Blandford (Mount Dora, Florida)

Blandford
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Mount Dora, Florida
Coordinates	28.7585°N 81.6706°W / 28.7585; -81.6706
NRHP reference No.	07001115
Added to NRHP	November 1, 2007

Blandford is a historic building at 28242 Lake Terry Drive near Mount Dora, Florida, United States. On November 1, 2007, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The Bland Homestead, named "Blandford," is located at 28242 Lake Terry Drive, Lake County, Florida. The property was named Blandford by its original owners and creators, William Thomas Bland II and Aura Bland. Its architecture is based on a design by New York architect Chester Patterson in the picturesque tradition of the late 19th and early 20th century revival styles. The architecture shows the influences of the Tudor Revival and Craftsman building styles. Originally built in 1923-1924, a tornado destroyed the first house, and the current house was rebuilt to the same design in 1927-1928. Rising from a stone foundation, the approximately seven thousand square foot, L-shaped, shingle and siding-clad building has a steeply pitched slate roof. The house exhibits the character-defining features of the Tudor Revival Style, including several cross gables with curved eaves. Although the house is one story, the west wing of the L-shaped plan has a second floor. The house's interior reflects the Craftsman influence in the large exposed wood roof framing members and the massive stone fireplace that dominates the great room. The building is in excellent condition and has had little alteration since its construction in 1927 and the addition of a two-story wing in 1931.

Blandford is located seven miles south of the town of Mount Dora, and southwest of Lake Terry. The property was developed for citrus groves before the initial construction of a house in 1923. The property is accessed from the main east/west Lake Jem Road by a drive leading north to Lake Terry. The crushed rock and asphalt paved access road to the house passes through citrus groves that have been in cultivation for over eighty years. The house is set in a cleared area. While the surrounding landscape retains its agricultural character, some nearby modern housing developments are beginning to encroach on the predominately rural landscape.

Blandford is nominated to the National Register for its local significance under Criteria B and C for its architectural significance and its association with William Thomas Bland II. Bland was a major figure during the Depression and World War II era banking in Orlando. President Franklin Roosevelt closed all of the banks nationwide in 1933, but through Bland's persistence and skillful management, he opened a new bank in 1934. The creation of this new bank gave Orlando the critical commercial boost needed to build the economy during the Depression and World War II. The bank grew to become SunBank, N. A, 1 and in 1985, SunBank was merged to form SunTrust Banks, Inc.2 Blandford is also significant for its architecture. The design of the house is a unique and outstanding example of Tudor Revival architecture of the early 20th century, with Craftsman influence in its adaptation to the Florida climate. It is a good example of the types of estates established in the agricultural areas of central Florida during the boom period of the early 20th century. Built in 1927-1928, a major second-story addition in 1931 provided living quarters for Mr. Eland's mother. The house has remained essentially unchanged since this period. The residence retains its integrity of location, design, setting, feeling, materials, and workmanship, and is still owned by the Bland family.

Prior to the early 1920s, the property was unimproved land set amidst the lakes a few miles to the south of the town of Mount Dora, a prominent community in Lake County. Mount Dora was founded in 1882, and the area was first known for cattle ranching and citrus groves from the 1880s onward.3 The citrus industry faced various perils, including a severe winter freeze in 1894 that led to massive crop damage.