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58-466: The station building was constructed in 1889 by South Florida Railroad . It served several different railroads until 1926, when passenger services transferred to what is now the Orlando Health/Amtrak station . In the 1970s, the station and nearby buildings were bought and developed into an entertainment center. After its original owner sold the development in 1989, Church Street Station experienced

116-482: A digital broadcast television network on November 1, 2012 with the network to carry much of the original TNN's programming, including Music City Tonight , Crook & Chase , Yesteryear and (in cooperation with the Country Music Hall of Fame) Nashville Now , as well as new and original programming. In October 2013, the partnership between Jim Owens Entertainment and Luken Communications ended and

174-447: A $ 14,175 a month lease for the building which housed Lili Marlene's Aviator's Pub and Restaurant in the 1980s backed out claiming the building was haunted in 2005. A letter from their lawyer alleged construction workers had seen ghosts and the owner's had failed to inform them. The letter cited their Jehovah's Witness faith. The landlord offered to have an exorcism performed and sued stating there were no ghosts in, on, above, below or around

232-510: A charter until December 9, 1879, when it took over the charter of the Lake Monroe and Orlando, which was in danger of losing its land grants . The South Florida first ran on November 11, 1880, running the short distance between Sanford and Orlando. However the company had plans to continue to the Gulf of Mexico , reaching it at Tampa . On May 4, 1883, Henry B. Plant and his Plant System (headed by

290-627: A local tour company planned to base their office and open a bar with live entertainment in the station. South Florida Railroad The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida , to Tampa, Florida , becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's main line. The line remains in service today and

348-609: A long time". It was listed for sale in 2017 for $ 4.7M. This venture closed on August 4, 2018. Passenger rail service returned in 2014 when SunRail revamped the station as a commuter rail stop. A New Orleans themed event venue, The Orchid Garden, in the Church Street Station complex was renovated for $ 2M and open in 2014. Lincoln Property purchased most of the property of the Church Street Station in November 2017. Plans for large scale redevelopment are underway in 2020. Today in

406-548: A new station built by the Coast Line. The Church Street depot still survives to this day on the National Register of Historic Places . The SunRail commuter rail project uses the historic Church Street Rail Depot as one of three stops in downtown Orlando . A new platform on the same side of the tracks was built down the block from the Church Street Station, within walking distance of Orlando City Hall . Church Street Station

464-414: A period of decline. In 2013, St. Petersburg businessman Mark Ferguson signed a 20-year lease with an option to purchase. Ferguson opened a sports bar/restaurant in 2017. It closed and was sold in 2018. The property has been divided into sections. Lincoln Property bought the majority of the property. The southbound station is planned to be moved to a new high rise nearby. The station was originally built by

522-772: A similar venue in Las Vegas, "Main Street Station" that at inception shared many club concepts with the Orlando facility. One of the popular attractions was the Cheyenne Saloon and Opera House. Fashioned after a western saloon the three-story bar, restaurant and entertainment venue was a filming location for the Nashville Network every Friday for seven years in the 1980s. Country music artists including Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson appeared there before they became famous. Snow

580-411: A steep decline in attendance and had largely closed as a club-hop by the end of the 1990s. The demise of the attraction as a leading nightlife complex has been directly attributed to Walt Disney World's opening of Pleasure Island a competing complex featuring multiple clubs with a single entry fee. The addition of a large retail complex in 1985 failed to reinvigorate the location. Besides competition in

638-533: Is now part of the Central Florida Rail Corridor in the Orlando metro area. The rest of the line remains under the ownership of CSX Transportation as part of their A Line. The Lake Monroe and Orlando Railroad was organized in 1875 with a charter to build from the St. Johns River port of Sanford south to Orlando . The South Florida Railroad was incorporated on October 16, 1878, but was unable to obtain

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696-484: Is typical of most SunRail stations featuring canopies consisting of white aluminum poles supporting sloped green roofs and includes ticket vending machines, ticket validators, emergency call boxes, drinking fountains, and separate platforms designed for passengers in wheelchairs. The station is located along the former CSX A-Line (originally constructed by the South Florida Railroad ) and is one of two located in

