Celebration, Florida is a planned community created by a real estate division of The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company commissioned famous architects to create the master plan and to design the buildings.
Founded in 1994, Celebration has the flavor of southern American village from the 1930s. There is a small, pedestrian-friendly shopping area. Celebration, Florida is often cited as an example of New Urbanism, or neo-traditional town design.
In 2004, the Disney Company sold the 16-acre town center to Lexin Capital, a private real estate investment company. However, Market Street still has a storybook atmosphere that some visitors call "Disney-esque." There is a Caribbean flavor to the buildings here. Sided in brightly-colored stucco, the Market Street buildings have wide overhangs, shutters, verandas, and arcades.
Celebration has successfully combined education, health, community, technology and architecture into a community with a strong sense of self. World-renowned architects designed Celebration to be a new and exciting place to live, work and play.
Location:
Located in northwest Osceola County, Florida, south of U.S. 192 and adjacent to Interstate 4, Celebration is 30 minutes from downtown Orlando and 20 minutes from Orlando International Airport via Highway 417.
Current Approximations: 9,000 residents
4,060 homes and condominiums
Openings: First Residents Summer 1996
Town Center November 1996
Celebration School August 1997
Celebration Health November 1997
Stetson University Center August 2001
Celebration High School August 2003
Water Tower Place Fall 2005
Major Awards:
NAIOP Excellence Awards, 1996 Development of the Year
Grand Project Excellence Award,
1997 Large/Design/Civil – Surveying – Celebration Infrastructure Development Phase 1
American Society of Landscape Architects
1998 Award of Excellence – Celebration Town Center
1998 Frederick B. Stresau Award – Celebration Town Center
2001 – Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence as Best New Community
Celebration is a broad mix of residential offerings including condominiums and townhomes, as well as terrace, bungalow, garden, cottage, village, manor and estate homes.
Celebration Village, West Village and Lake Evalyn were Celebration’s first phase of development, with a total of approximately 500 home sites, including 76 townhomes, and nearly 700 condominiums. The second phase of residential development was North Village, with more than 300 homes sites and 300 condominiums, followed by South Village with over 600 home sites and townhomes and nearly 500 condominiums, and phase four, East Village and Aquila Reserve with a combined 500 homes and townhomes and 70 condominiums. Artisan Park, Celebration’s last residential phase to date, is a 160-acre village built by St. Joe Company contains more than 600 homes and condominiums
The architecture blends traditional, Southeastern exteriors with floor plans and interiors that are designed for modern lifestyles and tastes. Homes, most with welcoming front porches, encourage activity in the front yard. Most residences have rear access to the garage by means of a service alley. Community and architectural guidelines were developed by Urban Design Associates, in conjunction with Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Cooper.
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