Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: This property was the retirement home of internationally-renowned artist Albin Polasek from 1950 until his death in 1965. He is heralded as one of 20th century America’s foremost sculptors. Born in 1879 in Frenstat, Moravia (now Czech Republic), Polasek immigrated to the United States in 1901, at age 22. He became an American citizen while studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and later served as Head of the Sculpture Department at the Art Institute of Chicago for nearly 30 years. This lakefront home was designed by Polasek and built in phases between 1949 and 1961. It includes a residence, studio, chapel, and a 3.5-acre sculpture garden containing more than 30 of Polasek’s works. He completed 18 major works of art here despite suffering a paralyzing stroke shortly after moving to Winter Park. In 1961, Polasek and his wife, Emily Muska Kubat Polasek, established a foundation, now the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, to share his life’s work with the public. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Polasek was named a Great Floridian 2000 and inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004.