754-659: The Apopka and Atlantic Railroad . It was never a success. The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway was incorporated in 1888 to connect Kissimmee to St. Cloud and Narcoossee . It was immediately operated by the South Florida, and was merged into it in 1893. Neptune Road runs along some of the former right of way. Heartland (TV network) Heartland is an American country music -oriented digital broadcast television network owned by Get After It Media and broadcast out of Chattanooga, Tennessee . Launched on April 16, 2012,

812-624: The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway and other railroads to the north) as their nearly 900-mile main line from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa. In 1967 the Atlantic Coast Line merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (who operated the former Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad , the South Florida's former competitor), becoming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . Seaboard Coast Line eventually became CSX in

870-631: The Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ) bought 3/5 of the stock of the South Florida after an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Florida Southern Railway . Plant had made an agreement with the Florida Southern not to build the SF&;W south of Gainesville or Palatka , the northern ends of the Florida Southern, but the existing South Florida was immune from this. Plant then made agreements with all

928-511: The South Florida Railroad in 1889 (although some sources say it was built in 1890) to serve Orlando. The South Florida Railroad was bought out by the Plant System in 1893, which in turn was taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The station also served the Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad and the Orlando and Winter Park Railway . In 1926 passenger operations were transferred to

986-624: The 1980s, and the South Florida/Atlantic Coast Line main line now operates as part of one of its two main lines in the area, known as the "A" Line. In 2011, CSX sold the line from Poinciana north (as well as part of the former Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway ) to the Florida Department of Transportation . This state-owned segment is known as the Central Florida Rail Corridor, which includes most of

1044-602: The Bartow branch remains today from Winter Haven south to Gordonville (just northeast of Bartow). This segment is operated by the Florida Midland Railroad . The abandoned segment between Lake Alfred and Winter Haven is now the route of the Chain of Lakes Trail . The Sanford and Indian River Railroad was chartered in 1881 to run from Sanford southeast to Oviedo and Lake Charm . The South Florida leased it in 1883, and it

1102-560: The CFRC is based out of Taft Yard in Pine Castle, which CSX still owns. All of CSX's through freight traffic to northern Florida now uses the adjacent S Line . The Florida Central Railroad , which connects to the Central Florida Rail Corridor in Downtown Orlando, also has freight trackage rights from its connection south to Taft Yard. Part of the agreement worked out by Henry Plant between

1160-629: The Canadian drama series Heartland , reruns of Canadian sketch comedy The Red Green Show (added September 2018), More Than the Music , The Unseen World , and Morning Beats , a soft news magazine which replaced Coffee, Country & Cody from WSM Radio in Nashville. Country music videos air when no other programs are scheduled; both contemporary videos and classic country performances are offered, usually presented in blocks by VJs . Coincidentally

1218-485: The Church Street Station in 2001 and promptly closed two of the oldest remaining attractions, Rosie O' Grady's Good Time Emporium and the haunted house, The Terror on Church Street. The property bought by F.F. South & Co was 6.68 acres (2.70 ha) including 242,179 sq ft (22,499 m) of building improvements and 123,060 sq ft (11,433 m) vacant land. That year long time tenant Buffalo Trading Co closed its store after almost 20 years. In December

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1276-459: The Church Street Station were seized in February 2007 and its assets went into receivership . Bank of America sought to foreclose on the station property. Pearlman had been running an investment scam alleging access to investment in the employee retirement plan of Trans Continental Airlines, while transferring the money to his other businesses and using it for loan payments. When Pearlman was involved

1334-496: The Church Street complex a major attraction". The only bidder Cameron Kuhn purchased the site for the minimum bid of $ 34M at a bankruptcy auction about what was owed to creditors of FF Station. In 2007 a group of investors including founder Bob Snow, developer Cameron Kuhn and Ceviche tapas bar owner Gordon Davis planned a revitalization of the property. The Cheyenne Saloon & Opera House reopened in 2008 under Snow's direction at

1392-581: The Rosie O'Grady's/Seville Quarter complex he opened in Pensacola, Florida in the late 1960s, Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium/Church Street Station in Orlando saw great popular success in the 1970s and 1980s, It operated as an attraction offering admission to multiple nightclubs of various formats facilitating "club hopping" for a single price in a monolithic location. Started in the 1904 Hotel Orlando building, it grew to span both sides of Church Street, both sides of

