Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens

Malcolm Fraser, a Canadian citizen and internationally known artist, was a winter resident of Orlando, Florida, and frequent visitor to the Ormond Beach area. "Ormond Beach has an atmosphere about it that I like very much," he is quoted as saying.^1,2

Mr. Fraser was willing to make an outright gift of a series of 56 paintings as a War Memorial to a Florida east coast city that would provide a suitable building to house the paintings, agree to maintain it thereafter and make it available to the public. Many business firms and civic-minded residents of the Halifax Area realized such a gallery would be a great asset to this community and were willing to contribute toward its development.²

In June of 1946, the City Commissioners of Ormond Beach, Florida, requested and received from Mr. Fraser a six months' option on the paintings. The Ormond War Memorial Art Gallery Corporation was duly formed with a State Charter, Constitution and By-Laws. This Corporation raised the funds necessary to build the Gallery, remodel a 1920's-vintage frame building already on the property, and clear the land on the tract of City-owned property on Granada Boulevard between Halifax Drive and Seton Trail. It is reported that 90% of Ormond residents contributed to this project, as did approximately one hundred business firms.

The workmen for the project were servicemen recently returned from active duty and each gave one hour's time every week toward this project. Considerable building materials were also donated.

The Gallery, including the remodeled frame building in front, was completed, all bills were paid, the pictures were hung and the dedication services were held on Sunday afternoon, December 29, 1946 -- two days before the expiration date of the six months' option granted by Mr. Fraser.

In 1962 Mr. Fraser's widow, Mary Aldrich Fraser, donated five more of her husband's paintings to the Museum. The entire Fraser collection now includes 66 paintings due to additional bequests from other sources.

An artist in her own right, Mrs. Fraser's sculpture, The Peacock Fountain, graces the pool at the Museum's south entrance located off Halifax Drive. The Peacock Fountain was donated to the Museum in 1950.

We have established a Restoration Fund for the purpose of cleaning and restoring these works. Please contact   Museum Director, Ann Burt, at (386) 676-3347 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 4:00pm, Eastern time for more information about the Restoration Fund.

¹Ormond-on-the-Halifax, A Centennial History of Ormond Beach, Florida by Alice Strickland © 1980 Alice Strickland. Southeast Printing and Publishing Company, Holly Hill, Florida, USA. LC Number 80-50573

²Encyclopedia of Biography / edited by C. S. Nicholls. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. Originally published: Oxford: Helicon Pub., 1996.  Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 97012316. Nicholls, C. S. (Christine Stephanie)

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This web page was updated on 01-Mar-2007 08:27 PM -0600