An Orlando man who showcases art and music at his home has been given a permit to stay open. The Timucua White House in downtown Orlando has been offering mostly free performances for years.
Owner Benoit Glazer ran into a problem last year when the city told him he needed a conditional use permit.
“Because we were possibly overstepping the use of our single-family home, because we have so many people so often," said Glazer. "And so this [permit] kind of puts everything on the up and up, and everything is open and official."
Glazer said he wanted to ask the city about selling the house to the Timucua Arts Foundation and turning it into a residence for young artists and musicians.
“So I contacted the city to ask some questions, and they were the ones who had the questions, because apparently some people at city hall were not aware of what we do - at least officially,” said Glazer.
He says Orlando still needs a place where young artists and musicians can collaborate and develop their talent in a multi-disciplinary way.
“The area needs something like that. I mean, Paris has a place like that, Montreal has one, Brooklyn has one, San Francisco has one, but in the southeast there’s nothing like that.”
In the meantime, Glazer says he’s happy the city is allowing him to keep showcasing music at his home. He first opened up the home for performances to the public in 2000, later rebuilding the house for bigger audiences and better acoustics.
Glazer also wants to build a boat with a 200-seat auditorium on board.