HISTORIC PRESERVATION REHABILITATION AND DESIGN GUIDELINES · 2013-03-14 · The goal of the Historic Preservation Rehabilitation and Design Guidelines for the City of Gainesville

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HISTORIC PRESERVATIONREHABILITATION AND DESIGN GUIDELINES

Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, FloridaGainesville, FloridaGainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida

Supplement to Land Development CodeSection 30-112

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City of GainesvilleCommunity Development DepartmentD. Henrichs, Historic Preservation PlannerComprehensive Planning Division306 NE 6th Avenue, Bldg. BStation 11 PO Box 490Gainesville, Florida 32602-0490tel. 352.334.5022fax 352.334.2282

University of FloridaResearch and Education Center for Architectural PreservationWilliam L. Tilson, Professor, Co-DirectorSchool of ArchitectureCollege of Design, Construction and Planning331 ARCHPO Box 115701University of FloridaGainesville, Florida 32611-5701tel 352.392.4836

Peter E. Prugh, Associate Professor, DirectorSchool of ArchitectureCollege of Design, Construction and Planning331 ARCHPO Box 115701University of FloridaGainesville, Florida 32611-5701tel 352.392.0205

State of FloridaDepartment of StateBureau of Historic PreservationVicki Cole, Grants and Education SectionR.A. Gray Building500 South Bronough StreetTallahassee, Florida 32399-0250tel 800.847.PASThttp://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/bhp

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“ Preserve, Protect, Enhance and Support the Historic, Archaeo-logical and Cultural Resources within the City of Gainesville.”

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

PREFACE 1

INTRODUCTION 5Rehabilitation: A Practical Approach to PreservationSummary of Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for RehabilitationMaintenance and Rehabilitation of Historic PropertiesGuidelines for Rehabilitating Historic PropertiesAlteration/Additions to Historic BuildingsUsing the Guidelines for Planning a Preservation Project

HISTORIC CONTEXT 15History of the City of GainesvilleNortheast Residential Historic DistrictSoutheast Residential Historic DistrictPleasant Street Historic DistrictUniversity Heights Historic Districts - North and South

REHABILITATION GUIDELINES 79OverviewStructure of the GuidelinesAuthority to ReviewCertificate of AppropriatenessDesign Standards and Their InterpretationSettingAdditions to Existing BuildingsRoofs and Roof SurfaceFoundationsWindows, Shutters and AwningsEntries, Porches and BalconiesDoors and EntrancesExterior FabricPainting, Texture and ColorAuxiliary StructuresPorte Cocheres and GaragesLandscape StructuresFences and Garden WallsSidewalks and WalkwaysInterior Space, Features and Finishes

CONTENTS

Mechanical SystemsSidewalks and WalkwaysHandicap AccessibilityRelocating BuildingsDemolition

DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION

Northeast, Southeast, & Pleasant Street Historic Districts 163Maintaining the Historic Character of the DistrictsDefining the CriteriaRhythm of the StreetSetbacksHeightRoof FormsRhythm of Entrances & PorchesWalls of ContinuityScale of BuildingDirectional ExpressionProportion of the Front FacadeProportion & Rhythm of OpeningsRhythm of Solids to VoidsDetail and Materials

University Heights Historic Districts - North and South 181Maintaining the Historic Character of the DistrictsDefining the CriteriaRhythm of the StreetSetbacksHeightRoof FormsRhythm: Entrances & PorchesWalls of ContinuityScale of the BuildingDirectional ExpressionProportion of Front FacadeProportion & Rhythm of OpeningsRhythm of Solids to VoidsDetail and Materials

CONTENTS

GLOSSARY 191

BIBLIOGRAPHY 197

APPENDIX 1: FLORIDA’S ARCHITECTURAL PERIODS 205Colonial PeriodTerritorial PeriodStatehood PeriodCivil War & Reconstruction PeriodPost-Reconstruction PeriodTurn-of-the-Century WWI PeriodFlorida Boom PeriodDepression & New Deal Period

APPENDIX 2: ARCHITECTURAL STYLES 215Frame VernacularShotgunShingleCommercialGreek RevivalQueen AnneGothic RevivalColonial RevivalClassical RevivalMediterranean InfluenceMissionItalian RenaissanceTudorArt ModernMasonry VernacularSecond EmpireBeaux ArtsMontereyPrairieBungalowFrench Eclectic

APPENDIX 3: MATERIALS 243

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PREFACE

PREFACE

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PREFACE

Brick residence on Northeast Boulevard in theNortheast Historic District.

Section Cover: Partial map of Alachua Countypublished in 1883.

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PREFACE

PREFACE

The goal of the Historic PreservationRehabilitation and Design Guidelines forthe City of Gainesville is to provide adviceand assistance to city officials, buildingprofessionals and property owners for thepurpose of maintaining, rehabilitating, andpreserving historic buildings, structures,objects, and appurtenances within the his-toric districts of Gainesville or individuallylisted properties on the local or nationalregister. The Guidelines also recommendstrategies for the design of new construc-tion that maintain the building pattern ofthe districts, are compatible with the exist-ing district character and contribute posi-tively to their evolving character and pro-tect existing contributing structures. Theguidelines are a single comprehensivedocument that also employs specific lan-guage to protect the unique historical andcultural fabric of each district.

To establish a firm logic for specificrecommendations, the contextual historyand character defining elements of eachhistoric district is analyzed in an illustratednarrative. For example, the history of eachdistrict is visualized using SanbornInsurance maps, aerial images and oralhistory accounts where official publicrecords are not available. The guidelinesmake use of historic photographs foundfrom Gainesville sources complemented byselections from the State of FloridaPhotographic Collection and the StateArchives, Florida Department of State,

Tallahassee. Analytical drawings arefound at the introduction of each districtthat break the general term “character” intocategories of urban order, architecturaltypology, details, materials andconstruction.

The Historic PreservationRehabilitation and Design Guidelinesestablish a uniform structure for organizingguidelines while accommodating theunique character of individual districts.The continuity of the historic preservationguidelines promotes more uniformapplication of the guidelines in differentsettings throughout the city and assistsin many ways the community of propertyowners, developers, community boardsand city officials.

In addition to the Preservation andConservation Manual, (City ofGainesville, Department of CommunityDevelopment), these guidelines utilize thestructure and content of the ModelGuidelines for Design Review (State ofFlorida (1998). The Model DesignGuidelines for Design Review was used toorganize the content of the Gainesvilleguidelines thereby aligning it with theguidelines currently in place or beingdeveloped in other Florida historiccommunities. This alignment streamlinesstate and federal compliance processeswhile foregrounding the uniquerequirements of Gainesville’s historicdistricts.

Thomas Sputo, and George Tedford, alongwith the College Park/University HeightsRedevelopment Advisory Board and theFifth Avenue/Pleasant StreetRedevelopment Advisory Boardcontributed significantly to the evolutionof this document.

In addition to the State of Florida SiteFiles, Ben Pickard and the members ofHistoric Gainesville, Inc., offered greatsupport with the historical context sectionof this document. The informationcontained in this section could not havebeen completed without a strong relianceon the many years of detailed research intoGainesville’s architectural and socialhistory prepared by this group. Their“Historic Alachua County and OldGainesville: A Tour Guide to the Past,” ishighly recommended reading for all thosewho are responsible for owning,maintaining or developing property in thehistoric districts.

The residents of the NortheastResidential Historic District, SoutheastGainesville Historic District, Pleasant StreetHistoric District and the University HeightsHistoric Districts who provided insight,personal histories of properties and helpfulcomments on the effectiveness of theguidelines are to be commended, forultimately, the long term preservation ofthese districts is literally in their hands.

To prepare this revised version of thePreservation Guidelines, the City ofGainesville, Department of CommunityDevelopment, under the direction of D.Henrichs, enlisted the services of theResearch and Education Center forArchitectural Preservation (RECAP) at theUniversity of Florida School ofArchitecture. The principal investigatorsof the project were Co-directors of theCenter, Peter E. Prugh, AIA, APA,Associate Professor and William L. Tilson.The project manager was KathleenMcGuinness who was assisted by GraduateResearch Assistants Charles L. Hailey andBing Hu and field research and GraduateResearch Assistants Angie Brown, GaryGorman, Ellen Holden and Jenny Wolfeconducted studies. The project wassupported by the combined efforts of theState of Florida and the City of Gainesvillethrough the State of Florida Division ofHistorical Resources.

This document was made possiblethrough the significant input of many localgroups and individuals who have beeninstrumental in the movement to preserveGainesville’s historic neighborhoods. TheGainesville Historic Preservation Boardmembers, Patrice Boyes, Dennis Egan,Joan Gowen, Mary Honeycutt, TimHoskinson, Apryl Howell, Sandra Lamme,Richard MacMaster, Jim Mallard, JeannaMastrodicasa, Antonio Prieto, Jay Reeves,

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INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

Native fieldstone “Chert” HouseUniversity Heights South District

Section Cover: Lithograph of Gainesville, 1884.

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INTRODUCTION

REHABILITATION: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO PRESERVATION

The Preservation and Conservation Manual City of Gainesville, Department of Community Development as amended through February 1998.

The Rehabilitation and Design Guide-lines are a tool to ensure the preservationof architectural resources through mea-sures that are consistent and cost-effective.The guidelines help coordinate applicablecity, state, and federal guidelines to avoidor minimize administrative overlap andneedless duplication. The guidelines coverboth new construction and rehabilitation,which is the process of repairing or alter-ing a historic property while retaining itssignificant features. A practical approachto preservation, rehabilitation is a com-promise between remodeling, which hasno sensitivity to the historic features of abuilding, and restoration, which is a moreaccurate but costly approach to repair,replacement, and maintenance.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Stan-dards for Rehabilitation serve as the basisfor the Guidelines. The intent of the Stan-dards is to encourage the retention andpreservation of historic buildings as ex-pressed in their architectural design, ma-terials, and workmanship. The result of anyproject reviewed under the Standardsshould be the preservation of a building’shistoric materials and distinguishing char-acter. Important characteristics of a build-ing include its overall shape, materials,craftsmanship, decorative details, interiorspaces and features, and its site and envi-ronment.

The reasons for using the Secretary ofthe Interior’s Standards are numerous. Thefirst and most important is consistency.Rehabilitation projects in Florida receiv-ing federal or state funding or tax creditsalready must observe the standards. Fur-thermore, property owners seeking a his-toric preservation property tax exemptionunder Section 196.1997, Florida Statutes,must also comply with them. A consistentset of standards will result in savings oftime and money and permit avoidance ofadministrative overlap and conflictingregulations.

A second important reason for using theSecretary of the Interior’s Standards is pre-cedent. The Standards have been success-fully applied for many years and have re-sulted in a number of case studies, pub-lished in “Interpreting the Secretary of theInterior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.”These case studies are available from theArchitectural Preservation Services Sectionof the Bureau of Historic Preservation andprovide an excellent source of informationfor local review boards, preservation archi-tects, preservation planners, owners of his-toric properties, and others undertakingmodifications to historic buildings.

The guidelines contain three major sec-tions. The first section, Historic Context,offers a frame of reference for individualsundertaking or reviewing the rehabilitation

of historic properties. This frame of refer-ence serves as an aid to analyzing what issignificant about a building or district. Itconsists of a succinct overview of Floridaarchitecture, describing periods of con-struction, characteristics of historic dis-tricts, common building types and archi-tectural styles, significant materials andinteriors. This section also analyzes theelements that contribute to the characterof the historic districts using text drawingsand photographs.

The second major section, Rehabilita-tion Guidelines, forms the core of theguidelines. This section provides rehabili-tation guidelines for appropriate treat-ments of historic buildings. It outlines ap-propriate treatments for additions, doorsand entrances, exterior materials, founda-tions and infill, mechanical systems,porches, roofs and roof surfaces, settingand historic landscapes and windows. Italso contains recommendations on the ap-propriate treatment of historic interiors,handicap accessibility, relocation of historicbuildings and demolition.

The third section, Design Guidelinesfor New Construction, outlines specificdesign criteria that must be considered inthe design of any new construction pro-posed for the historic districts. The firstpart of this section outlines the design cri-teria for new construction in the Northeast,

Southeast and Pleasant Street Historic Dis-tricts. The second part of this section out-lines the design criteria for the UniversityHeights Historic Districts. The DesignGuidelines are not prescriptive but do offernumerous specific applications of the cri-teria through photographs and drawingsthat illustrate the concept of compatibility.

