Mount Dora Center for the Arts opens beautiful second location

ABOVE: Mount Dora Center for the Arts new uptown location. (Mount Dora Buzz photo)

After much community anticipation and an impressive transformation, Mount Dora Center for the Arts (MDCA) opened its second site on the corner of 5th Avenue and Highland Street in uptown.  In its past incarnation, the streamlined modern building was a retro gas station and sat vacant for several years creating an unsightly impression at  one of Mount Dora’s gateways.  Those days are gone. 

MDCA’s new building is approximately 2,000 square feet, which includes approximately 1,000 square feet of gallery space.   The other half of the one-story will be used for classes, potential event venue rental, and flexible space.  On the west side of the property is an area intended for a sculpture garden. 

MDCA is now offering public art tours on Segways which begin at the new center. 
Painting classes are already scheduled at the uptown center that people can sign up for at www.mountdoraart.org. MDCA’s new building has ample on-site parking and will be open Tuesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a docent on site for the gallery Thursday through Sunday. 

The decades-long downtown location, on 5th Avenue across from Donnelly Park, will remain open and continue to have its popular classes and art exhibitions.  That brick building is now embroiled in litigation due to G3 Development, LLC (G3) court filings. Last year, G3, the landlord at the downtown location, lost its attempt to evict the 50-year-old non-profit which has paid its rent while supporting the local art community and children's programs.  That two-story building was owned and occupied by MDCA since 1995 until its former board voted in April 2024 to sell the building to G3, whose principal is Gerry Guenther, for approximately $1.3 million.  

The complex deal to acquire the brick building had three agreements between the two parties, and has  since resulted in ongoing litigation. There is a lease agreement whereby G3 would be MDCA’s landlord, a mortgage agreement whereby G3 would be the borrower and the art center would be the lender, and a sponsorship agreement with the developer becoming a long-term sponsor of the annual Mount Dora Arts Festival.  Additionally, G3 was to construct a new 4,600 square-foot, custom-designed building for the non-profit to lease from the developer.  The site of that building was to be in the vacant lot on Royellou Lane directly behind the existing MDCA building.  To date, that building hasn’t come to fruition or broken ground.  

In January of this year a circuit court judge dismissed two counts without prejudice of a four-count lawsuit G3 brought against MDCA.  One of the dismissals included the developer’s attempt to evict the art center from the building (see judge's rulings attached below).  G3 then filed an Amended Claim for Eviction, regardless of the court's prior order and placed an oversized “for lease" sign obstructing the window of MDCA's currently-leased gallery in the building.  The conspicuous sign remained up for the 90-day maximum allowed by Mount Dora’s code and then was reinstalled which reset the clock for another 90 days.

JUDGES ORDERS REGARDING G3 LAWSUIT

judges_denial_of_g3s_eviction_of_mdca_1-23-2025.pdf
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judges_order_on_mdcas__motion_to_dismiss_g3s_lawsuit__1-23-2025.pdf
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In addition to organizing the top-ranked Mount Dora Arts Festival, MDCA also offers various art programs for all ages and experience levels throughout the year.  Its annual summer camp for school-age children is one of the area’s most popular summer programs.  The center’s ground-floor downtown gallery features monthly art exhibits of established and emerging artists.

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