Brownwood Town Center

The Villages, Florida

Brownwood is the latest of three thematic Town Centers serving The Villages’ 110,000 residents. The client’s objective was a design theme that celebrates Florida’s historic cattle industry and its unique Cracker Cowboy culture, evoking the history and native landscaping of Sumter County and the region. To create a vibrant “small town” evoking the spirit of Old Florida, the design required “vintage” hardscape effects and a mature landscape setting featuring mostly natives, to give the sensation that Brownwood had existed for many decades.

Florida-Friendly design principles were crucial for both appearance and water conservation. Entry features were to be “rustic”– avoiding a modern look– and the client wanted the main entrance to feature a traffic-stopping environmental sculpture paying homage to Cracker Cowboy history. The project’s ultimate objective was to evoke the spirit of a Florida that existed long before Disney World and South Beach.

Services included land planning and site design, hardscape design and thematic detailing, coordination and art direction for the entry sculptures, and design of landscape, lighting, and irrigation.

Brownwood Town Center won FNGLA’s 2014 Landscape Grand Award for Most Outstanding Entry, Roy Rood Award Winner and Florida Friendly Landscape.

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