The final components of the guidelinesinclude a glossary of terms, bibliography,appendices, and an index. Numerous illus-trations, composed of photographs anddrawings, complement the text.

Bungalow residences on SE 7th Street in theSoutheast District.

A Practical Approach

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INTRODUCTION

Restoration and rehabilitation project in theSoutheast District.

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INTRODUCTION

The Secretary of the Interior hasadopted a set of standards for rehabilita-tion of historic structures under federal pro-grams, including the tax incentive programfor rehabilitation. The following standardsare general principles that the Departmentof the Interior recommends for consider-ation in the planning stage of rehabilita-tion.

1. A property shall be used for its historicpurpose or be placed in a new use thatrequires minimal change to the definingcharacteristics of the building and itssite and environment.

2. The historic character of a property shallbe retained and preserved. The removalof historic materials or alteration of fea-tures and spaces that characterize aproperty shall be avoided.

3. Each property shall be recognized as aphysical record of its time, place anduse. Changes that create a false senseof historical development, such as add-ing conjectural features or architecturalelements from other buildings, shall notbe undertaken.

4. Most properties change over time; thosechanges that have acquired historic sig-nificance in their own right shall be re-tained and preserved.

5. Distinctive features, finishes and con-struction techniques or examples ofcraftsmanship that characterize a his-toric property shall be preserved.

6. Deteriorated historic features shall berepaired rather than replaced. Where theseverity of deterioration requires re-placement of a distinctive feature, thenew feature shall match the old in de-sign, color, texture and other visual quali-ties and, where possible, materials. Re-placement of missing features shall besubstantiated by documentary, physi-cal or pictorial evidence.

7. Chemical or physical treatments, suchas sandblasting, that cause damage tohistoric materials shall not be used. Thesurface cleaning of structures, if appro-priate, shall be undertaken using thegentlest means possible.

8. Significant archaeological resources af-fected by a project shall be protectedand preserved. If such resources mustbe disturbed, mitigation measures shallbe undertaken.

9. New additions, exterior alterations or re-lated new construction shall not destroyhistoric materials that characterize theproperty. The new work shall be differ-entiated from the old and shall be com-patible with the massing, size, scale andarchitectural features to protect the his-toric integrity of the property and itsenvironment.

10.New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that, if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the historic property and its environ-ment would be unimpaired.

Rehabilitation of a garage apartment in theUniversity Heights North District

SUMMARY OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR’S STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION

Restoration work done in the Northeast District.

Secretary of Interior Standards

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INTRODUCTION

MAINTENANCE AND REHABILITATION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES

A well-maintained historic house in the UniversityHeights North District

Reconstruction is recommended only when thereis adequate historical, pictorial or physicaldocumentation so that a building or feature canbe adequately reproduced.

Maintenance and Rehabilitation

There are a variety of approaches to re-pairing or altering a historic building andother historic properties. These approachesshould be understood before planning, un-dertaking, or reviewing repair or alterationof such properties. They are defined below.

RemodelingRemodeling consists of an approach in

which repairs or alterations are undertakenwith little or no regard for the overall de-sign and individual features of the historicbuilding. During the course of remodeling,the historic character of a building is usu-ally lost or diminished. Remodeling is not arecommended approach and frequently willresult in rejection of a certification of ap-propriateness, disapproval from state andfederal regulatory authorities, and denialof financial benefits such as tax credits,grants, and ad valorem tax exemptions.

StabilizationStabilization, usually the first step in

preserving a historic building, is undertakento reestablish the weathertight and struc-tural integrity of buildings, particularlythose that are unsafe or deteriorated. It is atemporary measure designed to allow re-habilitation or restoration in the future. Sta-bilization measures include repairing orcovering roofs and windows so that raincannot penetrate the interior, extermination

of termites and other wood boring pests,protecting a property from vandalism, ad-dressing structural problems, and otherwork that will prevent further deterioration.

RestorationRestoration is accurately recovering the

form and detail of a building and its settingas it appeared at a specific time in the past.Restoration often requires the removal oflater work or the replacement of missingearlier work. Restoration is the most accu-rate and expensive means of preserving abuilding. Because of the cost, restorationis generally employed only on landmarkbuildings of exceptional significance. Res-toration entails detailed research into thehistory, development, and physical form ofa building, skilled craftsmanship, and at-tention to detail. The original use is gener-ally maintained or interpreted, as in the caseof a house museum.

ReconstructionReconstruction entails reproducing, by

new construction, the exact form and detailof a vanished building or part of a building,to its appearance during a specific time inits history. Reconstruction is recommendedonly when there is adequate historical, pic-torial or physical documentation so that abuilding or feature can be adequately re-

produced. Conjectural reconstruction isnot a recommended approach and conflictswith contemporary preservation standards.

RehabilitationRehabilitation is a practical approach

to historic preservation. It is the process ofrepairing or altering a historic building foran efficient contemporary use while retain-ing its historic features. Rehabilitation rep-resents a compromise between remodeling,which has no sensitivity to the historic fea-tures of a building, and restoration, whichis a more accurate but costly approach torepair, replacement, and maintenance.

Rehabilitation includes structural re-pairs, repairing roofs and exterior finishes,painting, and upgrading mechanical sys-tems. It frequently involves changes in use.These changes may result in physical al-terations, such as additions, expanded park-ing, and measures to comply with contem-porary health and safety code requirements.Sensitive rehabilitation results in changesthat do not negatively impact the historiccharacter of a building and its setting.

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INTRODUCTION

GUIDELINES FOR REHABILITATING HISTORIC PROPERTIES

Repairs are warranted when required by thephysical condition of character-defining materialsand features.

Avoid removal of features that form the historiccharacter of a building. Repair if possible, orreplace if necessary.

Guidelines for Rehabilitation

The guidelines which follow are ori-ented toward rehabilitation of historic build-ings and other historic properties. They es-sentially draw upon the Secretary of theInterior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Overthe past several decades the Secretary ofthe Interior’s Standards have become theauthoritative guidelines for rehabilitationin the United States. The Standards wereinitially used in reviewing projects fundedby the now defunct Historic PreservationFund grant-in-aid program. Subsequently,they were used by authorities in preserv-ing historic properties under federal con-trol and reviewing projects falling underfederal compliance review. Presently, manystate officials and local design reviewboards both in Florida and nationally em-ploy the Standards as the basis for reha-bilitation guidelines. They have been usedin Florida for over twenty years in review-ing projects involving federal investmenttax credits and state and federal grants.

The Standards suggest a series of stepsto rehabilitation, beginning with the leastintrusive treatments. The steps in sequenceare as follows:

Identify, Retain, and PreserveThe first step—identifying, retaining,

and preserving the form and detailing ofarchitectural materials and feature—is ba-sic to the sensitive treatment of all historicbuildings. The guidelines which follow rec-ommend measures to accomplish this goalwhile avoiding actions which will cause theremoval of features that form the historiccharacter of a building.

Protect and MaintainProtection generally involves the least

degree of intervention and precedes otherwork. Protective measures include the main-tenance of historical materials through treat-ments such as rust removal, caulking, lim-ited paint removal, re-application of pro-tective coatings, and cyclical cleaning ofroof gutter systems; or stabilization throughprevention of water infiltration, installationof fencing, protective plywood, alarm sys-tems and other measures. Although a his-toric building will usually require more ex-tensive work, an overall evaluation of itsphysical condition should begin at thislevel.

RepairRepairs are warranted when required by

the physical condition of character-defin-ing materials and features. Repair of his-toric material begins with the least degreeof intervention possible, such as patching,

piecing-in, splicing, consolidating, or oth-erwise reinforcing or upgrading the mate-rial according to recognized preservationmethods. Repair also includes the limitedreplacement in kind or with a compatiblesubstitute material of extensively deterio-rated or missing parts of features whenthere are surviving prototypes. Althoughusing the same kind of materials is alwaysthe preferred option, substitute materialsare acceptable if the form and design aswell as the substitute materials themselvesconvey the visual appearance of the re-maining parts of the feature and finish.

ReplaceReplacement is appropriate when an

entire character-defining feature is not repa-rable. If the essential form and detailing arestill evident so that the physical evidencecan be used to re-establish the feature asan integral part of the rehabilitation project,then its replacement is appropriate. Like theguidance for repair, the preferred option isalways replacement of the entire featurewith the same material. Because this ap-proach may not always be technically oreconomically feasible, provisions are madeto consider the use of a compatible substi-tute material.

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INTRODUCTION

ALTERATION/ADDITIONS TO HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Where an important architectural feature ismissing, its recovery is always recommended.

Repair also includes the limited replacement inkind or with a compatible substitute material ofextensively deteriorated or missing parts of featureswhen there are surviving prototypes.

Alteration/Additions

Design for Missing Historic FeaturesA new feature is appropriate when an

entire interior or exterior feature is missing.Under these circumstances, the original fea-ture no longer plays a role in physicallydefining the historic character of the build-ing unless it can be accurately recoveredin form and detailing through the processof carefully documenting the historical ap-pearance. Where an important architecturalfeature is missing, its recovery is alwaysrecommended in the guidelines as the pre-ferred course of action. Thus, if adequatehistorical, pictorial, and physical documen-tation exists so that the feature may be ac-curately reproduced, and if it is desirableto re-establish the feature as part of thebuilding’s historical appearance, then de-signing and constructing a new featurebased on such information is appropriate.However, a second acceptable option forthe replacement feature is a new design that

is compatible with the remaining character-defining features of the historic building.The new design should always take intoaccount the size, scale, and material of thehistoric building itself and, most impor-tantly, should be clearly differentiated sothat a false historical appearance is not cre-ated.

The final step involves alterations andadditions. Some exterior and interior alter-ations to a historic building are generallyneeded to assure its continued use. It is,however, important that such alterationsdo not radically change, obscure, or de-stroy character-defining spaces, materials,features, or finishes. Alterations may in-clude providing additional parking spaceon an existing historic building site; cut-ting new entrances or windows on second-ary elevations; and installing an entirelynew mechanical system. Alterations mayinclude the selective removal of non-his-

toric features of a building or other fea-tures of the environment or building sitethat are intrusive and, therefore, detractfrom the overall historic character.

The construction of an exterior addi-tion to a historic building may seem to beessential for new use. The guidelines em-phasize, however, that such new additionsshould be avoided, if possible, and con-sidered only after it is determined that thoseneeds cannot be met by altering second-ary, non character-defining interior spaces.If, after a thorough evaluation of interiorsolutions, an exterior addition is still judgedto be the only viable alternative, it shouldbe designed to be clearly differentiated fromthe historic building and constructed sothat the character-defining features are notradically changed, obscured, damaged, ordestroyed.

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INTRODUCTION

USING THE GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING A PRESERVATION PROJECT

Rehabilitation project on SW 2nd Avenue.

Rehabilitation project on SW 2nd Avenue.

Using the Guidelines

Planning is critical to a successful pres-ervation project and should proceed in alogical series of steps. The first step con-sists of an evaluation of the condition andfunctional obsolescence of a building. Thiswill be done independent of the guidelines.Each component of a building should bethoroughly evaluated, beginning with thefoundation, exterior walls, roof, doors andwindows, mechanical systems, and inte-rior. This frequently takes the form of a con-ditions report, usually prepared by an ar-chitect or building contractor.

Once the work to be done has been iden-tified, the architectural character of thebuilding should be evaluated. The NationalPark Service suggests a three-step ap-proach to this process. First, observe thebuilding from afar to ascertain its shape,pattern of window and door openings, pri-mary and secondary roof features, and pro-jections such as porches, trim and setting.Next, move close to the building to iden-tify its color, texture, and finishes. Finally,proceed to the interior of the building andidentify its individually important and re-lated spaces, features, and surface finishesand materials. The guidelines can assistthis process by providing informationabout significant periods, stylistic details,property types, materials, and interior fea-tures.

The final phase of planning a projectshould integrate the evaluation of thebuilding’s condition with the evaluation ofthe architectural character of the building.Structural repairs, upgrading of mechani-cal systems, energy retrofitting, and renewalof exterior and interior features and finishesshould be evaluated within the context ofthe architectural guidelines to determinetheir appropriateness.

Once a plan has been developed andsubmitted as a request for a Certificate ofAppropriateness and the application re-quirements have been met, reviewers mayconsult the guidelines to ensure that sig-nificant features of the property under re-view have been properly evaluated and willbe properly treated during the course ofrehabilitation.

