Metcalf Building | 100 S Orange Ave
May 2023
The Metcalf Building on the southwest corner of Orange Ave and Pine St. has historic significance for Orlando and maintains its relevance today. The building was constructed in 1923 for the Orlando Federal Savings and Loan Association. It then housed the Orlando Bank & Trust Company, which failed in 1932 amidst the Great Depression. Real estate investor Henry W. Metcalf purchased the building in 1930 for $125,000.
Image: Metcalf Building
Source: Orange County Regional History Center via Mickey Blog
Built by A.G. Bentley, the 10-story building was one of Orlando’s three original skyscrapers, along with an eight-story building at 32 N. Orange Ave. (constructed in 1922 and demolished in the 1980s) and the 10-story Angebilt Hotel, which opened in 1923 and still stands today at 37 N. Orange Ave.
Image: Postcard of the Orlando Bank & Trust Co. building (now the Metcalf Building), 1923.
Source: Florida Memory
At the time, the Chicago style brick building was one of the most fashionable places to have a business. The building features classical designs and, underneath, has one of the largest cellars in downtown Orlando. Today, many residents know that cellar as Tanqueray’s Bar & Grille.
Tanqueray’s Bar & Grille, located in the cellar of the Metcalf Building
Source: Orlando Weekly
In its lifetime, the building has seen numerous businesses come and go. After the failure of the Orlando Bank & Trust Company, other businesses that opened included:
- Liggett Drug Store (1936)
- Walt Disney Company. In fact, Disney used the top floor of the building as an office in the 1960s while Walt Disney World was under development.
- The Orlando/Kissimmee Host Committee for the 1994 World Cup. The committee was responsible for five games that brought in $82 million in economic impact and over 80,000 visitors to the area.
- Citrus Bank in 2002
Image courtesy of the City of Orlando
In 2021, the building was renovated for office space, including HVAC, exterior work and fiber optic cable installation. Today, the Metcalf Building offers space for first-floor retail or ±3,483 square foot full floor office suites for small and mid-sized businesses.
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Sources
- City of Orlando, “Downtown Orlando Historic Districts Walking Tour & Map,” accessed May 17, 2023
- First Capital Property Group, “The Historic Metcalf Building,” accessed May 17, 2023
- Mickey Blog, “Rare Historic Orlando Office Building with Disney Connection Sold,” January 12, 2022
- Orange County Regional History Center, “Skyscraper Survivors,” September 3, 2020
- Orlando Business Journal, “Historic downtown Orlando building fetches millions as office market sees ‘gradual recovery,’” October 28, 2021
- Orlando Sentinel, “Metcalf tower in Orlando is for sale,” March 3, 2006
- TotalCommercial.com, “The Historic Metcalf Building – Orlando, FL,” accessed May 17, 2023
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