1450-404: The South Florida and the Florida Southern Railway specified that the South Florida would build the north-south Pemberton Ferry Branch. This branch began at a junction with the Florida Southern at Pemberton Ferry (known today as Croom), running south-southeast across the mainline at Lakeland to Bartow . South of Bartow, the Florida Southern continued to Punta Gorda , using trackage rights over

1508-524: The South Florida was converted to standard gauge on September 22. In 1893 the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ( Plant System ) directly acquired the South Florida. Henry Plant died in 1899, which led his heirs to sell the Plant System to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The Atlantic Coast Line would then designate the South Florida Railroad main line (along with the main line of

1566-586: The South Florida would give up their rights to the territories given to the other companies. The JT&KW had already done some grading at Bartow and Tampa , and sold them to the South Florida. Thus two railroads remained in a race towards Tampa - the South Florida and the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad . The South Florida managed to get there first, and obtained the best ports (now known as Port Tampa ). The South Florida's original passenger depot in Tampa

1624-688: The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. The rail cars included a Union Pacific Dome, a Seaboard Air Line Diner and a 10 section Monta Rosa Pullman lounge observation car. In 2012 these were moved to the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida to make room for construction of the SunRail platform. Another rail car was donated to the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Museum by original partner John Hankins. SunRail revived

1682-528: The branch. The branch was completed in September 1884. Once the Bone Valley phosphate district was discovered near Lakeland, pressure increased to standard-gauge the line, and that was done on August 7, 1891. After the Plant System bought the South Florida, an extension was built north from Pemberton Ferry to Inverness , where the Plant System's Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad continued north, which

1740-614: The catering business which operated in the Presidential Ballroom venue that had been added in 1994 was closed by F.F. South & Co., at that time only a single, just opened, restaurant was operating in the complex. The ballroom had been popular since opening and the company walked away from as much as $ 1M of business when closed with no advance notice. Church Street Station had been listed as the sixth largest meeting facility if central Florida in July 2001. Local restaurateurs who had signed

1798-728: The central business district, providing easy access to the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and hotel development within the same block; Camping World Stadium , which recently underwent a complete renovation; Orlando City Stadium , home of the Orlando City Lions MLS soccer club; and the Amway Center and proposed entertainment complex, home of the Orlando Magic NBA team Entrepreneur Bob Snow opened Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium on July 19, 1974. Based on

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1856-449: The decline in the value of the property in March 1997. In 1991 the complex had 50 shops and specialty stores. A 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m) event venue, the Presidential Ballroom was built in 1994. That year in addition to the ballroom/banquet facility, the Church Street Station complex consisted of three restaurants, five showrooms, private parlor rooms, a wine cellar, a shopping complex,

1914-422: The entertainment and retail business, owner Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) increased overhead for retailers as much as 55% while not providing support and promotion. BGE invested 25% of the cost of building the retail complex in 1985 and purchased the Church Street Station property in 1989 but was not willing to make the needed investments to keep the property competitive and viable. BGE wrote off $ 12M to reflect

1972-458: The following segments: The charter specified that the railroad must pass through Bartow ; thus the Bartow Branch was built from the mainline at Lake Alfred (Bartow Junction) southwest to Bartow. It opened in 1884 and was standard gauged on September 23, 1886. In the Atlantic Coast Line era, many of their passenger trains to Fort Myers and Naples would run on the Bartow Branch. Part of

2030-509: The immediate vicinity there are a number of restaurants and bars, an event venue, high-rise apartments and condominiums, and a franchise of the gay-themed restaurant Hamburger Mary's , which closed in 2024. The Kia Center across Interstate 4 an entertainment arena, within close walking distance of Church Street Station, opened in 2010. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the NBA . In 2019

2088-470: The line and uses it to reach Tampa Union Station . Amtrak's Miami-bound trains also travel the line to Auburndale and turn south on to the Auburndale Subdivision . Prior to the sale of the north end of the line to FDOT, the line was part of CSX's Sanford Subdivision from Auburndale north. Since the sale, CSX only operates local freight on the Central Florida Rail Corridor. Freight service on

