Rudolph was one of 49 to receive an “Award Citation” from the magazine Progressive Architecture for this project.
“Architect Paul Rudolph intends to enliven one 180-mile stretch in the interior – between two of Florida’s most popular sights, Silver Springs and the Bok Tower – with an amusement center and tourist attraction where the main feature is Florida flora growing from earth materials supported by masses of floating roots commonly called ‘floating islands.’ The site has a 1000-foot frontage on two U.S. highways and easy access to a fresh water lake where fishing is excellent. Aimed primarily for sight-seers who want to stop for a couple of hours for food and rest to learn something fast about Florida flora, the center would provide a restaurant near the road for passing motorists as wells as those who stop to see the gardens. For entertainment and recreation there will be a variety of exotic floral displays, grandstand shows of swimming and diving, and boating and water skiing on the lagoon which leads to the large lake and then a string of lakes and canals for boat excursions.”
“Baroque Formality in a Florida Tourist Attraction.” Interiors 113 (January 1954): 78.