"Wood" you have ever guessed that carpenters built Crucial Coffee Cafe by hand? The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board employed traditional woodworking skills on the wood frame structure fifty years ago. They based the reconstruction on a blacksmith shop from the late 1700s. The project aimed to exemplify the craftsmanship of both colonial and contemporary …
You will find many unique objects illustrating St. Augustine's past in Government House. The storied walls contain collections ranging from archaeological archives to colorful paintings. But no other object holds as many of Florida's stories as Dr. Michael Gannon's desk. Dr. Gannon - a historian and former priest - served as a University of Florida …
Over on our Instagram, we're celebrating the great outdoors with the National Archives! We knew we had the perfect story to share, but it was too long to fit in one caption. From August 7 to September 18 1973, six Flagler College students spent six weeks "time traveling" back to Spanish colonial-era St. Augustine to …
We're so excited to continue celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Preservation Board! We'll be continuing to highlight the lives of those involved in St. Augustine's historic preservation movement for the rest of the month. How much do you know about the very first executive director of the St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission? …
Did you know that June 19 is the 60th anniversary of the Preservation Board's creation? We'll be celebrating this significant milestone all month by sharing more in-depth posts about the history of our collections and the people behind them. When the St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission was established by Governor Collins in June …
The Joaneda House prior to restoration. UFDC. Happy Belated Mother’s Day! We’ve given our own mothers a lot of thoughtful and special presents over the years, but Elizabeth Towers’ sons knocked it out of the park when they gifted her a dilapidated building on Treasury Street in downtown St. Augustine, the Joaneda House. Commission Members, …
Continue reading A Gift to Remember: Elizabeth Towers and the Joaneda House
Visitors watching live demonstrations at the Blacksmith Shop. UFDC. One of the most interesting aspects of the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board’s restoration efforts was the operation of interpretive spaces for visitors to the downtown. Many of the houses reconstructed by the board decorated to reflect the families who lived in them during the Spanish …
Governor's House Library 