2146-598: The location of the Great Train Wreck of 1956 in Pineola (just north of Pemberton Ferry), which was head-on collision between two Atlantic Coast Line Railroad freight trains on October 18, 1956, killing five crewmen. A signpost at the site of the crash on the Withlacoochee State Trail memorializes the event. The branch's north leg is still in service from Lakeland to Owensboro (just southwest of Lacoochee) and

2204-406: The network began as a revival of The Nashville Network (TNN) ; the original incarnation (now known as Paramount Network ) existed as a basic cable and satellite television network from March 7, 1983, to September 24, 2000. On April 16, 2012, Luken Communications (now known as Reach High Media Group) and Jim Owens Entertainment announced a joint venture to relaunch The Nashville Network as

2262-567: The network carries the Canadian series Heartland in repeats, with the only connection between the two a shared name. Heartland's national feed contains no infomercials except for a regularly scheduled presentation brokered by Time-Life Home Video. Heartland is distributed through digital subchannel affiliations. The network is also distributed freely over the Internet; some of the network's programming (including Jim Owens entertainment shows and programming made available online elsewhere behind

2320-504: The network was rebranded as Heartland , carrying much of the same programming and format. Programming that aired on the new Nashville Network included shows such as Nashville Now , Crook & Chase , Music City Tonight , The Rick and Bubba Show , and Larry's Country Diner . Much of the same programming continued to air after the rebrand to Heartland. New series added to the network include Rise Up Country with John Ritter, Reflections , Positively Paula (hosted by Paula Deen ),

2378-454: The owner of the property was identified as FF Station LLC, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2007. Also in February 2007 Pearlman's Church Street offices were raided by agents from the FBI , IRS , FDIC and Florida Office of Financial Regulation. Miscellaneous belongings left behind by Pearlman were auctioned off at the Church Street Station on June 12, 2007. When he purchased

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2436-421: The property and opened (in 2017) a dining and entertainment venue and bar, Ferg's Depot, as a second location of his popular St. Petersburg sports bar the venue was 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m) with 5,000 sq ft (460 m) air-conditioned. Four years in the making it consisted of three buildings, the old waiting room for the train station was a 100-person dining room, the St. Petersburg sports bar

2494-448: The property in 2003 Pearlman received a $ 1.5M economic development loan from the city. City Commissioner Daisy Lynum gave him a key to the city in 2004 and even as his fraud was revealed felt he still deserved it stating, "It was Lou Pearlman who jump started all the downtown development". A 2007 article in the St. Petersburg Times stated he was, "unable to revive the night life that once made

2552-500: The property. A ghost tour operator asserted the building was haunted by the ghosts of slain illegitimate children of prostitutes who worked in the Strand Hotel upstairs which had been a de facto brothel. President of F.F. South & Co Robert Kling became involved with Lou Pearlman , who came to own the property. Pearlman's legal troubles led to a foreclosure lawsuit. Pearlman's corporate offices for Trans Continental Airlines Inc. in

2610-752: The railroad tracks, and to include the Old Orlando Railroad Depot. At one time it was the fourth largest attraction in Florida. Ken Ibold in 2002 wrote in Florida Trend that Church Street Station, "once hosted more annual visitors than anywhere else in Florida". It was a joint venture with John Hankins and was sold by Snow in 1989. Walt Disney World emulated the successful formula, opening its own Pleasure Island club district amidst Church Street Station's peak years of success, as did Universal Studios Orlando with its "City Walk" complex. Snow proceeded to develop

2668-500: The railroads building towards Tampa except for the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad . Specifically, the Florida Southern would not build any lines south of Pemberton's Ferry and Brooksville or north of Bartow , and the South Florida would build its Pemberton Ferry Branch between the two and assign trackage rights to the Florida Southern. The agreement with the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway specified that that company would only build north of Sanford ; in both cases

2726-400: The south leg is still in service from the main line to Eaton Park. The abandoned segment north of Owensboro is now part of the Withlacoochee State Trail (which also continues up the abandoned extension to Inverness). The south leg is now an industrial spur. The Fort Fraser Trail today runs along the abandoned right-of way from Eaton Park south to Bartow. The branch is operated by CSX in

