X marks the spot.

The former "Fun 'n Wheels" family entertainment center off International Drive in Orange County is now home to cracked pavement and weeds, along with painted directional arrows still on the ground to aid exiting riders.

Yet, among new survey markers and dried drilling slurry left behind from core samples, awaits an old address ready to become vibrant once again.

"The land wants to be an attraction," says Joshua Wallack with a grin.

The intersection of International Drive and Sand Lake Road in Orange County is getting a facelift from Wallack.

"It's downtown Orange County,” he proclaims.

Making Mangos

In his leather dress shoes and suit pants, the Chief Operating Officer of Wallack Holdings runs through the construction site of Mango's Tropical Cafe' Orlando, grabbing a hard hat as he enters.

Almost immediately upon entering, a construction foreman jumps at the opportunity to grab Wallack's attention, since the real estate developer doesn't slow down often.

"I never thought we would ever be involved in anything of this magnitude," Wallack says of the four projects he has envisioned for one of Orange County's busiest corners.

First up for Wallack: transforming the former Friday's Front Row into Mango's: a three-level nightclub and restaurant.

"That Friday's everybody remembers needed to get completely gutted," he says. "The whole thing had been sitting there for three years, completely falling apart."

The only remnants of the former sports bar concept from TGI Friday's Front Row sits out front, where the sign on International Drive has been painted black. Yet, the bleaching power of the Florida sun has forced the paint to fade and the letters have begun to peel.

While others would have seen a neglected restaurant, Wallack says he spotted an opportunity inside, even among the dead cockroaches that greeted him on the floor in 2011.

"I walked in and saw 40-foot ceilings and the location and I said, 'Where do I sign?,'" Wallack recalls.

Mangos Tropical Cafe' Orlando will feature the same elements of Wallack's location in Miami.

"There is a timeless elegance of Mangos with the dining and the nightlife experience," Joshua believes.

The restaurant/bar/nightclub is known for serving lunch on outdoor patios, while dinner inside comes with a show full of beautiful people who sing, dance and perform.

The second level in Orlando will feature space for networking opportunities and private parties aimed at conventions being held down the street at the Orange County Convention Center. A high-tech dance club named "The Vodou Room" will feature DJ's and a light show.

Although a rooftop terrace is also under construction, Wallack plans for the third floor to open at a later date. This week, a crew labored in the hot sun to complete the elevator shaft to the roof, where Wallack joined them by scaling a 20-foot-tall ladder to show off the space.

Relocating from Miami to Orlando only brought more opportunity for Wallack.

"I think moving here was really important for me and living here and being amongst all of the stake holders on I-Drive, getting to know everybody at the county, and all of the other developers, really gave in insight to how things work here so we can work with the local community."

Creating a sense of community is next for Wallack.

Hollywood Parking Garage

The Walgreens next door to Mango's will close by the end of September and become the developer's second project.

The sign outside Mango's still heralds the complex as "Hollywood Plaza." A new parking garage to stand between I-4 and International Drive that will tower 111-feet-tall. Wallack believes the structure will allow Mango's visitors a safe place to leave their vehicle, dine and then take a walk. The former Walgreens parking lot will become a pedestrian mall.

"We're bringing Ocean Drive to I-Drive. And really that's our goal," Wallack says. Orange County Zoning gave Wallack a variance to build the tall structure that will charge visitors a fee. The setup will be similar to the parking garage at Pointe Orlando, according to Wallack.

He believes the addition of the garage and sculpted walkway will make the pedestrian experience "more friendly."

Safer Crossings

Wallack's third project is to remove the crosswalks at Sand Lake Road and International Drive.

"The county has looked at it many times," Wallack shared. "They had a study on it before the recession."

In the place of foot traffic, Wallack has proposed four elevated walkways where the current traffic signals currently sway from cables.

The proposed raised sidewalks, similar to the suspended walkway over I-Drive connecting both halls of the Orange County Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency, would be accessible from four sets of stairs positioned at each corner. Glass elevators would also aid in access for those with disabilities.

"It is very challenging to cross one line of it [International Drive] and then the other line of it [Sand Lake Road]. The little robotic voice is telling you to cross or not cross," he said.

Renderings of the intersection show yellow canopies over the steps and walkways to protect users from Central Florida's afternoon thunderstorms.

"It's right at the corner of Main and Main," Josh said with excitement.

Sand Lake Road stretches through Doctor Phillips to Bay Hill on the western side, while the east runs all the way to Orange Avenue and towards the Orlando International Airport.

International Drive is the backbone of Orlando's tourism corridor, running from outlet malls and Wet 'n Wild on the northern end to near the Osceola Parkway at the southern tip. In between sits the convention center, SeaWorld, Aquatica and a collection of hotels, motels, restaurants and more outlet shopping.

"This will become the dining and nightlife district," Wallack predicts of where Sand Lake meets International.

Climbing Higher

Yet, Wallack's most prominent project will grow to a height of 570 feet from just behind a Perkins Restaurant.

"You're going to drive down International Drive and say, 'There is the SkyScraper.' You're going to see it at 100 feet, 200 feet, going up with the cranes."

The "SKYPLEX” will be home to the “The Skyscraper," also known as the famed PolerCoaster, from USThrillRides. Wallack bought six parcels of land, including the now leveled "Fun 'n Wheels," to form the 12 acres needed to grow skyward.

"It's like having the Eiffel Tower or the St. Louis Arch or the Seattle Space Needle here in Orlando," he says of the planned Skyscraper.

The Tower will be fabricated in Jacksonville, while the roller coaster that will descend from 500 feet above Sand Lake Road, will come from Logan, Utah.

When strolling the fenced in property with Wallack, it's hard to miss signs of the former go kart complex. The race tracks remain, along with the foundation of an arcade building.

Wallack will point to where drills bored into the earth to gather core samples. He says the ground will support the 570 foot tower. But can the tower stand up to the competition?

Eye-ing the Competition

Merlin Entertainment's Orlando Eye is expected to open around the same time as Wallack's Mangos next summer.

The "I-Drive 360 at The Orlando Eye" complex (yes, it is a mouthful) is within walking distance from Wallack's properties. And like Mangos, there is a parking garage. But Wallack's take on the competition may just surprise you.

"Locals can walk back and forth between these two incredible structures, the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel and Skyscraper," he says "They are only two blocks apart."

Whereas Mangos is imported from Miami, I-Drive 360 at The Orlando Eye will also import the famed Madame Tussauds from London.

At the left side of the observation wheel will sit a 25,000-square-foot building holding celebrities made from wax, displayed on sets, where visitors can snap photos.

On the right side of the Orlando Eye will stand a Merlin-branded Sea Life Aquarium. More than 5,000 creatures are anticipated to be on display. Sharks, rays, sea horses and turtles are all mainstays of other Merlin Sea Life Aquariums already open.

"We need these big critical mass attractions to open, and to be symbiotic with each other, in order to create that current of people walking around. And that is what will bring prosperity here 12 months a year."

Until Wallack turns the first shovel of dirt in 2015 at the base of the Skyscraper, the former "Fun 'n Wheels" sits silent, awaiting its turn to turn heads with the world's tallest roller coaster above.

"It really has the DNA of an Orlando attraction in it," Wallack says, again showing excitement.

"I think it has that Karma to help us through some of the challenges and hoops we need to jump through," he concludes.