Razing of Orlando’s longtime Griffin Park underway to make room for new housing community
Demolition is underway at Griffin Park, the Orlando Housing Authority’s first and oldest housing community, marking the first step of plans to revitalize the historic community.
Plans are to transform it into new mixed-income housing tucked further away from the noise and pollution of Interstate 4.
Opened in 1941, Griffin Park has 23 buildings and sits on nine acres nestled between I-4 and the East-West Expressway. The community has been recognized by the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.
As part of the project, two buildings — one of which includes the management office for the community — will be preserved for historic purposes.
Orlando Housing Authority CEO Vivian Bryant, who gathered with others at the site Thursday for the demolition, said there’s no timeline yet for building new housing and that it’s contingent upon community input.
“In terms of rebuilding, we’ll work with the community, city and history museum to come up with a plan for what the new structures will look like and what the design will be,” she said. “Then we’ll go after financing to build.”