SEBRING DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC DISTRICT

By  Mike Miller November 5, 2025

Sebring Downtown Historic District covers 2 acres in Sebring, Florida, and centers on Circle Park. The area holds 22 buildings from the 1920s, most in the Classical Revival style.

George E. Sebring planned the layout in 1912 with roads radiating outward from the circle like spokes in a wheel.

The design sets Sebring apart as the City on the Circle. In 1990 the district joined the National Register of Historic Places. Boutiques and cafes fill the ground floors. 

Sebring, City on the Circle overhead view

George Sebring left his Ohio pottery business in 1911 and bought 3,000 acres of scrubland in Florida. He drained swamps for citrus groves and cattle ranches.

The circular plan drew from ancient Heliopolis in Egypt. All streets led to the central park. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad arrived in 1924 and carried tourists on the Orange Blossom Special.

By the mid-1920s the population jumped, and banks and shops rose fast until the 1929 stock crash halted growth. Fraudulent land sales and embargoes hit hard.

World War II brought change when the U.S. Army Air Force built Hendricks Field for training. It became Sebring Regional Airport.

In 1950 after the war, sports car racing started. The 12 Hours of Sebring used the old airport runways. It drew crowds and boosted the economy. Downtown slumped in the 1970s as malls were built around the town's perimeter.

The city formed a Community Redevelopment Agency in 1980. Renovations followed and Sebring earned Florida Main Street status in 1996. Over $20 million went into fixes.

The district sits at Circle Drive and Ridgewood Drive. It runs from Mango Street to Magnolia Avenue. Reach it via U.S. 27 to downtown.

No set hours apply. Walk the area anytime, and enjoy the shade found under the awnings.

Shops are open weekdays from around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend hours vary by tenant. You can park on the streets or in nearby lots.

Use the points-of-interest map from the Downtown Sebring website. You can have fun browsing galleries and cafes, catching a show at Highlands Theater, or visiting the nearby Sebring Historical Society.

• The circle plan mimicked Heliopolis, with a park at the hub. 

• Highlands Theater opened in 1926 as a silent movie house.

Sebring Roanoke Hotel

• The Roanoke Hotel hosted celebrities during the land boom. Redevelopment in 1985 saved the hotel from demolition. 

• Racing at the airport began with a 6-hour event in 1950. 

• The Zachary Building built in 1914 held the first post office. 

DOWNTOWN SEBRING WEBSITE

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