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HISTORIC CONTEXTCity of Gainesville

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HISTORIC CONTEXT

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Section Cover: Gainesville Sanborn InsuranceMap, 1922.

This map of Alachua County was drawn by CarlWebber of New York and Gainesville, and includedin his book “Eden of the South,” published in 1883.

Lithograph of the county Seat of Gainesville, 1884.

The City was named in honor of General EdmundPedleton Gaines. Original Plat Map of Gainesville, 1854.

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Gainesville was voted a new town andthe Alachua County Seat on September 6,1853. Prior to this, the Alachua CountySeat was Newnansville, a small town nearpresent day City of Alachua.

With the introduction of the railroad,the east and west portions of the state werelinked, connecting two port cities, Fernan-dina on the Atlantic Ocean and Cedar Keyon the Gulf of Mexico. The rail line, how-ever, bypassed the County Seat. The resi-dents received approval from the State ofFlorida for a county wide election tochange the location of the County Seat bycreating a new city closer to where the rail-road was planned to intersect the County.

The City was named in honor of Gen-eral Edmund Pedleton Gaines who servedin the war of 1812 and later commandedU.S. Troops during the Seminole Wars inFlorida (Hussain).

The City of Gainesville was officiallyfounded in 1854, and incorporated on April14, 1869.

The land was initially part of theArredondo Spanish Land Grant made bythe Spanish King to Don Fernando de laMaza Arredondo on December 22, 1817.The Arredondo Grant encompassed whatis now Alachua County and required settle-ment of the area by 200 inhabitants withina specified time frame in order to retainthe land. And thus, the land had been sub-divided and sold. The Indians resisted inturning over their land and the Second

Seminole Indian War broke out in 1835. Thefighting continued until 1842.

The site of the new city was once aTimucuan Indian Village consisting ofcombined plots of land over one hundredand three and one quarter acres.

The land was purchased from MajorBailey on January 24, 1854 and the estateof Nehemiah Brush on November 27,1856.

The original town was bounded on thenorth by present day Fifth Avenue, on theeast by the Sweetwater Branch, on thesouth by Second Place and on the west bySecond Street. The 103.25 acre plat waslaid out in a grid pattern and designed withfour intersecting ninty-foot thoroughfares,which formed the courthouse square in thecenter of the city. Thirty-foot streets formedthe boundaries and forty-five-foot streetswere used elsewhere on the grid.3 Thesepaired, ninety-foot thoroughfares dividedthe city into four quadrants.

In 1856, the city had erected a two-storywood frame courthouse. The building actedas a focal point for growth as several busi-nesses, retail establishments, offices andhotels soon surrounded the courthousesquare and the area became the new busi-ness center for the city.

The railroad was completed in 1860 andpassed directly through Gainesville. Busi-ness developed with this new link betweenthe east and the west and Gainesville be-came a central shipping point for the sur-

rounding communities. The town hadgrown to 269 residents of the 140,000 inFlorida itself. It was not until after the CivilWar and Reconstruction that Gainesvillewould experience a building boom.

After sixteen years of statehood, Floridawithdrew from the Union in 1861. Over15,000 Floridians fought for the Confed-eracy while 1290 joined the Union forces.On February 15, 1864, a skirmish with Fed-eral and Confederate troops took place inGainesville. On August 17, 1864, a CivilWar battle had also taken place here. Over300 Union troops that occupied the townwere attacked by the Florida Cavalry underthe command of Captain Jonathan J.Dickison and driven from the town. In1865, the war between the States hadended. Slavery was abolished and Floridawas under military rule. (Hildreth)

By 1873, Gainesville became one of thelargest cotton shipping stations in the stateand the south. With fourteen cotton gins inoperation, local growers supplied the rawmaterial. The H.F. Dutton Company wasthe local industry leader. An employee ofthe company, a machinist named JamesDoig, constructed the cotton gin locally.

Between 1881-1883, the population hadgrown to over 2,000 with the increase inshipping and industry. Additional rail lineswere built to service Gainesville and it soonbecame a rail center. Farming and Citrusadded to the local economy.

Gainesville’s early lumber industry, circa 1900’s.

Artist’s rendering of battle in Gainesville, 1864.

1. Comprehensive Plan, City of Gainesville Historic and Architectural Development, 1991.2. Florida Master Site Files, Southeast Historic District . Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.3. Florida Master Site Files, Northeast Historic District,. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.

HISTORY OF THE CITY OF GAINESVILLE

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Even with the completion of the rail-road, Gainesville did not experience abuilding surge until after the Civil War andReconstruction.

By 1890, Gainesville had grown to 2,790residents, and by 1900 the U.S. Censusannounced that the population had grownto 3,633. As the economic base broadened,the increased number and prosperity of thecity’s inhabitants began to be reflected inthe built environment of the surroundingneighborhoods.

The majority of the residences werefound in an area north of the courthousesquare, largely owing to the fact that theoriginal town plat was laid out with thirty-eight blocks to the north of the square andonly fourteen to the south.

In the first two decades of the twenti-eth century, two decisions by the State ofFlorida prevented Gainesville from suffer-

In 1884, a series of fires had destroyedthe central business district and courthouse.Many of the buildings were rebuilt in brick.A new brick courthouse was built in 1885and replaced the original wood frame build-ing. The clock from the brick courthouseremains today in a new location and towerdowntown.

Between 1890 and 1914, the Gainesvilleeconomy was broadened by the phosphateand lumber industry. The H.F. Dutton Com-pany remained the industry leader locally.The president of H.F. Dutton Phosphatebegan construction of a shingle style homein the northeast in 1906. H.F. Dutton diedthree years later and his unfinished homewas purchased by Major William R. Tho-mas. The home was converted into a luxuryhotel, known as Hotel Thomas, with theaddition of a new wing in 1926-28.

ing the fate of many other small railroadtowns that atrophied as redundant and un-profitable lines of the national railroad net-work were eliminated. The first of thesewas the passing by the State legislature ofthe Buckman Act in 1905, which createdthe University of Florida in Gainesville.The City of Gainesville was chosen as thesite for the University of Florida and builtof land donated by Major William R. Tho-mas. The University in many ways replacedthe slowing industry in the city with manybeneficial economical and educationalspin-offs to the community. The industryeconomy was replaced with education. TheUniversity contains several historic Colle-giate Gothic structures and is designatedas a separate historic district.

The second was the establishment ofan asylum for the care and protection ofthe mentally ill and handicapped, now

Gainesville Sanborn Insurance Map, CentralBusiness District 1928.

First Alachua County Courthouse, circa 1856-1884. Southeast 1st Avenue, late 19th century. Alachua Avenue, Gainesville, Florida .Franklin Street, Gainesville, Florida.

Comprehensive Plan, City of Gainesville Historic and Architectural Development, 1991.Florida Master Site Files, Southeast Historic District . Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.Florida Master Site Files, Northeast Historic District,. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.

19


Gainesville Sanborn Insurance Map, 1928, showingthe central business district.

Gainesville’s Original Post Office Building.

called Tacachale. The growth of the cityand its two major institutions took placealong parallel lines. By 1950, the popula-tion of Gainesville had grown to 26,861,while the student body had reached 3,216.The number of patients at Tacachale hadincreased to over 1,000, requiring a widevariety of professional staff and supportservices.

Of the two state-supported institutions,the University of Florida had the most dra-matic effect of the physical appearance ofthe city. Located on University Avenue,approximately twenty blocks west of theCourthouse Square, the new facility forhigher education stimulated the physicaland political expansion of the city. In 1907,the corporate limits of Gainesville wereincreased from its approximately 103 acresto 5.5 square miles. In addition, the uni-versity spurred the growth of new residen-

tial areas to the north, east, and west andacted as the western terminus to commer-cial development along University Avenue.With the growth and expansion of the Uni-versity, the housing demand rapidly in-creased during the 1920s. Neighborhoodsdeveloped surrounding the University andexpanded to the west. Many more historicbuildings are scattered throughout the sur-rounding areas.

Gainesville’s economic prosperity con-tinued well into the 1920s boosted by itsgrowing prosperity. In response to the ex-pansion of both the growing residentialneighborhoods in the southeast and north-east, a 12-room public school was built onEast University Avenue. The Mediterra-nean Revival style building was expandedin the 1930s and later renamed Kirby-SmithElementary School in 1940. It served as ananchor for both the residential neighbor-

hoods until it was discontinued as a publicschool and now serves as the administra-tion offices for the Alachua County SchoolDistrict.

The automobile was a major factor inthe transformation of the physical structureof Gainesville. Between 1930 and 1950,the number of cars in the city increasedfrom approximately 5,000 to over 14,000bringing a great demand for road pavingand automobile related services. By 1930,a number of businesses associated with theautomobile had occupied buildings aroundCourthouse Square and along UniversityAvenue. These included automobile deal-ers, gas stations, and tire and parts suppli-ers. The paving of University Avenue asthe principal link between the universityand town provided for further commercialdevelopment along the thoroughfare. Thecontinued expansion of businesses in the

Central Business District, University Avenue.


Public and High School, Gainesville, Florida.. East Florida Seminary, Gainesville, Florida.

20


twelve-block area around the courthousecaused a dramatic decrease in the numberof residences in the immediate downtownarea. By 1945, only twelve residences wereleft in the immediate vicinity of the court-house.

The automobile also made possible thedevelopment of new suburban subdivi-sions, primarily to the north and west ofthe city. Between 1914 and 1950, approxi-mately seventy subdivisions were platted,primarily to the north and west of the city.Part of the growth, which occurred in the1920’s, was the result of the Florida LandBoom. However, Gainesville did not par-ticipate to the extent of such cities as Mi-ami, Palm Beach, or St. Petersburg, whichwere more attractive as tourist and wintervacation centers. A few subdivisions weredeveloped—Hibiscus Park, HighlandHeights, and East Highland to name sev-eral, but many others never went beyondthe planning and promotion stages.

The post-World War II era showed dra-matic growth in Gainesville. The city’spopulation in 1950 was approximately37,000; and in the late 1980’s it climbed toover 90,000. This increase had broughtabout a rapid growth in the developmentof suburban housing and a decentralizationof commercial activities that has resultedin the deterioration of the older commer-cial and residential areas of the city. The1960s also brought about a decline due tothe increased rental properties throughout

the area. Various neighborhoods saw de-cline as rental properties were neglected.

Historic PreservationA great attempt has been made to sta-

bilize and even reinvigorate these declin-ing areas during the past twenty years bypromoting interest in the preservation andrehabilitation of historic structures.

The historic preservation program ofthe City largely came about as a result ofthe neighborhood preservation effort of the“duck pond area” during the 70s. The areais now referred to as the Northeast Resi-dential Historic District. These residents,along with Historic Gainesville, Inc. spear-headed the preservation movement for theCity of Gainesville.

The City of Gainesville, with the help ofHistoric Gainesville, Inc., made the firstsubstantial commitment to historic preser-vation in April 1974 with the purchase andrenovation of the 1920 era Hotel Thomas.The Thomas Center and Gardens, as it isnow known, houses City of Gainesvilleadministration offices and is also utilizedfor special cultural events and programs.The Thomas Center and Gardens act as ananchor to the Northeast Residential His-toric District which branches north fromUniversity Avenue and East of Main Street.Several other local preservation effortshave resulted in listings on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. These includethe Old Post Office, known locally as the

Hippodrome State Theatre, and theMatheson House as well as the five his-toric districts, Northeast Residential His-toric District, Southeast Residential HistoricDistrict, the Pleasant Street Historic Dis-trict, and the University Heights HistoricDistricts - North and South.

The City furthered preservation effortsby funding a historic preservation surveythough ERLA Associates and The HistoryGroup, Inc. A survey of historic and cul-tural resources was conducted by ERLAAssociates and The History Group, Inc.,during the summer of 1980. It included anexamination of above ground and under-ground resources by professionals in ar-cheology, history and architectural history.Volunteers from Historic Gainesville, Inc.worked along with the City staff membersin assisting with the survey. This two-phased survey covered the entire City butconcentrated on residential areas as thespecific focus. To ensure that no potentialsites were excluded, the architectural sur-vey followed the criteria of the Florida StateHistoric Preservation Office and the Na-tional Register of Historic Places. Survey-ors proceeded from a windshield survey toan intensive block-by-block, site-by-siteapproach. Data for over one thousand siteswas recorded on Florida Site File inventoryforms, with accompanying photographsand was submitted to the State Archives.Nine areas were identified as potential his-


Central Business District, 2nd Avenue.

