich details of the house--the living room's vaulted ceiling of massive hand-hewn beams; the heavily carved European antiques accenting each room; a Majolica-tiled interior courtyard and fountain; arched doorways and a circular staircase--combine for a setting at once comforting and breathtaking.

The public spaces of the house, include the living and dining rooms, library, courtyards and detached garden room.

Casa Feliz, or "Happy House" in Spanish, is the signature residential work of noted architect James Gamble Rogers II. Initially known as the Barbour Estate, this Andalusian-style masonry farmhouse has significantly influenced the architectural and cultural aspects of this community. In 1932, when Massuchusetts industrialist Robert Bruce Barbour commissioned Rogers to design a home on the shore of Lake Osceola, the young architect described it as a "dream come true." Barbour offered Rogers unheard-of freedom for an architect; "Design it any way you like. If I don't like it, I'll sell it." Thus, perhaps more than any of Rogers' buildings, Casa Feliz bears his imprimatur. Built during the Great Depression for a cost of $28,000, the house was Rogers' only project at the time. He set up his drawing board on site, rolling up his shirt sleeves to help with the carpentry and masonry.

Barbour loved the resulting house, as did the Winter Park community which cherished the home as the crown jewel in this "City of Homes" over the next 70 years. Community members rallied around the house in the year 2000, when the property faced the threat of demolition. More than $1.2 million was raised in private donations to save and restore the home. The first step was to move the house across Interlachen Avenue to its present location on the Winter Park Golf Course. The event became a media spectacle, as the 750 ton behemoth, balanced on 20 pneumatically leveled dollies, rode the 300 yards to its new home. Once the house was positioned in its new location, restoration began. Highly skilled craftsmen and artisans worked to restore the house to its original design. Copies of Rogers' original drawings and interior photographs taken in 1937 by Harold Haliday Costain were used to ensure authenticity

Open for self-guided tours
Tuesday and Thursday 10-12