A Legacy Rooted in Citrus
The roots of The Packing District trace back to 1920, when the Dr. P. Phillips Company was formed to consolidate Dr. Philip Phillips’ extensive citrus holdings. In the years that followed, the company constructed a citrus packing house at the northeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Princeton Street, then situated on the rural fringe of Orlando.
By the 1930s, Dr. Phillips had become the world’s largest individual grower of oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines. In 1954, his company sold its fresh fruit packing operations and primary grove holdings to the Minute Maid Corporation and its affiliates. This landmark transaction, involving over 3,000 acres across Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Polk, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, and St. Lucie counties, was among the largest grove sales in Florida history.
A Bold Transformation
Annexed into the City of Orlando in 1996, the historic industrial area is now undergoing a dramatic transformation. Spanning 202 acres, The Packing District is being redeveloped into a vibrant mixed-use community. The vision includes 3,500 residential units, one million square feet of retail and office space, and a 105-acre regional park. The development integrates historic preservation with forward-looking design, blending adaptive reuse of legacy structures with contemporary infill construction.
Breathing New Life into a Historic Landmark
Among the district’s most iconic structures is the Great Southern Box Company building, which dates back to the 1930s. Originally used to manufacture crates for citrus shipping, this historic warehouse has been repurposed into a 13,140-square-foot food hall that serves as both an economic driver and a cultural destination.
Today, the Great Southern Box Company Food Hall & Bar features eleven food vendors, a central bar, and a multi-purpose event space, with plans underway to include a future brewery. The venue plays a key role in energizing the surrounding $700 million redevelopment effort. Located at 2105 North Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida, this revitalized landmark is both a tribute to the region’s citrus heritage and a symbol of its urban renaissance.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com