Church Street Station - Orlando, Florida
After the success of Seville Quarter in
Pensacola, Bob Snow became convinced the
formula could be repeated elsewhere,
perhaps in a bigger marketplace. Upon
learning that Walt Disney had selected
Orlando, Florida for his next “Disneyland”
Bob set off for Central Florida and the rest is history.
Church Street Station soon became
downtown Orlando’s premier entertainment
complex with superb dining, shopping, and
entertainment. Music included Dixieland jazz,
country and western, bluegrass, top 40 hits,
plus there was a variety of other restaurants
and unique shops.
The attraction had five spectacular showrooms with
entertainment for everyone: Rosie O’Grady’s with
strumming
banjos, the
Goodtime
Jazz Band,
Charleston
dancers,
singing
waiters, and can-can dancers on the bar; Apple Annie’s
Courtyard which was a Victorian garden specializing in
frozen drinks; Phineas Phogg’s Balloon Works
featuring the day’s top 40 hits surrounded by décor
honoring famous balloonists and their historic flights; The
Cheyenne Saloon and
Opera House
featured country
and western music
Grand Old Opry style and almost every famous country singer of
the day performed there; and the Orchid Garden Ballroom
which was a beautiful show room with live music from the ‘50s
thru the ‘90s.
The restaurants were incredible. Lili Marlene’s Aviator’s Pub and Restaurant catered to the
connoisseur of fine dining and
featured aged beef and fresh
seafood; The Cheyenne
Barbeque Restaurant
featured beef, pork, and
chicken barbeque as well as
buffalo burgers; Crackers
Oyster Bar served fresh
Florida seafood and pasta
specialties; Rosie
O’Grady’s served deli
sandwiches, New Orleans Po-
Boys, and Red Hots (hot
dogs) in the Gay ‘90s
Sandwich Parlour; The
Wine Cellar stocked more
than 4,000 bottles of fine wine and offered daily tastings from selected
vineyards; and The Exchange Food Pavilion featured fast convenient foods.
The Church Street Station Exchange was a 125,000 square foot shopping complex designed to
appeal to both tourists and locals alike with more than 60 specialty shops and restaurants in a beautiful
Victorian atmosphere. Commander Ragtime’s Midway of Fun, Food and Games had a carnival-
like feeling with high-tech video games and circus memorabilia.
Rosie O’Grady’s Flying Circus was the official “airline” of Church Street Station and consisted of six
classic planes, gas balloons and hot-air balloons. The skies above Orlando were always entertaining with
Joe Kittinger and Bob Snow’s skywriting and banner towing.
Rosie O’Grady’s Flying Circus’ hot air balloons offered guests a champagne balloon flight guided by expert
professional pilots. Upon return to Church Street Station, guests would enjoy a champagne brunch in Lili
Marlene’s Aviator’s Pub and Restaurant.
Church Street Station became the hallmark of downtown Orlando. Walt Disney World was 45 minutes
south of town and the downtown area was in desperate need of revitalization. Hotels were springing up
all around the Disney attraction and the city of Orlando itself was anemic at best.
Bob recognized the potential of a blighted area of downtown next to the I-4 overpass. In 1970, this section
of town consisted of run-down buildings and an old train station. Five years later, Bob’s Church Street
Station was drawing over 4 million tourists away from the Disney and Sea World attractions and
contributing the much needed millions of dollars to the local city economy. Later, Mayor Bill Frederick
would say that Bob Snow did more for downtown Orlando, Florida than Disney. At one point, the
attraction employed over 900 people.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW STARS PERFORMING “LIVE
FROM THE CHEYENNE SALOON” IN BEAUTIFUL
DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ‘84-87
A loosely organized confederacy of independent developmental renegades
