Welcome to the Parramore Room Virtual Tour. Below you will find a collection of video, photos, and article excerpts about the Parramore Room at UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown Campus. The virtual tour will guide you through the inspiration and creation of the Parramore Room, as well as provide some additional background to the history referenced in the stained glass pieces. If you would like to learn more about the history of the Parramore community itself, we encourage you to visit the Wells’Built Museum of African American History & Culture located on W South Street in Orlando.
The installation, created by artist Nancy Gutkin O’Neil, was produced in partnership with Parramore residents and business owners.
The University of Central Florida has unveiled custom glass artwork at its downtown campus that showcases the rich history of the surrounding Parramore community. The installation was produced in partnership with Parramore residents and business owners, along with UCF and Valencia College leadership and spotlights community landmarks and milestones dating back to the early 1920s.
Created by artist Nancy Gutkin O’Neil, the piece is named, If we can truly remember, they will not forget, from poet Miller Williams’ Of History and Hope. The artwork features six panels of tempered and laminated float glass with fired-in pigments. The glass was fabricated by Glasmalerei Peters in Paderborn, Germany, and shipped to Orlando by boat in Spring 2020…
On Oct. 19, the University of Central Florida sent out a press release announcing the installation of their newest artwork at the Downtown campus, which pays tribute to the Parramore community. The piece, titled “If we can truly remember, they will not forget” from poet Miller Williams’ “Of History and Hope,” is an enormous glass piece created by artist Nancy Gutkin O’Neil.
The artwork, located on an interior glass wall of the Florida Blue Parramore Room, is composed of six individual customized panels that came all the way from Paderborn, Germany. The glass panels feature Parramore in the spotlight with many of the communities most significant historical events dating back to the early 1920s…
UCF Downtown’s latest addition to its campus is a six-panel glass artwork titled “If we can truly remember, they will not forget” that is located in the Florida Blue Parramore Room.
“It’s a collage about the vibrant, amazing world that people had created during a difficult time in history, and a self-sufficient community of African Americans thriving until it was destroyed,” Artist Nancy Gutkin O’Neil said.
Allie’s Cafe, Carver Theatre and Brown’s Upholstery were all part of the traditionally Black Parramore neighborhood in the mid-1900s. Although many of these businesses are now gone and the neighborhood looks different, the community was immortalized through documents and publications — some of which are now displayed at UCF…
Historical background of some of the local business featured in the artwork.
Pictures from the creative process.
Pictures of the installation process.