World-renowned Chelonian Institute’s century-old home spared in Oviedo

A piece of Oviedo history, once thought to be doomed to development, has been given a new life, and is in line for a much-needed facelift.

The unmistakable, nearly 100-year-old two-story yellow house located at 402 S. Central Ave. in Oviedo, which was formerly home to the world-renowned Chelonian Research Institute before being put up for sale alongside the rest of the 11.5 acres of the property in February 2024, has found buyers who say they plan to restore it to its original charm, minus the dozens of tortoises.

Andrew and Christina Ernst, owners of AC Ernst Building Corporation, recently bought the property for $450,000 and plan to put in an additional $150,000 toward renovating the inside to the 1930 time period, keeping the original wood floors, baseboards and trim, to use it as the company’s office building. The work is expected to be completed by the end of February. 

“We’re really happy to get the property,” Andrew Ernst said. “We love it.”

The property was originally listed for $800,000 but, after a number of reductions, it fell into the price range for the Ernsts’, who have lived in the Oviedo area for nearly 25 years.

“We weren’t originally familiar with [the history of the building],” Andrew said. “When my wife and I walked in, she got in the front door, looked around and said, ‘We’re buying it.’

“She loves the old house, and it’s going to be a great space for us.”

The Institute had been home to the world’s largest private collection and third largest overall collection of turtle and tortoise specimens — more than 14,000 — but closed in 2021 following founder Dr. Peter C.H. Pritchard’s death in February 2020 at age 76. 

It was opened in 1997 by Pritchard, a celebrated turtle and tortoise conservationist who, in 2000, was named a “Hero for the Planet” by Time magazine. The house and property over time evolved to contain a research facility, library, sanctuary, museum and residence for scientists. After Pritchard’s death the hefty collection was moved to the Turtle Conservancy in Ojai, California.

Pritchard’s widow, Sibille, who still lives across the street from the unmistakable yellow house, was excited to hear it would remain and be restored.

“I’m happy to hear that,” she said. “I’m very happy to hear that because in terms of what it was … [the Institute] brought a lot of interest to Oviedo, because we had people from all over the world [visit].

“It was known, in the South, in the scientific world, as a very special place,” she said.

The importance of the restoration did not escape Oviedo Mayor and volunteer executive director of The Oviedo Preservation Project, Megan Sladek.

“Best news ever,” she excitedly exclaimed. 

The stretch of Central Ave. that it sits on contains a number of older buildings important to the history of the city, said Sladek, who lives in the oldest self-standing building in Oviedo, the Lake Charm Memorial Chapel, which was built in 1880.

“If we were going to attempt to have a contiguous commercial historic district, that’s it,” said Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek. “There’s a handful of historic [homes and buildings] that would make it possible. Hypothetically.”

Included in those historic buildings are the Wharton Law Group’s 1930 building at 456 S. Central Ave. and Beers and Gordon, P.A.’s 1910 building at 313 S. Central Ave. 

The former Chelonian building, which sits on just less than an acre of land, was sold separately from the remaining property acreage, which has since been developed by Pulte Homes into a townhome subdivision called Oviedo Square.

When the property was first put up for sale, the two were separated with the hope that a future buyer would keep the building intact, though that was never a certainty.

“I’m glad that a buyer was located that could save the building,” the property’s real estate agent, David Axel, said. “It was set up to kind of go either way, and finally, the pricing was such that it made sense for someone to go in and spend the money on it.

“Most everyone else was looking to, frankly, develop the land,” he said. “We had one or two people that could fix up the building, but it took a special buyer, so it was just a good fit.”

And because of that, drivers going down Central Ave. will still see the iconic yellow house as they pass by; the Ernsts’ vow to keep the color while giving it a freshening up to its original style.

“It’ll be nice to bring it back to its charm, and we’re going to try to keep as much of it 1930s-related as possible,” Ernst said. “To try to drastically improve the finished look of it.”

Doing so helps keep a nearly century-old building standing in Oviedo.

“I think they’ve got nice plans for it,” Axel said. “There ain’t a whole bunch of history left, and, certainly, I don’t like to force people to do things, but it’s nice when someone could come in and save it.”