The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Lake Byrd Lodge

Lake Byrd Lodge was a landmark three-story rustic wooden and cypress log lodge constructed in 1919–1920 on the northeastern shore of Lake Byrd, approximately two miles north of downtown Avon Park along the Old Lakeland Highway.[maxwell-1976][wpa-1939]

Designed by architect William J. Heim in a monumental rustic log style reminiscent of the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, the lodge served across eighty years as a corporate citrus headquarters, guest clubhouse, youth summer camp, wartime aviation cadet barracks, and regional church conference center.[maxwell-1976][wingmann-history]

Architectural Design and Corporate Origin (1920)

In 1919, the Pittsburgh-Florida Fruit Growers Association (organized by the Anderson brothers—A. V., C. P., and C. Parke Anderson) engaged Pittsburgh architect William J. Heim to design an imposing regional headquarters and hospitality lodge for their 4,000-acre citrus plantation surrounding Lake Byrd.[maxwell-1976][nrhp-avon-park-district]

Heim relocated to Avon Park in 1920 to oversee construction.[maxwell-1976] The finished three-story lodge incorporated heavy timber framing, whole pine logs, split cypress shakes, extensive fieldstone fireplaces, and expansive second-floor verandas overlooking the lake.[wingmann-history] The building served as:

  1. Corporate Headquarters: Central offices for the Pittsburgh-Florida Land Development Company and the Lake Byrd Packing Company.[maxwell-1976]
  2. Investor Guest Lodge: Private hospitality accommodations and dining facilities where prospective northern citrus investors and land purchasers stayed while inspecting developing grove parcels on the Lake Wales Ridge.[maxwell-1976]

The critical success of Lake Byrd Lodge established Heim’s architectural practice in Highlands County, leading directly to his commissions for the Hotel Jacaranda (1926), the Pinecrest Hotel (1926), and Avon Park City Hall (1929).[maxwell-1976]

Episcopal Diocese and Camp Wingmann (1933–1936)

From 1933 to 1936, the Episcopal Diocese of South Florida leased Lake Byrd Lodge as the summer home for its diocesan youth camps, providing seasonal lodging for hundreds of children across central and south Florida.[wingmann-history]

During the Lake Byrd occupancy, the program operated three separate age divisions: Camp Perry for junior boys, Camp St. Mary for junior girls, and Camp Wingmann for high school youths.[wingmann-history] The Federal Writers’ Project 1939 guide noted the site as a landmark at mile 42 of Tour 15, recording it as a private clubhouse hosting the annual encampment of the Episcopal Diocese.[wpa-1939] In 1939, following a land donation on Trout Lake from senior warden John Sears Francis of the Church of the Redeemer, the diocese constructed its own permanent campus at Camp Wingmann.[wingmann-history]

World War II Aviation Training (1941–1945)

During World War II, the lodge was leased by the United States Army Air Forces and civilian contractor Albert I. Lodwick to support primary pilot training at the Lodwick Aviation Military Academy (operating from the Avon Park Municipal Airport).[maxwell-1976] Lake Byrd Lodge provided auxiliary cadet barracks and officer housing, accommodating military flight personnel stationed in Avon Park.[maxwell-1976]

Florida UCC Conference Center and Demolition (1948–2000s)

In 1948, the property was purchased by the Florida Congregational Christian Conference (subsequently the Florida Conference of the United Church of Christ).[wingmann-history] For over five decades (1948–2002), the site operated as the Lake Byrd Conference Center, hosting year-round religious retreats, summer camps, educational conferences, and community gatherings.[wingmann-history]

Following the conference center’s closure in 2002, the property was sold to private real estate developers for a proposed residential subdivision named Lake Byrd Shores. The historic 1920 log lodge was subsequently demolished to clear the waterfront tract.[maxwell-1976]

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
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unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
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society

Sources

  1. Leoma Bradshaw Maxwell, The First Hundred Years of Avon Park, Florida (references/the-first-hundred-years-of-avon-park_leoma-bradshaw-maxwell_1976.md) (1976)
  2. Federal Writers' Project, Work Projects Administration for the State of Florida, Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State, Federal Writers' Project, 1939, page 498 (1939)
  3. Camp Wingmann, Inc., Our History, Camp Wingmann, Avon Park, Florida (2026)
  4. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Avon Park Historic District (reference 90000486) (references/nrhp-avon-park-historic-district-1990.md) (1990)

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