The 1980s were a heyday for Church Street Station, and founder Bob Snow capitalized on the destination’s popularity. While visiting the attraction, visitors could buy a commemorative brick to be installed in and around the entryways to the Exchange Building, Bumby Arcade, and Cheyenne Saloon & Opera House.
Church Street Station bricks commemorated a number of celebrations — or just stated the obvious. (NICK GEORGOUDIOU)
Hundreds of the bricks were purchased, celebrating people, birthdays, vacations, recent marriages, holidays and much more. Construction on Church Street started in July, converting the block with the Church Street Station buildings to a festival street. With that change, the bricks are being removed, and the City of Orlando set up a program to help people identify and claim their bricks.
After scouting out her own brick over the weekend, local resident and former Community Paper columnist Allison Steedle arrived at noon on Oct. 13 to reserve three bricks — hers, her brother’s and a cousin’s who now lives up north.
Allison Steedle brought the commemorative certificate her family received when they bought her Church Street brick in 1985. (NICK GEORGOUDIOU)
“I didn’t think about my brick very often, but I’ve always been weirdly proud of it,” wrote Steedle. “I’ve come and gone and come back again to Orlando, and it’s been fun to think about how it’s just been in that place for over 40 years now. It’s sad that they are being removed, but so cool to be able to get back a piece of the city and my history!”
Steedle met with members of the Downtown Orlando Ambassador Team who were on hand over the week to mark off the claimed bricks. The mementos would be available later once they could be removed safely.
According to a city release, unclaimed bricks will go into storage and be repurposed for other projects.