National Register of Historic Places

Mountain Lake Estates Historic District

Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida
Listed
August 25, 1993
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
93000871

About this property

Mountain Lake is a private community and U.S. historic district north of the City of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, off the FL 17 (formerly US 27A) Scenic Highway. Mountain Lake was founded in 1915, with major development of the property commencing in the 1920s. It was designated as a historic district (Mountain Lake Estates Historic District) in August 1993. It has also been designated as an Audubon International leader in community sustainability. Mountain Lake is located in the ridge country of Central Florida, and was developed by Baltimorean Frederick S. Ruth. According to the National Park Service, Ruth purchased 3,500 acres of "lush land in the richest and most elevated real estate in the area" consisting of Florida's "liveliest hills, lakes, forests, and groves". The developers wanted Mountain Lake to be an exclusive residential area created "to attract the nation's business elite". With proximity close to trains from the North which would bring residents down for ‘the season,' Ruth engaged Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to lay out 600 acres of the property for the residences and Seth Raynor to design the golf course. This same trio of Ruth, Olmsted and Raynor went on to design and develop Fishers Island Club in the 1920s, while Olmsted and Raynor also designed Yeamans Hall Club. There are some notes in the archives at Mountain Lake that Ruth spoke to Donald Ross prior to selecting Raynor; however Raynor was chosen and Mountain Lake became the first development of its kind. Such wealthy and widely known people as Edward W. Bok (long-time editor of Ladies' Home Journal and Pulitzer-Prize-winning author), August Heckscher (benefactor of the Heckscher Museum of Art), and Irving T. Bush (of Bush Terminal, Bush Tower, and Bush House fame) subsequently became early "snowbirds" and established winter homes in or near Mountain Lake Estates. Vanity Fair described Mountain Lake in 2001 as an "old, established Wasp enclave in rural central Florida". Well-known sites, the Mountain Lake Colony House and Bok Tower Gardens, are part of Mountain Lake.

Location

Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida
27.93476, -81.59154

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Mountain Lake Estates Historic District

This page lists Mountain Lake Estates Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Mountain Lake Colony House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower
Industrial
0.9 mi
El Retiro
Industrial
1.4 mi
Lake of the Hills Community Club
Industrial
1.4 mi
Spook Hill
Listed
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mountain Lake Estates Historic District listed on the National Register?

Mountain Lake Estates Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Mountain Lake Estates Historic District?

Mountain Lake Estates Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mountain Lake Estates Historic District?

The period of significance for Mountain Lake Estates Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Mountain Lake Estates Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Mountain Lake Estates Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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