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toric districts in accordance with the City’sgoals for neighborhood conservation.

As a result of the survey of historicaland cultural resources, the City of Gaines-ville completed the creation of 1,773Florida Site Files. This data also assistedthe City in placing sites on both the LocalRegister and National Register of HistoricPlaces. These sites came to include theNortheast Residential Historic District, theSoutheast Residential Historic District andthe Pleasant Street Historic District.

An archeological survey summarizedpatterns in previously identified siteswithin the City. The report, includingthirty-five archeological sites, was submit-ted to the City and the Florida Departmentof State, Division of Historical Resourceson September 30, 1980.

In response to the survey results, it wasalso recommended that the city adopt a his-toric preservation ordinance for protectionof historic buildings and districts. OnMarch 28, 1983, the City Commissionadopted the Historic Preservation/Conser-vation Ordinance for the City of Gaines-ville. The Ordinance provides a means forthe identification and protection of historicand cultural resources in the City that areworthy of public recognition and preser-vation for the benefit of future generations.In addition, the purpose of the Ordinancewas to create the Historic PreservationBoard and to establish the Local Registerof Historic Places. This board consists of

nine citizen members appointed by the CityCommission for staggered three-year terms.The responsibilities of the Board are to re-view and recommend historic and culturalresources for listing on the Local Registerof Historic Places and to approve or denypetitions for Certificates of Appropriate-ness. Since 1985, the City has staffed theHistoric Preservation Board with a historicpreservation planner to act as staff liaison.

Since the adoption of the Historic Pres-ervation/Conservation Ordinance, the CityCommission has adopted two additionalordinances sponsored by the Historic Pres-ervation Board. The Demolition Delay Or-dinance, adopted in 1988, provides thatpermits to demolish structures which havea Florida Site File or are 45 years of age orolder not be issued until 90 days from thedate of the permit application. The Bed andBreakfast Ordinance, adopted the follow-ing year, provides for the conversion ofsingle-family dwellings listed on the LocalRegister of Historic Places into bed andbreakfast establishments.

The Community RedevelopmentAgency was established in 1981. The pur-pose was to initiate projects of public im-portance and to alleviate urban blightwithin a specific area. CRA projects in-clude streetscapes, new buildings, parkinglots and garages, neighborhood parks, side-walks and street plantings.

Continuous efforts by preservationistsand planners in the community have at-tempted to reconcile the twin needs ofprogress and preservation so as to strike abalance between a desire to hold onto thephysical remnants of the older, railroad-oriented market town and the reconstruc-tion of the central core of Gainesville toserve the demands of the ever-expandingUniversity of Florida, the city and countygovernments, and to attract new commer-cial and professional enterprises.

In response to this effort, many of therehabilitated historic homes throughoutGainesville have been converted to com-mercial use as professional offices, bed andbreakfasts and even museums, such as theMatheson House and the Medical SocietyMuseum. Several significant landmarkshave received community support in theirrestoration efforts such as the Bethel GasStation, Florida Theater, Star Garage, theSeagle Building and American LegionBuildings.

Downtown Gainesville has continuedto grow and develop as a professional andgovernment center with a revitalized fo-cus in most recent years. The area has re-ceived many new buildings such as UnionStreet Station, a new library, and a newcourthouse complex.

Historic Preservation Data and Analysis Report, City of Gainesville, 1991-2001, Comprehensive Plan, The Department of Community Development, Comprehensive Planning Section, November 1991.

The area parks and greenspaces havealso been given great attention in revital-ization such as those improvements to theSweetwater Branch area in the SoutheastDistrict and planned improvements andrenovation of the Duckpond in the North-east District.

The City has also focused attention onredevelopment of the areas near the Uni-versity of Florida campus, trying to bal-ance new development with sensitivity tothe historic character of the campus-relatedareas.

In October 2000, a University HeightsSpecial Area Plan was adopted for theneighborhoods east of the university topromote new development near the cam-pus. That was followed in January 2002 bythe designation of two historic districts,the University Heights Historic Districts -North & South, which straddle UniversityAvenue and share many of the UniversityHeights neighborhoods with the SpecialArea Plan.

22


The City Commission approved the NortheastResidential Historic District on July 8, 1985. (Referto 241ZON-84PB and Ordinance #3141.)

The City Commission approved the SoutheastHistoric District on March 13, 1989. (Refer to157ZON-88PB and Ordinance #3701.)

The City Commission approved the Pleasant StreetHistoric District on February 18, 1991. (Referto76ZON-90PB and Ordinance #3701.)

Pleasant Street HistoricDistrictLocal Register

This district contains the oldest AfricanAmerican residential area in Gainesville.This area has remained a religious, educa-tional and social center for the AfricanAmerican community for over a century.African Americans built many of the 255contributing structures during the post-Civil War era.

The City Commission approved the UniversityHeights Historic Districts on January 14, 2002.(Refer to 32ZON-01PB and Ordinance 001026for north district & 33ZON-01PB and Ordinance001027 for south district.)

University Heights HistoricDistrict-North

University Heights HistoricDistrict-SouthLocal Register

These districts, separated by UniversityAvenue, have an outstanding collection ofbuildings and structures of nationally rec-ognized styles of the 1920’s and 1940’s.Particularly noteworthy are the districts’Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Crafts-man architecture. The Craftsman influencesare pronounced and some of the best ex-amples of this style in Gainesville.

4444433333Northeast Residential Historic

DistrictLocal Register

This district is one of the oldest and best-preserved residential areas in Gainesville.The district has embraced eight subdivi-sions along with the original GainesvilleSection. Over 290 historic buildings are lo-cated within the 63-block area and reflectthe architectural styles prevalent in Floridafrom the 1870’s through the 1930’s.

Southeast Residential HistoricDistrictLocal Register

This district has its origins in the 1854 in-corporation of the city and has encom-passed seven additional subdivisions. The23-block area seats over 96 contributingstructures. The area is comprised of severalhomes of significant styles such as QueenAnne and period revival styles dating fromthe 1920’s including several Bungalows.

555552222211111

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Historic DistrictsCity of Gainesville, Florida

Historic Districts1. Northeast Residential Historic District 2. Southeast Residential Historic District3. Pleasant Street Historic District4. University Heights Historic District-North5. University Heights Historic District-South

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NORTHEAST RESIDENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT

Sanborn Insurance Map of Gainesville’s NortheastDistrict, 1928.

The Northeast District encompassesapproximately 80 blocks with well over200 historic buildings. The Northeast Resi-dential District is one of the oldest resi-dential neighborhoods in Gainesville hav-ing survived from the 1870’s to present day.The houses located within this area repre-sent a spectrum of architectural styles andclearly reflect the area’s continuing evolu-tion as an important historic residentialneighborhood. The district also has an im-portant spatial quality resulting from sev-eral planned green spaces located withinits boundaries.

History and Development of theNortheast Historic District

The Northeast Residential Historic Dis-trict contains a large concentration andevolution of period homes. The buildings,which reflect architectural styles prevalentin Florida during the 1880’s through the1920’s, and the public green spaces depictthe development of Gainesville betweenthese years. The northeast quadrant of thecity has incorporated nine former subdivi-sions: Original Gainesville, Home Invest-ment Company Addition, Robertson’s Ad-dition, Sun-Kist Addition, Doig andRobertson’s Addition, Highlands, J.W.Phifer Estate and W.B. Phifer Property,Highland Terrace and Highland Heights.The development of these subdivisions andthe incorporation of these areas intoGainesville’s city limits reflects typical

residential growth patterns of Florida cit-ies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The district has also been an area whereseveral persons important in thecommunity’s development established theirresidences.

One of the two oldest sections of thedistrict is the northeast quadrant of Origi-nal Gainesville, platted in 1854, delineatedby NE 5th Avenue, Sweetwater Branch, N.E.1st Street and East University Avenue. Ofthe 24 extant structures built before 1900,19 are located within this portion of thedistrict. Construction of these buildingsoccurred primarily during the 1880s. Re-flecting the popular style of the period, alarge number of these homes were built inthe Queen Anne style. The residences at215, 216 and 306 N.E. 3rd Street are primeexamples.

The early growth of Gainesville waslimited until the completion of the FloridaRailroad in 1859.

1 Prosperity was curtailed

throughout the 1860s and 1870s by theCivil War and Reconstruction. With theestablishment of several industries such asthe citrus, fertilizer, phosphate and ironfoundry, the 1880s brought Gainesville outof an economic slump.

The eastern portion of the district con-tains a secondary concentration of pre-20thcentury structures. Located in the areas ofthe subdivisions of Robertson’s Additionand Doig and Robertson’s Addition, thesehouses are seen on one of our earliest ac-

counts of Gainesville, the 1884 Bird’s EyeView of Gainesville. The houses locatedat 804 N.E. 3rd Avenue and 107 N.E. 8th

Street have characteristics associated withthe Queen Anne Style. Two Italianate stylehouses, also visible on the 1884 map, arethe James Doig House (1882) at 708 EastUniversity Avenue and the W.L. SeiglerHouse. James Doig, a Scotsman, came toGainesville in the 1850’s

2 and in 1882 es-

tablished an iron foundry which handledthe repairing of steam engines and boilersand the manufacturing of iron goods.

.3

Economic prosperity continued wellinto the first decade of the 20th century withthe establishment of the phosphate indus-try in Alachua County. Two residences inthe district, constructed during the 1900shoused executive members of the DuttonPhosphate Company, one of the largestproducers in the state prior to World WarI.4 The structure at 306 N.E. 6th Avenue wasbegun by Charles W. Chase, a president ofthe Company, in 1906. Chase died in 1909before his house was complete. The un-furnished house was acquired by WilliamReubin Thomas who completed it the fol-lowing year. Thomas was instrumental inbringing the University of Florida and theChautauqua to Gainesville. He also servedas the Mayor of the city for several yearsand as a Florida State Senator for four years.In the mid-1920s, Thomas saw a need for aresort hotel in the city and converted hishouse into Hotel Thomas. The Hotel be-

1. Hildreth, History of Gainesville,p.17.2.United States Bureau of the Census, 1850 and 1860 Census of Florida, Alachua County, Florida State Library, Tallahassee, Florida.3.. Ross A. Smith, Florida State Gazetteer and Business Directory (Charleston, S.C.: Southern Directory and Publishing Company, 1884), p. 203 as cited in Farhat Hussain, Gainesville, Florida: A Geographic Studyof a City in Transition (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, 1959), p. 74.4. New Orleans, Southern Industry, 1 August 1903 as cited in Hildreth Gainesville, p. 15.

Early Main Street (presently known as N.E. 1stStreet) c.19--.

28


came a social center for Gainesville in thelate 1920s and remained so until it closedin 1968.1

Another personality associated with thephosphate company, and later the military,purchased property in the present-day dis-trict. Albert H. Blanding bought a house at306 N.E. 3rd Street in 1901. Blanding wasemployed as the mine superintendent andassistant manager for the Dutton PhosphateCompany from 1896 to 1910.2 Blandingwas mustered into the U.S. Army as briga-dier general in 1917 and was appointedMajor General of the U.S. National Guardin 1924..3

As a result of the population increase,the city constructed the Gainesville Gradedand High School in 1900. This 12-roombrick public school was located in thenortheast quadrant.4 In 1912, a secondbuilding was added in order to accommo-date the increasing number of students. 5

In 1939, these two buildings were con-nected. The school, named Kirby-Smith El-ementary School in 19406 is now the ad-ministrative offices for the Alachua CountyPublic School District. The building wasrestored in recent years.

In 1902, a subdivision was created inthe area presently defined by theSweetwater Branch and Northeast Boule-vard, Northeast 5th Avenue, Northeast 7thStreet and Northeast 2nd Avenue. 7 Thissubdivision, known as the Home Invest-

ment Company’s Addition to the City ofGainesville, contains 29 residences built be-tween 1910 and 1920 and reflects the archi-tectural styles of the era. A variety of Colo-nial Revival houses were constructed dur-ing early 1910 on N.E. 6th and 7th Streets.

