City of Casselberry purchases founder’s home to turn into venue, park
Local News Staff 
The Casselberry Brightwater Estate will be receiving a makeover soon as the for estate of Hibbard Casselberry tranforms into an events venue. Earlier this year the city of Casselberry bought the property for $1.25 million to preserve it for posterity.
Though the Gamble Rogers II property evokes the romanticism of old southern charm, the house actually originated from the 20th century, though it holds great historical significance to the Casselberry community. Dr. Deborah Bauer, a Florida historian and the founder and president of the Society for Historic Casselberry, explained the significance of the property:
“The house, which was built in 1952, it’s one of the few remaining residential structures that was designed by James Gamble Rogers II,” Bauer said.
The process of renovation just now came about but the fate of the property began to be debated as early at 2019 among community members when the son of Hibbard Casselberry passed away.
The property nearly fell into the hands of developers before city leaders sprung into action, saving the estate from demolition. Development plans originally called for 12 acres of land along the shore of South Lake Triplet into single-family homes.
“We sought to preserve the property,” city manager Randy Newlon stated in a recent interview.
Newlon also said plans include restoring the historic mansion and turning it into a venue for weddings and other gatherings. The property may also become a passive park and possibly contain a botanical garden.
“It’s going to be something that’s also going to have a historical preservation aspect to it,” Bauer explained in a recent interview. “This will be a place where people can take advantage of the gardens, they can take advantage of educational opportunities and they really have a place where they can go and be at peace.”
Funding and a restoration timeline are still in the works, but the city will continue to hold meetings in the future to further sharpen a vision for the project.
