A small crowd gathered last Saturday morning for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Winter Park Habitat for Humanity Affiliate’s 53rd house, and the 18th house Trinity has helped to build. The ceremony also included a dedication to one of the chapter’s original two chairman, Thaddeus Seymour.

  The ceremony, held on an empty lot at 994 Lyman Avenue, was attended by an eclectic group of Habitat supporters, including representatives from Trinity’s Habitat club, volunteers from Lake Highland, Winter Park High and Rollins, and a Habitat home-owning family. Cars slowed and pedestrians stopped to observe those in attendance shuffling to find shade at nine in the morning and kicking up dust.

 The ceremony began at 9, led by Seymour and other chairman Hal George, and included a short benediction and a few speeches from those closely involved with the organization. Seymour in particular spoke of the special significance of the house that was not only christened for him, but also sat directly across the street from the very first house that the Winter Park Chapter built 23 years ago.

   “I’m so honored,” Seymour said. “[It was] to my great surprise and humility.”

  George agreed and added how grateful he was for the organizations that supported the chapter.

  “It’s just this wonderful synchronicity of how we started, where we’ve come, and our relationship with Trinity has just been phenomenal. No other school has done what [Trinity] has done,” George said.

  Indeed, Habitat has come a long way since that first house on Lyman Avenue. George said the new house will have a much more “cottage-like feel,” which has become characteristic of Winter Park Habitat houses in the past years. This house is planned to blend more smoothly into the architectural landscape of Winter Park.