A movement in the early 1900s to con-solidate eight higher education facilities inthe State of Florida into two State universi-ties resulted in the passage of the BuckmanBill in 1905. Having already established theEast Florida Seminary within city limits andwithin the district boundary, Gainesvillewas chosen to become the site for the Uni-versity of Florida. The East Florida Semi-nary Classroom and Administration build-ing (later named Epworth Hall by the FirstUnited Methodist Church at 419 N.E. 1st

Street), served the university until 1911when it was purchased from the State. 8

The Seminary Parade grounds east of thebuilding were dedicated by the city as thefirst municipal park in 1911.9 Presentlyknown as Roper Park, the area remains oneof Gainesville’s earliest historic greenspaces.

Growth of the City continued steadilythrough the early 1900s. A second subdi-vision, Robertson’s Addition, was officiallyplatted in 1906. The area was defined byEast University Avenue, N.E. 8th Street,N.E. 3rd Avenue and N.E. 9th Street. Manyof the buildings represent examples of thearchitectural styles prevalent in the district

such as Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, andperiod bungalows.

By 1907, the entire area comprising theDistrict had been incorporated in the citylimits and new construction after 1910 wasscattered throughout the area. Even thoughtwo new subdivisions had been platted, TheHome Investment Company’s Addition in1902 and the Robertson Addition in 1906,little new construction was undertaken inthese new subdivisions until after 1910.

In 1917, W.R. Thomas had his prop-erty platted into the Sun-Kist Subdivision.10

The area was defined by N.E. 2nd Street,N.E. 9th Avenue, N.E. 6th Street and N.E.6th Avenue. Although several buildingswere present before this date, most of thehouses were constructed during the 1920sand reflected the popular styles that hadreached the area such as the MediterraneanRevival and Prairie styles.

Other large landholdings were subdi-vided within the city in the 1920s. The Doigand Robertson’s Subdivision was plattedin 1920 and contains some of the oldestbuildings in the district. Although most ofthese were constructed during the 1910s,some of the others represent the pre-1900era. The James Doig House and the W.L.Seigler House, which are found on the 1884Bird’s Eye View of Gainesville, are examplesfrom the pre-1900 era.

In 1922, the Highland Realty and Invest-ment Company was established by M.

1. Werndli, Philip, “History of Hotel Thomas” (Unpublished paper, University of Florida, 1973), P.K. Library of History, Gainesville, Florida.2. Who’s Who in America, Volume 23, 1944-45 (Chicago: A.N. Marquis Company, 1944), p. 179.3. Who’s Who in American History, The Military (Chicago: A.N. Marquis Company, 1975), p. 524.Sheet, William N.Bi-ennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Florida for the Two Years Ending June 30, 1903 (Tallahassee, 1903),pp. 283-84 as cited in Hildreth, Gainesville, P. 15.

The Duck Pond and Northeast Boulevard inNortheast District.

The Blanding House, built in 1899 in NortheastDistrict.

The Richards House, built in 1895 in NortheastDistrict.

29


Tucker, J.H. Parrish and J.S. Phifer. The com-pany purchased property in the northeastquadrant of Gainesville for investment anddevelopment purposes. They began ac-quiring and replatting the Sun-Kist subdi-vision between N.E. 6th Avenue and N.E.9th Avenue and renaming it the Highlands.The planned area featured a 100 ft. wideprivate park which included sections of theSweetwater Branch. The park is locatedbetween two 25-foot right-of-ways on itseast and west sides. Highland Realty thenpurchased the J.W. Phifer Estate and W.B.Phifer Property (platted 1923) and renamedthe subdivision “Highland Terrace.” Anadditional acquisition in 1925 included theHighland Heights Subdivision. The sectionbetween N.E. 9th Avenue and N.E. 10thAvenue was developed in 1929 by theHighlands Realty and Investment Com-pany. As a result of the economic boom ofthe 1920s in Florida, a significant amountof new construction in the District oc-curred. Growth in the Highlands subdivi-sions was considerably influenced by theinterest in the Highlands Realty and Invest-ment Company. The Highlands subdivisionbecame popular sections for the upper in-come families of Gainesville and remainedan exclusive residential neighborhood inthe City throughout the 1930’s.

Physical Character of the NortheastResidential Historic District Buildings

The buildings found in the districtrange from wood frame vernacular con-struction to well-defined representativeexamples of styles as Queen Anne, GothicRevival, Shingle, Bungalow, Colonial Re-vival, Classical Revival, Greek Rrevival,Italianate, Mediterranean Influence, Tudor,Mission Style, French Eclectic, MonteryStyle and Prairie Style.

Height The residential buildings range in

height from one to three stories. The insti-tutional, civic and religious buildingswithin the district range in height from onestory to three stories, however, the scalesand proportions of these buildings vary.

PlanPlan shapes vary as do the number of

bays on the main façade, owing to the as-sortment of architectural styles represented.

Architectural StylesThe concentration of houses built be-

tween 1875 and 1900 can be seen alongN.E. 3rd Street and N.E. 4th Avenue. Struc-tures such as the Bodiford House and itsmirror image, the Richards House withtheir irregular massing, verandahs withpavilions, and turned post balustrade andfrieze on the porch; the Blanding Housewith its variety of fabrics of drop siding

and wood shingles and turned post balus-trade and frieze; 304 N.E. 4th Avenue withits irregular massing; and the Klein-GrahamHouse at 417 N.E. 4th Avenue with its ir-regular massing and variety of exterior fab-rics such as wood shingle, horizontal sid-ing and concrete block, represent theQueen Anne style which was prominent inFlorida during that period. Other housesreflecting the Queen Anne style can be seenin the original Gainesville portion of thedistrict such as the Bowman House at 406N.E. University Avenue, the McCollum-Palmer House at 206 N.E. 3rd Avenue andthe H.L. Phifer House at 420 N.E. 5th Street.

Significant construction occurred in thedistrict between 1900 and WWI. Between1900 and 1910, houses were mainly con-structed in the Original Gainesville platsection and reflect the transition fromQueen Anne style to the Colonial Revivalstyle. For example, the structure at 529N.E. 1st Street has irregular massing, a va-riety of exterior fabrics with Classical de-tailing of a boxed cornice and a verandahwith ionic columns.

The Colonial Revival Style reigned asthe preferred style of the day. In the HomeInvestment Addition, the Padget Apart-ments at 424 N.E. 6th Street and the resi-dence at 406 N.E. 6th Street were notewor-thy examples of the style. The Padget Apart-ments exhibits a slightly projecting centralpavilion and Palladian windows flanked bybay windows while the residence at 424

5. Gainesville Daily Sun, 7 January1912.6. Florida Master Site File, Kirby-Smith School, Florida. Florida Division of Archives, History and Records Management, Tallahassee, Florida).7. Alachua County, Florida, Plat Book A, p.59, Alachua County Courthouse, Gainesville, Florida.8. First Methodist Church, A Century of Methodism in Gainesville. Gainesville: First Methodist Church, 1957, p.39.9. Gainesville Daily Sun, 7 May 1913.10. Alachua County, Florida, Pat Book A-1, p.119.

The Gracy House, built in 1906, is one of the finestexamples of Colonial Revival style residences inNortheast District.

The Far-Adkins House, built in 1924 in NortheastDistrict.

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exhibits a rectangular plan and a main en-trance with transom sash and sidelights.

One of the earliest Bungalows in thedistrict is located at 834 East UniversityAvenue and exhibits a broad gable end fac-ing the street and stone surfaced batteredcolumns. Several other bungalows in thearea were constructed throughout the1920s.

One example of the Tudor Revival Stylecan be seen at 535 N.E. 9th Avenue whichexhibits the use of half-timbering and brick.Another moderate version of the style em-phasizing form is located at 425 N.E. 10th

Avenue.Development in the Highlands subdi-

vision reflected the architectural stylespopular during this period such as Bunga-low, Mediterranean Revival, Prairie andColonial Revival styles. Stylistic examplesof the Colonial Revival, Prairie, Mediter-ranean Revival and Bungalows along N.E.Boulevard adjacent to the Duck Pond re-flect this diversity. J.H. Parrish, one ofHighland Realty’s founders, built a Colo-nial Revival house at 224 N.E. 10th Avenuein 19291. This house was later leased bythe University of Florida and served as itspresidents residence from 1930 to 1948.Both John J. Tigert and J. Hillis Miller, thethird and fourth presidents, respectively,lived in the house. Other examples of Co-lonial Revival houses include 505 N.E. 6th

Avenue and 708 N.E. Boulevard.

1. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Maps of Gainesville (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1928); R.F. Maguire to M.M. Parrish, 30 April 1930, J.J. TigertPapers, University of Florida Archives, Gainesville, Florida.2. McVoy, Edgar C. “A Sociological Study of Gainesville, Florida” Master’s Thesis, University of Florida, 1937, p. 64

Although not officially zoned as a “resi-dential” area until 19322, the houses builtwithin the district remain primarily singlefamily residences as they were originallydesigned. In more recent decades manyhave been converted to multi-family orcommercial use as apartments or profes-sional offices. Today, commercial use islimited in the district, primarily in the ar-eas to the south, along University Avenueand to the west of the district, along N.E. 1st

Street.New construction within the district

ended by 1939. After World War II, manyhistoric buildings near the downtown areawere demolished and replaced by banks,office buildings and parking lots. Two his-toric residences located in the area, theBaird and Stringfellow homes, were de-molished.

As the downtown area grew with theconstruction of many government build-ings, the northeast neighborhood feltthreatened by the expansion. Many of thelarger residences located along N.E. 1stStreet, a direct link to the courthouse, wereconverted into professional offices.

The closing of Hotel Thomas in 1968brought on an even larger problem for theneighborhood. Concerned with the en-croaching commercial development andthe possible loss or destruction of a sig-nificant landmark building, the Northeastcitizens formed Historic Gainesville, Inc.,

in 1972. Their efforts were focused onsaving the neighborhood’s historic homesand contributing buildings from further de-terioration and threat. Led by Sam Gowan,these advocates for preservation set forthto protect Gainesville’s architectural andcultural fabric.

With a combined effort of communitysupport and endorsement from the CityCommissioners, HGI secured an option tolease the old hotel. The preservation effortsof HGI continued and the Hotel Thomasand its grounds were soon listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in1973. The following year the City ofGainesville purchased the property andtheir planned five year restoration projectbegan. Today, the Thomas Center and Gar-dens continues to serve as administrationoffices for the City of Gainesville as wellas a cultural center for all of Gainesville.

With the collective efforts of the North-east residents, Historic Gainesville, Inc., theCity of Gainesville continued with histori-cal research, building surveys and preser-vation studies. The Distrist was listed onthe National Register of Historic Places onFebruary 19, 1980. The City of Gainesvilleapproved the Northeast Residential His-toric District on July 8, 1985.

Successful renovation projects in-creased property values throughout thedistrict.

The Thomas Center continues to serve the communitywith civic and social events in the Northeast District.

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Map of Gainesville’s Expanded Northeast District.

The Northeast Residential Historic Dis-trict continues to fight the threat of non-residential use within it’s boundaries. To-day, commercial use within the district islimited. It can be seen primarily in the ar-eas to the south along University Avenueand to the west of the district along N.E.1st Street.

Northeast Historic District ExpansionThe District expanded in 1997 to include

an additional 22 structures on 13 blocks tothe north of N.E.10th Avenue and twoblocks to the east of the District extendingthe boundary beyond N.E. 7th Street.

The Northeast Gainesville ResidentialDistrict expansion area is significant for theconcentration of buildings, which reflectarchitectural styles prevalent in Floridafrom the 1920’s to the early 1950’s. It in-corporates the Highland Heights and Elliotand L. Engles subdivisions, of which por-tions of both have already been includedin the original Northeast Residential Dis-trict and the Long and Jarvis Subdivision.The development of these subdivisions andthe incorporation of these areas intoGainesville’s city limits reflects typicalsuburban residential growth patterns ofFlorida cities in the middle of the Twenti-eth Century.

As a result of the economic boom ofthe 1920s in Gainesville and Florida gener-ally, a significant amount of the new con-

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City of Gainesville, NERHD Expansion Summary1997.

struction in the district occurred. Growthin the Highlands subdivisions was consid-erably influenced by the interest of theHighlands Realty and Investment Com-pany. Development in the 1920s reflectedthe architectural styles popular during theperiod—the bungalow, Mediterranean Re-vival, Prairie and the continuing influenceof the Colonial Revival.

