Explore Orlando’s First Historic Home On Lake Cherokee

Façade of one of Orlando’s most historically significant properties, 614 Lake Avenue.

FEW HOMES IN ORLANDO STOP YOU IN YOUR TRACKS, BUT ALONG THE CURVE OF LAKE CHEROKEE,  just before the skyline rises behind the trees, there stands one that feels as though it was lifted straight from the pages of a storybook. With its Queen Anne lines, pastel hues, lakefront lawn, and gentle parade of ducks that regularly waddle across the property, 614 Lake Avenue has long captured the imagination of neighbors, passersby, and eventually, future homeowner Johnathan Aguirre.

Like many in Delaney Park, Aguirre had admired the house for years. It was part of his weekly rhythm, a comforting landmark on his commute, a place that quietly invited curiosity. “I had driven by this home more times than I can count,” he recalls. “It always seemed like a dream … like a big dollhouse sitting on the lake.”

But 614 Lake Avenue is far more than a picturesque façade. It is one of Orlando’s most historically significant properties—the first designated historic landmark in the city, and one of the famed residences along what was once known as Honeymoon Row, a stretch of Victorian homes built for newlyweds in the late 19^th century. Its past is intertwined with civic leaders, political trailblazers, and early cultural influencers, all of whom left stories embedded in the walls.

Today, thanks to Aguirre’s thoughtful stewardship and imaginative design sensibility, the home continues its long tradition as a place of gathering, warmth, and community.

A Home Discovered by Chance and by Destiny

Aguirre first learned the home was for sale in a moment of pure serendipity: one part intuition, one part timing. “One day I opened a local magazine and saw an article about the home,” he says. “That same day, a close friend who owns a real estate agency called and said, ‘I think I’ve found the perfect house for you.’ She was standing in 614 Lake Avenue at that exact moment.”

The alignment felt uncanny. It took a heartfelt letter to convince the owner to sell the property to him, but Aguirre felt instantly connected to the house, calling his role not that of an owner but a caretaker—someone entrusted with its preservation and spirit. “I believe in the idea that we don’t truly own historic homes,” he says. “We’re temporary caretakers. It was my job to enjoy it, honor it, and protect it.”

Part of that protection meant resisting any temptation to modernize away its character. The home retains eight original fireplaces adorned with hand-crafted tiles, including rare works created by the same artist commissioned for the House of Congress. Numerous architectural details remain untouched, each one a thread pulling forward the home’s storied past.

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

The Storied Lineage of 614 Lake Avenue

Built in the late 1800s, the home began its life as part of a romantic enclave of Victorian residences designed for couples beginning new chapters together. Its early owners, Oliver and Matilda Poyntz, passed the property in 1914 to Jessie Annie Mallory, a nationally recognized women’s club leader and suffrage activist, and to her soon-to-be husband, prominent Orlando figure William O’Neal.

O’Neal himself was a titan of early Orlando, a banker, bookseller, postmaster, acting mayor, city council president, Rollins College trustee, and local journalist who chronicled the city’s formative moments. Mallory, meanwhile, was a force in the women’s suffrage movement, serving as President of the Florida Equal Suffrage Association, a director within the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and a civic organizer who championed voter education and political engagement for women across Florida. Meetings for these causes were held inside this home.

Together, their legacy infused the house with a sense of purpose; one that still resonates today. As Aguirre says, “If these walls could talk, they’d have so much to say.”

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

A Philosophy Rooted in Play, Comfort, and Memory

Despite its museum-quality history, nothing about the interior feels precious or untouchable, in fact, that was Aguirre’s deliberate mission.

“My style is maximalist, but everything in the home is meant to be picked up, touched, or explored,” he says. “I never wanted rooms that felt like you couldn’t sit down or relax.”

Aguirre, who has traveled to 71 countries, has filled the home with curated pieces that serve as tangible reminders of those experiences. Some finds are grand like Moroccan rugs, marble accents, rare antiques, while others are humble, like tiny porcelain salt shakers discovered while traveling in his twenties. “Every piece has a story,” he says. “When I sit in my home, I’m surrounded by memories.”

His design vision was simple but intentional: bold Victorian colors, whimsical touches, textural materials, and a feeling of nostalgic play that sparks curiosity. The dining room, a shade of deep purple, encapsulates his risk-taking. “Purple isn’t for everyone,” he laughs, “but it’s true to the era, and it made me happy.”

Yet for all the vivid choices and layered collections, the home remains inviting rather than overwhelming. Guests routinely tell him that the home “looks like a museum but doesn’t feel like one,” a compliment he treasures.

