About us
We celebrate the legacy of century-old homes in Dixieland by honoring their historical significance with commemorative plaques. Below is a map of the century homes in Dixieland. You can filter the map to see homes from a specific year by clicking the bock with an arrow in the upper left hand corner of the map. Not all homes listed have a plaque displayed on the home.
Funding
The majority of our funding comes from the Prestige Worldwide Group. Visit their website.
Get a Plaque
If you believe your house in Dixieland, Lakeland, FL is 100 or more years old, fill out this form.
Resources
Tools to learn about historic preservation, research, and ancestry are found by clicking here.
Neighborhood Champion
Jason Hagerman created the Dixieland Century Homes Project in 2020. The project was modeled after the Lake Morton Century Homes Project. The Century Homes project has now expanded to the Beacon Hill Historic District, Biltmore-Cumberland Historic District, and is in the early stages of expanding beyond the limits of the designated historic districts.
Jason grew up in a small town north of Syracuse, NY. He has a bachelors degree from the State University of New York at Oswego in Adolescent Education with a concentration in Social Studies. He has a passion for history and community.
In 2018 the Hagerman family purchased the Button House in Dixieland built circa 1921. Since moving into Dixieland, he has previously served as secretary of the neighborhood association and continues to operate the Dixieland Century Homes Project. He and his family have devoted countless hours developing the Dixieland Century Homes Project.
Historian
Christopher Olson was born in Lakeland and has a Marketing B.A. and a technology MBA. He published a historic non-fiction book in 2024 about a Seattle pioneer family (Frederick Sparling: A True Story that is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon as a hardbound, softbound and e-book). After working on a coffee table book on the history of his own home in the Biltmore-Cumberland District, and another for his cousins in South Lake Morton, a century home, he met Michael Maguire in 2019. Since, he has continued to assist Michael’s Century Home Project as his volunteer researcher. The role grew substantially with the addition of Dixieland to the program in 2020, and he serves as both champion and historian for the Biltmore-Cumberland neighborhood.
Prestige Worldwide
Gregory Fancelli was born, raised, and educated in Florence Italy. There he attended the University of Florence, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Gregory has focused his efforts on preserving the architectural integrity and character of Lakeland for over a decade. His vision for a new kind of community can be clearly seen in the newly preserved historic homes his company has renovated.
In addition to the responsibilities associated with his ownership of Prestige Worldwide Group, Gregory continues to be involved in the community by serving on the boards of several organizations, among them the George Jenkins Foundation, the Florida Polytechnic University Foundation, and the Lakeland Regional Health Foundation. He is also a former member the Polk Museum’s Board of Trustees.
In 2024 Gregory agreed to provide funding through his company, Prestige Worldwide Group, for the Dixieland Century Homes Project. The project owes its continued success to his generosity and commitment to historic preservation.
Along with his passion for early 20th century architecture and restoring historic buildings, Gregory enjoys traveling, photography, skiing and water sports.
Photo from LKLDNow
The Beginnings
In 2019 Michael Maguire created the Lake Morton Century Homes project to commemorate homes in the Lake Morton Historic District that had been built 100 or more years ago. His work to strengthen the community and celebrate its perseverance was the catalyst for the celebration of century homes across Lakeland. In June of 2020 Michael was approached by Jason Hagerman about creating a sister project in Dixieland. Michael quickly agreed to meet and discuss the topic. The two met, socially distancing of course, in the summer of 2020 to discuss what this might look like in Dixieland. They both agreed that Jason would create the Dixieland Century Homes Project to directly mirror the project in Lake Morton. Michael agreed to help create the original design for the Dixieland marker and provide any assistance possible. Initial funding for the Dixieland Century Homes project from had made available through The Maguires of Lakeland, a business he founded with his late wife Phyllis. Funding ended in 2023. On December 11, 2024 Michael declared he would be withdrawing from both the Dixieland and Lake Morton Century Homes Projects. Dixieland will be forever grateful for the generosity and devotion Michael has shown our greater community.
The Dixieland Century Homes Project is an independent project. No affilliation exists between the Century Homes Project and The City of Lakeland, FL government.
Dixieland Century Homes Project 
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