{"id":28284,"date":"2022-12-26T20:55:54","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T01:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=28284"},"modified":"2022-12-26T20:56:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T01:56:02","slug":"whats-behind-the-metal-gates-at-lake-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2022\/12\/26\/whats-behind-the-metal-gates-at-lake-mirror\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s behind the metal gates at Lake Mirror?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever walked around Lake Mirror and noticed a gated-off portion of the walkway? That mysterious feature has a name; it\u2019s called a loggia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Architecturally speaking, a\u00a0loggia is an Italian word<\/a>\u00a0for \u201clodge,\u201d which typically includes a covered section of a building, which runs the length of the structure, featuring\u00a0exposed arch work or columns. Most commonly, these architectural features are\u00a0found in Spain,\u00a0Italy, and\u00a0Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Stateside, loggias are found in warmer cities (like Lakeland), and, while they typically adorn palatial architecture abroad, they tend to accompany residences here in the US. Lakeland\u2019s loggia sits facing the Texas Cattle Company and is accompanied by metal gates, deterring wandering residents.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the walkway\u00a0connecting to the Frances Langford Promenade, the loggia was designed by\u00a0New York landscape architect,\u00a0Charles Wellford Leavitt, between\u00a01926 and 1928. The promenade was\u00a0named after Frances Langford\u00a0and included in the City Beautiful Movement in Florida, as\u00a0part of a civic center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modeled after\u00a0Chicago\u2019s Court of Honor<\/a>, the\u00a0structure is missing an obelisk<\/a>, ticket booth, and an amphitheater to complete the feel of a civic center, but was\u00a0eventually scrapped due to poor economic conditions. With the center-left incomplete,\u00a0rumors have swirled\u00a0for years regarding the loggia. While its\u00a0original intent<\/a>\u00a0was to be a stage,\u00a0some residents think there\u2019s more to it than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Some of the local lore behind what the loggia holds<\/a> (or once held) include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n