2784-516: The station in 2014 as a commuter rail stop. The former Rosie O’ Grady's Good Time Emporium restaurant and entertainment venue was sold in June 2010 for $ 2.2M to downtown commercial property owners Frank Hamby and Margaret Casscells. The new owners planned to transform the 14,335-square-foot (1,331.8 m) building into the New Orleans-style MoJo Bar & Grill. In 2013 Mark Ferguson bought

2842-514: The success of the 1970s and mid-1980s. One included a planned, in 2004, Paris Hilton branded nightclub. Church Street station was the fifth largest entertainment complex in Orlando in 1998, attracting 550,000 thousand visitors. That year revenue was $ 20.8M but it had an operating loss of about $ 1M. Enic PLC of London bought the property for $ 11.5 million in 1999 and reportedly lost $ 2M a year for two years before selling it for $ 15.9M in 2001. A local real estate partnership F.F. South & Co, bought

2900-464: The time Kuhn retained ownership of much of the property. By 2009 a new high rise condominium, 55 West, had been built at the Church Street Station, when another foreclosure was started. In creating the attraction Snow had brought a historic locomotive and train cars to the station. The locomotive Frisco 0–6–0 No. 3749, built in 1913 by Baldwin, worked as switcher in Pensacola, the southernmost extension of

2958-401: The towns along the line were named for railroad officials. Plant City was named for Henry Plant, and Haines City was named for Colonel Henry Haines , who organized the construction of the line and was considered to be Plant's most trusted employee. The main line remains in service and is today the southernmost segment of CSX's A Line Amtrak continues to operate passenger service on

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3016-621: The track that the SunRail commuter rail service operates on. SunRail began operation on May 1, 2014, from Sand Lake Road north to DeBary and extended service south to Poinciana on July 30, 2018. SunRail also revived passenger service to the South Florida Railroad's historic Church Street Station in Downtown Orlando. When completed in 1884, the South Florida Railroad's main line ran from Sanford southwest through Orlando and Lakeland to Tampa, terminating at Port Tampa. The main line today runs south of and roughly parallel to Interstate 4 . Some of

3074-472: The train depot with convenience store, shops and corporate office space. The Church Street Station had 800 employees in 1994. With foreclosures and serial disappointments duplicating the successes of the past, the property has struggled. BGE revised the decline in value to $ 18.5M in October 1997 and wrote off an additional loss in value of $ 15.4M in 1998. Several attempts have been made by multiple owners to re-create

3132-588: Was among the investors in the Church Street Station in 2007 when he planned to reopen the Cheyenne Saloon. After reopening in 2008 Snow was unable to come to an agreement with the new owners of the property and it closed again in 2009. Rosie O'Grady's Flying Circus offered balloon rides providing views of downtown Orlando and the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station . Joseph Kittinger was vice president of air operations. Balloon rides were still available in 1994 for US$ 100 . As an entertainment, drinking and dining complex, Church Street Station eventually experienced

3190-477: Was completed in 1891. In the Atlantic Coast Line era, the north leg of the Pemberton Ferry Branch would serve as the southernmost segment of their R Line, which ran from DuPont, Georgia to Lakeland via High Springs . By the 1920s, the line was busy enough that the Atlantic Coast Line expanded the line north of Vitis Junction to double track to increase capacity. The line is also notable for being

3248-403: Was emulated in a section called Ferg's Tap House, the third section was an indoor/outdoor oyster bar. The restaurant became a nightclub after 10:30 at night, restrooms were in shipping containers that looked like trains and a Tiki bar was open to the street. Ferguson began renovations with an ad campaign, "We've been working on the railroad", saying, "It's something we're going to build and have for

3306-411: Was located on the east side of the intersection of Ashley and Madison Streets. The Tampa end opened on December 10, 1883, and on January 25, 1884 service began over the full line, built to 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge . On February 20, 1886 the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway opened to Sanford, and

3364-505: Was standard gauged on September 21, 1886. Today, the route is still in service as CSX's Aloma Spur from Sanford to Winter Springs . The Cross Seminole Trail runs along the former right of way from Winter Springs to Oviedo. The Apopka Branch was part of the original charter, running from Mayo on the mainline west to the Withlacoochee River via Apopka . The line was never opened by the South Florida, instead partially opening as

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