Dr. Phillips

Who was Dr. Phillips? The neighborhood that bears his name is one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the Orlando area (technically it is in unincorporated Orange County), with a hospital, high school, and a branch of the Central Florida YMCA that bear his name. At the turn of the last century, Dr. Philip Phillips (1874 – 1959) made his fortune doing what many people did in Central Florida during the pre-Walt Disney World era: growing oranges. Dr. Phillips was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of orange juice.

As a citrus magnate during the first half of the 20th century, at one point Dr. Phillips owned more than 5,000 acres of citrus groves in Central Florida. Dr. Phillips sold the land in 1953 and founded the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation soon afterward, and his son Howard continued his father’s philanthropic work.

In addition to the various buildings in south Orlando named after Dr. Phillips, a Dr. P Phillips Center for Performing Arts is scheduled to be completed in 2012. At the Dr. Phillips branch of the Central Florida YMCA, photos and reproductions of advertisements from Dr. Phillips citrus growing business is a reminder of the region's rich agricultural history.