Erected in 1956, The Citrus Tower can withstand 190 miles per hour winds and contains 5 million pounds of concrete.

Highway 50 is one of Florida's grand old roads, running west to east across the center of the state. On an approach from the west it is a small two-lane strip that cuts the peninsula in half, as it reaches for a much more congested east coast.

Long before anyone heard the name Disney, people came from all corners to travel the blacktop and get a taste (literally and figuratively) of what Florida had to offer. At the halfway point of Highway 50, on intersecting US 27, stands a monument to those times called The Citrus Tower.

The Citrus Tower seems almost anticlimactic by today's standards of entertainment. For a small fee, tourists got a rise out of ascending 22 stories to look out over miles and miles of orange groves.

Harsh frosts and canker disease have nearly leveled a previously endless sea of citrus. The groves have been paved over with strip malls and the once wondrous view is now ripe with an outcropping of yuppie bedroom communities.

In its prime, The Citrus Tower provided the passersby a chance to stock up on souvenirs, sample homemade candy, and of course buy an array of citrus products. Some of these straggling symbols can still be had on the ground floor gift shop.

In 1959, Ducks or WW2 amphibian vehicles, gave tours of the groves and area lakes. The novelty held on for about two years. During this time, a view from the tower's top revealed a series of orange trees in the shape of the state of Florida.

In the 1960s, when rockets started blasting off not far away in Cape Canaveral, and the Florida Turnpike opened, The Citrus Tower was tolling that the times were changing. People were begining to look for bigger excitement and new roads pulled visitors in directions other than Clermont.

Still a roof with a view in 1977.

The pay-per-view telescopes which once lined the roof are long gone. You can still partake of the classic novelty of hurling pocket change down all 22 stories through a slotted drop box at the top. As of 2002 a ride up will set you back $3.50. Each month a Sock Hop is held with a special appearance by Elvis.

It is still an impressive looking building, and one that remembers its history as a major Florida attraction. Classic souvenirs from View-Master packets to citrus labels are on display in the lobby.

Update 6/02
Lilly's has wilted. The long standing lobby gift shop has been cleaned out to make room for church services. It may be the first congregation to have its own stairway to heaven. A much smaller souvenir stand has been sectioned off with chain link fence around the door to The Citrus Tower's elevator.

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The Citrus Tower
141 North US 27
Clermont, FL