Like the other early 20th Century sub-divisions within the Northeast ResidentialDistrict such as Highlands and HighlandTerrace, the expansion area reflects morestandardized subdividing practice withmost lots platted and dimensions of50’x100’. Larger lots are simply 1.5 or 2times as wide as the standard. Unlike thetract development that followed the Sec-ond World War, the Highlands Realty andInvestment Company sold the lots withoutbuilding speculative housing. Conse-quently, lot owners provided their own ar-chitectural designs which accounts for a

Peter Rowe, Making a Middle Landscape (MIT Press, cambridge: MA:1991):46)(Lane, Johnathan. “The Period House in the Nineteen-Twenties”, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians XX (March 1961): 172.

tremendous variation of styles within thesurvey area ranging from the bungalow toperiod revival and finally, ranch. PeterRowe, in Making the Middle Landscape,has declared these three housing forms asthe quintessential architectural styles for20th century suburbanizing America.

The open plan of the period revivalhouses became the norm in the higher qual-ity dwellings built in the newly developedsuburbs between the city core and the coun-tryside. In these new suburbs lot sizes weremuch larger than in older residential dis-tricts where restrictions on frontage hadhitherto permitted at best a square housewhose long axis was at right angles to thestreets with most of the rooms facing thewindows of the neighbors. On the largersites it was possible to place the long axisof the house parallel to the street, dividing

the lawn into a front lawn and a privategarden to the rear.

This new type of suburban dwelling didnot find its way into the lower cost hous-ing market until after World War I. Thisincrease was due to continued growth ofsuburban lot sizes which proceeded at anaccelerated pace as the automobile cameinto general use.

The majority of the structures in theexpansion area are single family dwellings.Some multi-family dwellings exist due tochange of use in the larger historic homes.

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Recent Preservation Efforts

In June 2001, the State of Florida’s Bu-reau of Historic Preservation approvedplans for the Duck Pond RenovationProject. After years of reviewing landscapedetails and proposals, the City ofGainesville initiated the renovation projectand neared completion in January 2006.

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1. Gainesville Daily Sun, 7 May 1913.2. Alachua County, Florida, Minutes of the County Commission, September 6, 1854 as cited in C.H. Hildreth, A History of Gainesville, Florida (Ph.D. dissertation,University of Florida, 1954), p.12; Stoner, j. “Bird’s Eye View of Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida,” (Madison, Wisconsin: J. Stoner, 1884).

NORTHEAST RESIDENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT CHARACTERISTICS

The Duck Pond runs north to south over a nine-blockarea and is flanked by Northeast Boulevard.

LayoutThe district is laid out in a grid pattern

that grew from the original Gainesville platof 1854. Several additions were made ex-tending the district in each direction suchas the Home Investment Company’s Addi-tion north of University Avenue (1910),Highlands Addition (1922), as well as High-land Terrace and Highland Heights.

The grid runs mostly uniform through-out the district with an interruption createdby the Sweetwater Branch and the waterretention pond known as the “Duck Pond.”This runs north to south over a nine-blockarea bisecting the District. This linear greenspace was originally platted as a privatepark for the residents of the Highlands Sub-divisions.

In addition to the Duck Pond, severalgreen spaces exist in the district and, al-though they break its grid pattern, they pro-vide a sense of continuity since the districtitself is heavily landscaped with trees andwell maintained yards. The two major pub-lic parks within the district are the ThomasCenter’s Gardens and Roper Park which areboth to the west of the district. Roper Park,a one-block area, was the original paradegrounds for the East Florida Seminary. In1911, it was dedicated to the City for use asa public park. 1

An additional green space, which ex-ists adjacent to the district boundary, isNortheast Park which borders on the northside of N.E. 12th Avenue. The grid is alsoaltered by the Kirby-Smith School, whichoccupies a 2-block area to the south of thedistrict.

BlocksThe blocks within the District are ap-

proximately the same size and are definedby the north-south streets and the east-west avenues. The 1997 District expansionarea exhibits the standardized subdividingpattern of the early 20th century with lotsizes of 50’x100’. The larger lots are gener-ally 1.5 to 2 times these dimensions.

DensityThe density of the Northeast district

varies with the range in lot and buildingsize. Lot sizes within each block are irregu-lar and vary considerably. The area is highlyoccupied and few vacant lots exist.

SetbacksSetbacks are mostly uniform through-

out the district ranging from 10-15 feet fromthe front property line and running uniformalong each block. The minimal range in set-back variation is shown in the map numbershowing existing block sizes, lot layoutsand building footprints. A pattern is evi-dent within each block.

Street EdgeBuilding placement and density creates

a continuous edge to each primary streetor avenue. Northeast 1st Street has devel-oped as a major thoroughfare for the com-mercial businesses that occupy the west-ern portion of the district. Two other majorthoroughfares bisect the district at 8th Av-enue and 10th Avenue and a secondary eastwest thoroughfare at 7th Street.

A few medians bisect streets in the dis-trict at N.E. 1st and N.E. 3rd Avenue and N.E.8th Avenue. In 1884, the median along North-east 1st Street was limited to one block be-tween the courthouse-square and N.E. 1st

Avenue. This median was subsequentlyextended by 7 blocks and exists today fromN.E. 1st Avenue to N.E. 8th Avenue. Anotherlandscaped median on N.E. 3rd Avenue be-tween N.E. 7th Street and N.E. 9th Street is inthe Southeast section of the district. Addi-tional smaller medians have been placedrecently along N.E. 8th Avenue.

LandscapeLive Oaks were planted along the right

of ways sometime between 1854 and 1884..2

Today, these historic trees are protectedunder the Tree Ordinance. Landscaped me-dians bordered the courthouse square andextended several blocks in each directionalong the paired thoroughfares. Severalhistoric live oaks still exist throughout thedistrict as landmark trees.

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Sanborn Insurance Map of Gainesville’s NortheastDistrict, 1928, depicting early block sizes.

Sanborn Insurance Map of Gainesville’s NortheastDistrict, 1928.

Map of Gainesville’s Northeast Residential HistoricDistrict showing overall block patterns and lot sizes.

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Map of Gainesville’s Northeast Residential HistoricDistrict showing street and block patterns.

Setting

• Entrances facing all primary streets.

• Major Cultural and Civic Centers: Thomas Center and Gardens, Thelma

Bolton Center.

• Greenspaces: Duck Pond, Thomas Cen-ter and Gardens, Roper Park and thegreenspace of the Kirby-Smith Center.

• Street scape features sidewalks, treelined streets, 8th Avenue, concrete curb-ing, medians and wood fences andstonewalls.

• Subdivision layout of rectangular lotsand blocks flanking the boulevard (someirregular lot layouts) developed early inGainesville (Engle) plats.

• Facade lines, front and side setbacks:detached residences with broad frontsetbacks and minimal side setbacks.

Lot size and density of development

• Lot size and density of development:Lot sizes within each block are irregularand vary considerably. Early 20th cen-tury lot sizes of 50’x100’. The larger lotsare generally 1.5 to 2 times these dimen-sions. Medium Density.

• Block patterns: Commercial: 300 feet inlength on east and west and 400-600 feeton north and south ends. Residential:rectangular 300 feet in length on eastand west and 300 feet on north andsouth ends.

• Use of buildings: Primarily single familyresidential; Minimal Commercial andMixed-Use in select areas of UniversityAvenue and S.E. 1st Street.

• Patterns of vacant lots and open spaces:Minimal vacant lots.

• Lot coverage: Varies.

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Sanborn Insurance Map of Gainesville’s NortheastDistrict, 1928, depicting early block sizes.

Axonometric study of building form alongresidential street in Northeast District.

Characteristics of Buildings

• Height: Primarily single story.Range of 1-3.

• Width and number of bays or verticaldivisions: Varies to style of residence.

• Types: Primarily residential; commercialand mixed use in select areas.

• Predominant architectural styles anddesign influences: Variable, major ex-amples include: Queen Anne, Frame Ver-nacular, Tudor, Bungalow, Classical Re-vival, Colonial Revival, Monterey, Medi-terranean, Mission, Prairie.

• Massing or overall form: Varies consid-erably depending on style and scale ofbuilding.

• Orientation: Both compass orientationand horizontal or vertical orientation.

• Foundations: Primarily residential el-evated wood frame on brick piers.

• Roofs: primary and secondary roofstructures: gable, hip, combination,mansard, flat with parapet. Pitch: varieson style of residence.

• Materials: Varies. Wood frame, brick, 4”concrete masonry, chert rock, stucco.

• Windows: Primarily wood frame, doublehung sash in 6/6, 2/2, or 1/1 light pat-tern.

• Repetitive features: porches and de-tached outbuildings.

• Decoration: Commercial: varies on styleof building. Religious: brick corbeling,stained glass. Residential: wood mill-work such as brackets, fretwork.

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HISTORIC CONTEXTSoutheast Residential Historic District

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SOUTHEAST RESIDENTIALHISTORIC DISTRICT

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2. Southeast Residential Historic District, 2005.

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SOUTHEAST RESIDENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT

The Southeast Historic District liessouth of the present Northeast Historic Dis-trict and directly east of Downtown Gaines-ville. Having its origins in the 1854 incor-poration of the city, the Southeast HistoricDistrict is one of the oldest residential com-munities of Gainesville. The area was a sig-nificant cultural and historic home for theworking and professional citizens who es-tablished the local businesses and indus-tries of Gainesville’s nineteenth century rail-road community and early twentieth cen-tury university town. The district is com-posed of compatible one and two-story resi-dences reflecting prevailing architecturalstyles interpreted in local materials andmethods of construction.

History and Development of theSoutheast District

The Southeast District evolved as oneof the original mid-nineteenth centuryquadrants established by the originalGainesville town plan, and its earliest his-tory is related to the first growth of thetown. During the early development of thetown, the southeast area was largelyplanted with orange groves and this citrusindustry continued through the 1880s. Thisis verified from the promotional booklet,Eden of the South, published in 1883 aswell as denoted on the Bird’s Eye View ofGainesville, which was drawn in 1884.1 How-ever, some buildings were erected in the

area prior to the 1880s. Few two-story framebuildings were surrounded by fruit treesas seen on the early 1884 map. In addition,small clusters of houses were being builton or near the present University Avenueas far east as Waldo Road, and more densesettlement taking place between MainStreet and Sweetwater Branch.

The oldest house within the district isthe Matheson House, located at 528 S.E. 1st

Avenue. The Matheson House was builtin 1867 for James Douglas Matheson, aprominent local merchant and was occu-pied by his family through the twentiethcentury. Chris Matheson, a twentieth cen-tury resident of the home, served as Mayorof Gainesville from 1910-1918. Like the ear-liest houses in this area, the MathesonHouse was surrounded by orange groves.The main house was also flanked by a fewoutbuildings. 1 The house exhibits detailsfound in Florida’s early nineteenth centuryplantation houses with gable dormers, col-umned and shed-roof verandah, trabeatedsidelights framing the entrance and a raisedbrick pier foundation. Unique for its gam-brel roof and shingle style details, the struc-ture stands as the sole survivor of earliestperiod of development. The residence wasenlarged sometime prior to the turn of thecentury. The building was listed in the Na-tional Register of Historic Places in 1973.Several small framed cottages, which arelocated in proximity to the Matheson

House, characterize the tenement farmer’shouses that existed in the area in supportof the early agricultural landscape.

The Central Business District grew inthe 1880s and 1890s with the establishmentof Gainesville as a market center, and thegrowth of its fertilizer, phosphate, iron andlumber industries. The southeast districtdeveloped for two prime reasons, economicexpansion and agricultural decline. As theCentral Business District grew, the South-east residential section was pushed east-ward beyond the earlier geographic bound-ary of Sweetwater Branch and a suburbanresidential section became established.Further incentive to develop SoutheastGainesville was supplied when the areascitrus crops were destroyed by freezingweather in the winters of 1886, 1894-95and 1899.2 No attempt was made to replantthe groves, and with the growth of the town,the area was more valuable as residentialproperty.

As the economic base of Gainesvillebroadened, the increased population andprosperity of the city’s inhabitants beganto be reflected in the built environment ofthe Southeast Gainesville area. The largeframe houses of prominent citizens beganto appear along the south side of Univer-sity Avenue and Southeast 7th Street. Thesetwo primary streets continue to be the mostarchitecturally significant streets in the dis-trict. Among the notable houses in the dis-

1. Stoner, J. Bird’s Eye View of Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida. Beck and Pauli, Litho. Madison, WI: Stoner, 1884.2. Hildreth, Charles H. and Merlin Cox. A History of Gainesville, Florida, 1854-1979. Gainesville: Alachua County Historical Society, 1981, p.4.

Gainesville developed as a small railroadcommunity, c.19--.

