Leaders with the Winter Park Health Foundation and Florida Hospital on Thursday celebrated a significant construction milestone at the Center for Health & Wellbeing, which will be the most innovative and comprehensive facility of its kind in Central Florida when it opens late next year.

The 80,000-square-foot Center for Health & Wellbeing is designed to provide comprehensive services and opportunities for whole-person, whole-community care — a top priority for both the Winter Park Health Foundation and partner Florida Hospital.

Leaders from both organizations joined Duda|Paine Architects and Jack Jennings & Sons for the ‘topping out’ ceremony, marking that the building has reached its highest point. Crews hoisted a tree — decorated by community leaders with ornaments representing wellness, fitness and medicine — atop the structure.

“This is an exciting day for not just the Winter Park Health Foundation, our partners and the teams that are building this stunning facility, but most importantly — our entire community,” said Patty Maddox, President & CEO of the Winter Park Health Foundation. “We are one major step closer to helping our community make their health — physical, emotional and spiritual — a top priority.”

The Center for Health & Wellbeing, located near Winter Park Memorial Hospital on Mizell Avenue In Winter Park, will focus on three areas: wellness, fitness and medicine. The heart of the facility will be “The Commons,” which will include a healthy café and a conference center for educational classes and other activities.

The center’s wellness offerings will also include:

• A “Nutrition Theater,” where activities such as cooking demonstrations will occur
• Children’s wellness/child care
• Healthy Living Experience
• Outdoor gardens, terrace with patio seating and indoor and outdoor walking paths

The fitness component will feature an all-new Peggy & Philip B. Crosby Wellness Center, which includes:

• Natatorium with two pools: a dedicated lap pool, and one for warm-water therapy and aquatic exercise
• Multipurpose fitness rooms for group exercise classes and yoga
• Modern fitness floor featuring the latest in equipment for cardio exercise and weight training

The medical component —15,000 square feet of space anchored by Florida Hospital — will include:

• Sports medicine and rehabilitation
• Retail pharmacy
• Specialty and primary care physician offices
• Outpatient lab
• Chronic condition management and education
• Massage and acupuncture services

“The Center for Health & Wellbeing is not just a building, but a place that will facilitate health in an innovative way,” said Jennifer Wandersleben, Administrator of Winter Park Memorial Hospital. “Florida Hospital has partnered with the Winter Park Health Foundation for nearly two decades and we are thrilled to bring these state-of-the-art health and wellness services to Central Florida, and make this one of the healthiest communities in the nation.”