Bob Snow arrived in Orlando in the late ’70s after starting a successful nightlife district in Pensacola. He bought up several blocks of derelict property around the historic Church Street Railroad Station, starting with a bar called Rosie O’Grady’s. Snow’s Church Street district was a smash hit. Above is a view of the renovated Cheyenne Saloon in the same block.
In Paul Brinkmann’s recent article, Bob Snow reminisces that at one point Church Street Station was the fourth-busiest tourist attraction in Florida. He employed 750 people in the Church Street entertainment district at one point. He sold everything in Orlando in 1989, to develop entertainment properties in Las Vegas. Bob Snow is currently on the Board of the Dr. Phillips PAC, and is happy to see Church Street Station returning to its 1980’s glory. Below is a shot of the Orchid Garden Ballroom, the video, on the Orlando Sentinel link, showcases the area, and is worth the 5 minutes.
Read the entire article by Paul Brinkmann in the Orlando Sentinel and the video of Bob Snow touring the renovated properties at this link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bob-snow-church-street-20141124-story.html
And follow Paul Brinkmann by bookmarking his webpage on the Orlando Sentinel website: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-paul-brinkmann-bio-20140717-staff.html