Matheson House is one of the oldest existingbuildings in the Southeast District, c.19--.

42


trict, which date from that time are the BairdHouse at 309 S.E. 7th Street, the T.J.Swearington House at 202 S.E. 7th Street,and the Enwall House at 200 S.E. 7th Street.

The early agricultural lands and houseswere owned by a variety of well-knownGainesville settlers. An early developer inthe area was J.H.Roper. He owned signifi-cant farmland in and near Gainesville, andas president of the Seminary Board of Edu-cation1, he was instrumental in the found-ing of schools. J.B. Dell was another land-owner in this area and his family had beenin the Alachua county region since the sec-ond quarter of the nineteenth century. Oth-ers who either settled in or owned land inthe early 1880 and 1890s, were drug storeowners, prominent lawyers, U.S. Land Of-fice officials, developers and farmers. Somefamily names, which go back to early de-velopment, are the Vidals, Finleys, Barnesand Bauknights. L.P. Dennis, a carpetbag-ger politician, also owned land in the RoperAddition.2

Development of the Southeast HistoricDistrict

The Southeast Historic District is com-posed of several small subdivisions and de-velopments rather than being the result ofa single plat. Bailey’s Addition extendedthe grid and quadrant system establishedby the original town plan of Gainesville in1854 east of Sweetwater Branch in 1875.3

In 1877, ‘Ropers Addition,’ a 17-blockarea, was platted between S.E. 2nd Avenueand 5th Street.4 Kings Addition was plattedin 1893, largely as a result of the freeze of1886, which destroyed the area’s citrusgroves, and pushed development eastwardalong University Avenue to S.E. 9th Street.The E.A. King Estate, recorded in 1906, wasbounded by S.E. 7th Street, S.E. 9th Street,East University Avenue and S.E. 1st Av-enue. The land was built upon as early as1884.

Despite the rural nature of the South-east during the nineteenth century, it wasin 1893 that the present area was incorpo-rated into the city limits as far east as S.E.9th Street.

In 1906 the Evans Addition andCrawford Addition were recorded. SeveralBungalow and Period Revival housesmixed with pyramid roof and Queen Annecottages were built on the Nichol’s Estateplat between S.E. 7th Street and SweetwaterBranch, which was recorded in 1914. Noother significant additions were made to thearea until 1922 with the platting of theEastview Subdivision which provided theremaining lots south of S.E. 4th Avenue,which were used primarily for the construc-tion of bungalows. Recorded in 1924,Robertson’s Addition received a denserconcentration of Bungalow and PeriodRevival houses along S.E. 6th Street andS.E. 2nd Place.

1. Webber, Carl. Eden of the South, 1883. As Reprinted Jesse A. Davis in History of Gainesville, Florida, 1966, p.37.2. Arnow, George J. Map of Gainesville, C. 1907.3. Florida Master Site Files, Southeast Historic District. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.4. Alachua County, Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Plat Research by Sarah Mcleod.

Southeast District, c.19--.

Boundary Southeast Historic DistrictThe boundaries of the Southeast His-

toric District are justified by the distribu-tion and age of the historic buildings in theneighborhood and by the early subdivisionplats which inspired construction in thearea.

The irregularity of the boundary re-flects the relatively small and uncoordinatedamount of construction that took placebetween 1885 and 1930, as well as the num-ber of non-contributing structures to theeast and south. In addition, there were ar-eas of historically vacant land along thesouth and east adjacent to the SweetwaterBranch.

The district is bound on the north byEast University Avenue, a major thorough-fare, which visually, physically, and histori-cally separates the neighborhood from theresidential area to the north of UniversityAvenue, in particular the Northeast HistoricDistrict. The Sweetwater Branch definesthe west boundary of the district which oncemarked the original city limits of Gaines-ville and whose green space visually sepa-rates the district from the central businessdistrict. The railroad right-of-way, now de-fined as the “Rails to Trails” defines thesouthern boundary and the east boundaryis selectively defined by the non-contrib-uting structures erected after the period ofsignificance.

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Remnants of the nineteenth centuryresidential pattern extant in the CentralBusiness District are interspersed withcommercial intrusions as early as the 1880sand as late as the mid-twentieth century;many of the houses have been convertedto commercial use. For these reasons, thehouses west of the Sweetwater Branch areseen to contribute more clearly to the physi-cal history of the Central Business Districtthan they do to the Southeast residentialdistrict whose character has always beenresidential. They are included in the Cen-tral Business District and not in the South-east, for although the Southeast is a prod-uct of the Central Business District’s earlyresidential section, its ultimate physical andhistorical form is distinct from that cradle.

Other adjacent areas have historicallyaffected the district’s growth. The south-ern boundary of the district, defined by therailroad and historic industrial node, de-veloped around it. Examples of the 1880railroad located industries were the H.F.Dutton Cotton Gin, a sawmill and planingmill and the Doig & Harris Iron Foundry. 1

Large-scale buildings, such as the Munici-pal Light and Water Plant and the StandardFertilizer Company were in place in the early1920’s.2 Modest worker’s housing relatedto those industries cropped up in SpringHill, in the extreme southeast corner of thedistrict below S.E. 8th Avenue and combined

with the industrial development to form ar-chitectural and social barriers to middle andupper class residential development.

Physical Character of the SoutheastHistoric District Buildings

The area is associated with the earlyresidential development of the City ofGainesville and is comprised mainly of agroup of late 19th and early 20th centuryhouses that reflect the variety of distinctarchitectural styles and types popular dur-ing that period of American history. Thebuildings found in the district range fromrepresentative type wood frame vernacu-lar construction to well-defined examplesof styles as Second Empire, Queen Anne,Eastern Stick, Bungalow and Colonial Re-vival. The visual and physical character ofthe built environment can be tied to thosehistorical events that fostered the growthof the city from its beginnings as a railroadoriented marketing center to its later de-velopment as a university town and com-mercial and professional services axis forNorth Central Florida. The variety of build-ing types also reflected the financial andsocial positions of the people that residedthere and included members of both theworking and professional classes of thecommunity, some of whom were thefounders of the city’s businesses and in-dustries.

The majority of the buildings in the dis-trict are small one-story structures, thelarger residences being found along EastUniversity Avenue, S.E. 2nd Avenue and S.E.7th Street. The older buildings are foundalong S.E. 7th Street and also S.E. 2nd Av-enue.

Height The buildings range in height from one

to three stories, not including the towerson the Queen Anne structures and the Sec-ond Empire Baird House.

PlanPlan shapes vary as do the number of

bays on the main façade, owing to the as-sortment of architectural styles repre-sented. Most of the residences haveporches or verandahs. In many cases theseextend the width of the main façade, and insome instances involve the side elevations.Three houses have small gazebos or pavil-ions on their verandahs and three have twostory verandahs or upper galleries. Theporches and verandahs are supported bycolumns and posts; the latter both turnedand square. The most popular column typein the district is ionic, although variationsof Tuscan, both round and square, is alsoemployed.

1. Webber, Carl. Eden of the South, 1883. As Reprinted Jesse A. Davis in History of Gainesville, Florida, 1966, p.3.2. Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Maps of Gainesville, Florida, (New York: Sanborn Map Company, 1922.

The Livery stable on Southeast 1st Avenue, c.18--.

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Roof FormThe most common roof type is gable or

gable in combination with the hip form.The Baird House has a Mansard roof andthe Matheson House has a gambrel. Fourhouses have towers, and the McKenzieHouse has a pyramidal roof with a smalldeck surrounded by wrought iron cresting.Roof dormers are prevalent but not ubiq-uitous throughout the district.

Other significant details can be seen onvarious style buildings throughout the dis-trict such as ridge finials on tiled roofs,knee braces, exposed rafter tails and verti-cal spaced gable breathers.

WindowsWindow types are generally wood

frame with 1/1 and 2/2 light patterns.

Architectural StylesThere are six distinct styles that can be

seen throughout the district. These includeSecond Empire, Queen Anne, EasternStick, Wood Frame Vernacular, Bungalowand Colonial Revival.

The Baird House is one of Gainesville’sfinest examples, if not only example, of theFrench Second Empire style. Located at309 S.E. 7th Street this three-story uniquestructure has remained a landmark for thedistrict. Acquired by Emmett Joseph Bairdand his wife, Mary, in 1900, the house re-mained in the family until the 1950s. TheBairds were well-known businessmen,

builders and investors of early Gainesville.In partnership with his brother, Eberle,Emmett was founder of Baird HardwareCompany, a regional supply center and oneof Gainesville’s major commercial suc-cesses for over a century. Emmett Bairdwas also the president of Standard CrateCompany which made wooden boxes forshipping fruit and vegetables brought toGainesville for distribution. Eberle andEmmett were also known to operate sev-eral sawmills in partnership.1

A number of Queen Anne style housesare located in the Southeast District. Oneprime example is the T.J. SwearingenHouse located at 202 S.E. 7th Street. Origi-nally built in 1902-1903 for T.JSwearingen, a lumber and turpentine busi-nessman, this house has also been histori-cally significant as the home of two Gaines-ville mayors and owned by Oliver Austinan internationally recognized ornithologist.At one time the house had also been reno-vated to accommodate two apartments.2

In addition to the T.J Swearingen Houseis another Queen Anne located directlyacross 7th Street, the Enwall House orShands-Enwall House, built in 1903 for theShands family. The elaborate neoclassicalstyle wood details may reflect the early in-volvement of the Shands family in the lum-ber industry. The Shands Teaching Hospi-tal was named for his son, Senator Shands.The Enwall Family later purchased thehouse in 1921. In 1928, the second floor of

MaterialsWood frame buildings are the primary

construction type for the contributingstructures throughout the district, however,there are also contributing structures builtof masonry.

The principal exterior siding on woodframe structures is drop siding. The Poundand Matheson Houses are the only largeresidences that feature weatherboard, andseveral other residences employ narrowdrop or “novelty” siding. Most of the olderresidences have shingles or other woodtreatments in gables or on towers.

Exterior decorative elements are, for themost part, executed in wood and includeprimarily the balusters, brackets, drops, andspindle work found on the Queen Anne andSecond Empire Houses. Even such featuresas classical columns, dentilated cornicesand Palladian windows are represented onthe Queen Anne and hybrid Queen Anne/Colonial Revival structures. Minor classi-cal elements are also found on these mallGeorgian colonial Revival buildings. Theseare restricted to the facades of the struc-tures and include the main entrance of the1932 brick Colonial Revival AmericanLegion building at 513 East UniversityAvenue which has fluted pilasters that sup-port an entablature surmounted by a bro-ken “swan’s neck” pediment. The house at523 S.E. 2nd Place exhibits a small entranceporch with a plain architrave that is sup-ported by two thin Tuscan columns.

Small wood frame cottage with pyramidal roof formon S.E. 2nd Place in Southeast District.

The Baird House is one of Gainesville’s finestexamples of the French Second Empire style.

45


the residence was converted into an apart-ment, for what may constitute one of thefirst single family to multi-family residen-tial conversions in the Southeast district.3

A significant group of Queen Anne stylehouses in the Southeast District is foundalong East University Avenue facing thesouthern limit of the Northeast HistoricDistrict and relating architecturally and his-torically to the northern neighborhood.One of Gainesville’s finest and most elabo-rate expressions of the Queen Anne styleis the McKenzie House at 617 East Univer-sity Avenue. The house exhibits intricateEastlake details, fanciful massing completewith turret and pavilioned wraparound ve-randah, The house has been expertly re-stored and rehabilitated for commercial use.The house was built in 1895 for the J.E.Lambeth family and sold to the PerryColson family in 1903. Since that purchase,the house has remained in the hands of theColson family and its descendants: Bak-ers, Phifers, Pounds and McKenzies, all sig-nificant contributors to the historic devel-opment of Gainesville. For example, PerryColson’s brother, B.R. Colson was founderof Alachua Abstract Company and built atwo-story neoclassical detailed framehouse at 607 East University Avenue. W.B.Phifer, one of the last residents of theMcKenzie House, was a City Commissioner,President of State Bank and operator ofnaval stores statewide. The house is iden-tified by his daughter, Mary Phifer Pound

McKenzie, who was the last resident of thehouse until her death in 1974.1

Several of the Wood Frame Vernacularhouses in the district were owned and oc-cupied by the Dell Family. A stick stylehouse at 220 S.E. 7th Street was the homeof Dr. Lassiter whose widow married JohnDell. Across the street, at 221, was anotherlarge frame Stick Style residence of J.M.Dell, a clerk with the U.S. Land Office. TheDells lived here in 1905, with their son JamesM. Dell, Jr., a local physician and his chil-dren. Mrs. F.A. Dell also occupied a homeat 614 S.E. 2nd Place; a two-story dilutedColonial Revival residence.2

Many of the smaller scale houses withinthe district are also associated with thoseprominent citizens who lived in the South-east District. The Pound Family owned apair of L-plan, frame cottages with ginger-bread porch details at 623-627 S.E. 1st Av-enue. E.C. Pound owned a livery and hisson, C. Addison Pound was an owner ofBaird Hardware.3 Their two-story framehouse at 108 S.E. 7th Terrace appears onthe 1884 bird’s eye map and is located onthe corner of S.E. 1st Avenue and 7th Street.A.L. Vidal, owner of the Vidal Drug Com-pany, also owned a 1929 Bungalow at 618S.E. 1st Avenue. He also built a brick houseat 411 S.E. 7th Street.3 The two pyramidform hip-roof houses at 611 and 617 S.E. 1st

Avenue, built prior to 1913 from review ofthe Sanborn maps, were owned and rentedby the Matheson Family.

