Wilson & Company
by Kevin Fritz
Oviedo-Winter Springs residents who drive down Alafaya Woods Boulevard may do a double-take as they pass a brand-new one-story office building, the next home of Lawton Orthodontics. In his family’s honor, Dr. Brett Lawton worked with local commercial construction mainstay Wilson & Company to build and design a new office based on Oviedo’s famed Lawton House.
Brett is the great-grandson of Thomas Willington Lawton who lived in the seven-bedroom Lawton House during the 1890s. It is now owned by the City of Oviedo. Mr. Lawton was Seminole County’s first and longest-serving elected superintendent of schools.
Brett’s father, Thomas, first opened his orthodontic practice in Winter Park in 1973 and expanded to Oviedo more than 15 years ago. The father-and-son team set up shop in a facility constructed by Wilson & Company for longtime local physician Dr. Patterson. At the time, the Lawtons contracted Wilson & Company to renovate and enhance their suite, as well.
Lawton Orthodontics will occupy 4,600 square feet of the new 6,000-square-foot structure. The remainder will be set aside for possible future expansion or leasing. In the facility’s interior, Wilson & Company brought Dr. Lawton’s vision of a soothing beach theme to life complete with cheery pastel colors, white tongue-and-groove vaulted ceilings, and chandeliers made of shells.
“We call it coastal casual,” says Stephanie Ellis, project manager, who worked on the ground-up project with Mike Grenevich, Wilson & Company’s superintendent. “The feel is bright and airy.”
There are also charging stations in the office and a game area for kids.
On the exterior, the front façade pays homage to the Lawton House with its classic front steps, similar window styling and molding, and a southern-style wrap-around porch. Dedicated loading and unloading zones allow for parents to pick up or drop off their kids for treatment. Surrounding landscape includes many local plants and trees such as live oak, crepe myrtles, blue daze, and cypress.
“Brett wanted the new office to look exactly like the Lawton House, but because of historical restrictions in place, we adapted the plans,” says Barry Henderson, president of Wilson & Company. “It is still very similar to the original home, with modern touches and efficiency.”
The new Lawton Orthodontics office is slated to officially open in July.