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

The Sunroom: A Portrait of Daily Rituals

If the home is a fairytale, the sunroom is its enchanted clearing with an airy, light-filled space that offers nearly 360-degree views from the front lawn to the koi pond in the back. It’s Aguirre’s sanctuary, his morning coffee ritual, and his front-row seat to the rhythms of Lake Cherokee.

“I watch the sunrise over the lake, the ducks come up to the yard for breakfast, then in the evenings I sit and watch the sunset over the koi pond,” he says. The room is intentionally decorated to evoke a garden tea party—light, playful, and dreamlike.

Outside, the garden has undergone one of the property’s most dramatic transformations. Aguirre planted citrus trees, cultivated herbs, revived rose beds into a butterfly garden, and created a sanctuary that now attracts hummingbirds daily. The koi pond adds a meditative element to his evenings, anchoring a home life that his late father once wished for him.

“When he survived cancer, my father would tell me, ‘Mijo, build a home so wonderful you want to stay there—not escape from it.’” After decades of traveling the world, Aguirre finally understood that advice here. “This is the first home that made me want to stay put.”

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

A House Designed for Hosting and for Community

While the home is serene for everyday living, it truly comes alive when filled with guests. Aguirre is a natural host, and the house—with its 18 distinct rooms—invites exploration and connection.

“The moment people walk in, there’s this sense of nostalgia and curiosity,” he explains. That sense of welcome eventually inspired him to found the Orlando Supper Club, bringing neighbors and friends together for meals intended to cultivate deeper, more meaningful relationships at a time when online interactions often overshadow real-world connection.

Even large groups fit effortlessly into the home’s flow. Recently he hosted 40 members of the downtown running club for their holiday gathering. Two guests offered the same observation: the home felt like a museum filled with treasures yet was warm enough that they felt comfortable curling into a chair. “That was exactly the feeling I wanted,” Aguirre says.

Children, too, are welcome to touch, pick up, and explore. “I always say, if they break something, it’s meant to be broken; everything can be replaced. The experience is what matters.”

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

Favorite Spaces, Favorite Memories

Among all the rooms, the bathroom (pictured on this month’s cover) complete with a stunning chandelier by designer Tom Dixon, has become one of the most admired features, both by Aguirre and by the Orlando magazine team during the home’s photoshoot. “We all had a debate about which room was our favorite,” says Walters. “But everyone circled back to the bathroom. It’s just breathtaking.”

Other standouts include the guest house, reimagined with slate floors, butcher-block counters, marble, and brass; and the dining room, illuminated by a bubble-like Dixon fixture that creates a warm, dreamlike atmosphere during evening gatherings.

Every room of 614 Lake Avenue is unique, curated, and welcoming.
The rooms are bold and bright, functional and useable, and a reflection of the homeowner’s own style.

The Neighborhood That Feels Like an Extension of the Home

Cherokee and Delaney Park have long offered a peaceful retreat from the bustle of downtown. In the early decades of Orlando, residents would escape city life by horseback; today it’s a short walk or drive but the tranquility of the lakes, parks, and tree-canopied streets remains unchanged.

Aguirre loves the duality: the quiet charm of a historic neighborhood with unbeatable access to the Dr. Phillips Center, Kia Center, restaurants, and downtown nightlife. It is a neighborhood rich in community and one reason he plans to stay nearby even as his chapter in this home comes to an end.

Aguirre hopes that the next caretaker will feel the same connection he felt the first time he saw it. “Someone else will get to start their story here,” he says. “And this house deserves someone ready to love it as much as I have.”

A Living Legacy

To step inside 614 Lake Avenue is to feel both transported and grounded, woven into a narrative that began well over a century ago and continues through each new inhabitant. Aguirre’s imprint on the home is one of generosity, imagination, and reverence for history. He brought life back into its corners, welcomed community through its doors, and honored the suffragists, civic leaders, and dreamers who shaped it long before him.

“I’ve always believed homes have energy,” he says. “This one has a positive spirit the moment you walk up the lawn.”

As Orlando magazine celebrates its 80^th consecutive year of publishing, it feels fitting to highlight a home whose legacy has shaped Orlando’s story just as meaningfully. Like the city itself, this house is a blend of past and present, historic yet vibrant, elegant yet playful, timeless yet deeply lived-in.

Aguirre’s chapter at 614 Lake Avenue may be closing, but the story of this extraordinary home is far from finished.