Other Bungalows and period houseswere built on lots in the 1914 Nichols Es-tate Plat, in the vicinity of S.E. 1st Avenueand 7th Street as well as in the 1904Crawford Addition Plat to the east, the1924 Robertson’s Addition and the south-ernmost lots of Roper’s Addition. Anotherexample of the modest sized revival cot-tages and bungalows are found in theEastview Plat of 1922. J.H. Parrish and L.M.Gray, a developer and contractor, built mostof sixteen lots in Eastview by 1928. Nearlyidentical plans, materials and building tech-niques were used in the area which todayis bounded by S.E. 6th Terrace and 7th Streetbetween S.E. 4th and 5th Avenues. Theunique collection of bungalows survive asan undisturbed collection of Florida’s BoomEra. Most of the houses exhibit French tileroofs, often decorated with hip finials. Inaddition, many shared the characteristicsof detached garages roofed with Frenchtile and equipped with a central steam heat-ing plant and were of concrete construc-tion. Many Bungalows exhibit two bunga-low gables. In addition the entranceporches are relatively large and span prac-tically the full width of the façades. Onebuilding, which stands out today for it’sscale and placement, is the former officeand home of L.M. Gray, a paving contrac-tor, who built the structure at 408 S.E. 7th

Street.

1. Florida Master Site Files, Site File # 8A1482, E.J. Baird House. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.2. “Spring Pilgrimage to Visit Gainesville’s Past,” Gainesville Sun, Feb. 22, 1976.3. Florida Master Site Files, Enwall House 201 S.E.7th Street. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.

The Pound House has been renovated intoapartments.

The Hodges House was moved from the CentralBusiness District and renovated.

46


Many of the larger residential structureshave been modified into multi-family orcommercial use. The smaller houses con-tinue to be rental properties as they havebeen historically.

For several years, maintenance withinthe area suffered for various social and eco-nomic reasons.

With the widening of S.E. 2nd Street inrecent years, the district lost several sig-nificant historic structures. An unfortunateloss resulting from the street improvementin 1973, was the Odd Fellows Home forOrphans and the Aged. This elaborate Vic-torian structure was one of few, if not theonly institutional structure in the Southeast;the only departure from the strict residen-tial scale located there.

Historical archeological potential canbe seen for existing vacant and disturbedareas due to municipal improvements along2nd Avenue as well as within theSweetwater Branch area.

A number of historic buildings fromother parts of the city that were threatenedwith demolition have been moved to theSoutheast Historic District to fill vacantlots. In 1977 the McCreary House wasmoved from 205 University Avenue in thecentral business district to 815 UniversityAvenue. The house underwent renovationsas professional offices.

The Hodges House was also movedfrom the Central Business District at 116N.E. 1st Street to 717 S.E. 2nd Avenue in

1978.1 Although not original to the south-east district, this Queen Anne style houseconforms to the existing styles and archi-tectural scale of the district. The housebelonged to Dr. J.H. Hodges for forty yearsand was then passed to the EpiscopalChurch. In 1978, threatened by demolition,the house was purchased for one dollar, byMark and Mary Barrow, leading preserva-tionists. The house was moved and reno-vated, becoming one of the earliest influ-ential preservation projects in the city re-ceiving both local and national attention.2

In 1986, four houses were moved fromthe 300 block of S.E. 2nd Street to the 700block of East University Avenue and con-tinue to await renovation. A building,which was moved within the district, wasthe Broughton–Niblack House that was re-located from 512 East University Avenueto 115 S.E. 7th Street.

In addition to the Matheson House, theMcKenzie House at 617 East UniversityAvenue is also listed on the National Reg-ister of Historic Places. In addition to thenational listing, many residences have re-ceived local recognition. These include theFowler House at 805 East University Av-enue, the Medlin House, the Pound House,the Colson-Hayman House, the HodgesHouse, the T.J. Swearington House, and theShands-Enwall House.

Today the district expresses rejuvena-tion. Many of these significant historicbuildings have undergone intense restora-

Other types of bungalows and periodhouses built after the 1920s, which werebuilt throughout the district, are exempli-fied in such examples as the small provin-cial period Revival house at 210 S.E. 6th

Street and the fieldstone house at 608 S.E.2nd Place.

A notable large scale, high-style Crafts-man home stands at 15 S.E. 7th Street, theMedlin House, built in 1913. The massivestructure is well noted for the fine details,expensive materials, porte cochere anddetached single car garage at the rear. Thismay be one of the only 20th Century ex-amples of the Gustave Stickly inspired stylebuilt in the area. The structure underwentrestoration and adaptive reuse as profes-sional law offices.

The late twentieth century brought newstyles to the area. An International Stylehouse at 212 S.E. 7th Street exhibits alteredtraits of the Bauhaus Style with pilotes, palecolor schemes and ribbon windows.

Recent Preservation EffortsAlthough very little development has

taken place in the neighborhood, that whichhas taken place has reinforced the samescales and residential use intended for thearea since it’s origin. Intrusions in the dis-trict are limited to East University Avenueand a small number of late twentieth cen-tury houses and small apartment buildingsin the eastern and southern parts of the dis-trict.

1. Florida Master Site Files, Mary McKenzie House. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.2. Florida Master Site Files, 200-221 S.E. 7th Street, 614 S.E. 2nd Place. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.3. Florida Master Site Files, 623-627 S.E. 1st Avenue. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.

The McKenzie House, c. 191-.

The Medlin House built in 1913 in SoutheastDistrict.

47


tion efforts. Several projects currently un-derway exhibit the pride and excitement ofthe residents throughout the district. Ad-ditional Bed and Breakfast establishmentshave taken interest in the district.

A great improvement in the public realmwas the recent renovation to theSweetwater Branch green space whichplays a great roll in defining the easternedge of the district. The creek corridor wascleaned up and a walkway was establishedlinking the district east and west to the ad-jacent downtown as well as north and southalong the creek from the most southern partto the Matheson Gardens. Several benchesand picnic tables were installed and a playarea was established for public use.

1. “Historic House has New Home,” Gainesville Sun, Aug. 6,1978.2. Barrow, Dr. Mark and Mary. Interviews and Historic Photograph Collection. 1980 and 1986.

The renovation and rehabilitation of this historicbuildiding will soon open as Laural Oaks, a newBed and Breakfast on S.E. 7th Street.

Sweetwater Branch in the Southeast District.

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SOUTHEAST HISTORIC DISTRICT CHARACTERISTICS

Southeast District showing common setbacks.

LayoutDespite the irregular boundary of the

district, a grid and quadrant block patternexists.

Development from the original Gaines-ville Plat of 1854 and several plat additions:Roper’s Addition (1877), Bailey’s Addition(1893), King’s Addition (1893), Evan’s Ad-dition (1906), Crawford Addition (1906)Nichol’s Estate (1914) Eastview Subdivi-sion (1922) and Robertson’s Addition(1924).

BlocksBlock size and street width vary greatly.

Lot sizes vary from block to block.

SetbacksThe setbacks are generally uniform

within each given block.Orientation of structures is generally

facing each primary street. Those lots ad-jacent to S.E. 1st Street reflect the skew andfew structures have been sited accordingto those lines. Those structures have beensited in a standard manner with north-southorientation.

Vacant lots lower the density of the dis-trict. Historically there have been vacantlots to the south and the east boarders ofthe district as well as along the SweetwaterBranch extension to the west. This is illus-trated on the Sanborn map to the right.

DensityMost structures are single family/ multi

family detached buildings. There are mini-mal outbuildings and auxiliary structuresthroughout the area.

Street EdgeSeveral streets in this district are dis-

continuous often irregular in width andskewed slightly from the NS-EWgrid. Themain thoroughfare of University Avenueborders the north edge of the district. Themain cross thoroughfare within the districtis S.E. 7th Street

LandscapeLandscaped central medians are located

along S.E. 2nd Avenue.Tree lined sidewalks extend along 7th

Street to University Avenue. Sidewalks andcurbing are absent along portions of 6th

Street and 6th Terrace.

49


Sanborn Insurance Map of the Southeast District, 1928.

Sanborn Insurance Map of the Southeast District, 1926.

Map of the Southeast District showing blocks.

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Map of the Southeast District showing streets. Map of the Southeast District showing density ofstructures.

Setting

• Entrances: facing all primary streets.

• Monuments: None.

• Parks and/or Greenspaces: CommunityGarden, Matheson House and Grounds,Sweetwater Branch.

• Streetscape features: Concrete side-walks, minimal fence lines at properties,concrete curbing, and no walls.

• Subdivision layout: rectangular lots andblocks flanking the primary streets.

• Facade lines, front and side setbacks:detached residences with mixed frontsetbacks and minimal side and back set-backs.

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Sanborn Insurance Map, Southeast District, 1926.

Single rectangular structures predominate.

Lot Size and Density

• Lot size and density of development:Variable within district. Low density.

• Block patterns: Varies.

• Patterns of vacant lots and open spaces:Minimal vacant lots.

Building Characteristics

• Height: number or stories: Primarilysingle story. Range of 1-2.

• Width: number of bays or vertical divi-sions: Varies.

• Types: Primarily residential; commercial,mixed use.

• Predominant architectural styles anddesign influences: Wood Frame Ver-nacular, Second Empire, Queen Anne,Eastern Stick, Bungalow.

• Massing or overall form: Varies. Singlerectangular structures predominate.

• Orientation: both compass orientationand horizontal or vertical orientation.

• Foundations: Residential: elevatedwood frame on brick piers or masonrypiers. Commercial: elevated wood frameon brick piers or masonry piers minimalcontinuous brick or masonry perimeterwall and slab on grade.

• Roof Form: primary and secondary roofstructures: gable, hip with standardpitch.

• Materials: Primarily wood frame

• Windows: Primarily wood frame doublehung sash in 6/6, 2/2, or 1/1 light pat-tern.

• Repetitive features: Porches and de-tached out buildings.

• Decoration: Residential: wood millworksuch as brackets, fretwork, spindles.

52

HISTORIC CONTEXT

Pleasant Street Historic District

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


PLEASANT STREETHISTORIC DISTRICT

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


3. Pleasant Street Historic District, 2005


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55

HISTORIC CONTEXT


The Pleasant Street Historic District hasgained its significance as the oldest Afri-can American residential neighborhood inGainesville. Founded immediately follow-ing the Civil War, the area represented atransition in status of African Americanpeople in Alachua County from that ofslave laborers supporting a rural plantationeconomy to one of freedmen seeking toestablish a new existence of economic in-dependence and cultural self-determinationin an urban environment. The district dem-onstrates the ambiguity and contradictorysocial relationship that existed betweenAfrican American people and southernwhites that allowed close physical prox-imity, with the southern part of the districtbeing a historically white residential area.

The area contains a large number of latenineteenth and early twentieth century resi-dential structures typical of a modest sizedsouthern community. Vernacular structurespredominate throughout the district with anumber of buildings also reflecting the re-vival and romantic styles of the late nine-teenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Pleasant Street Historic Districtconsists of 15 city blocks located in thenorthwest quadrant of downtown Gaines-ville directly north and west ofGainesville’s main thoroughfares of Uni-versity Avenue and Main Street. The dis-trict is bounded on the south by N.W. 2nd

Avenue, on the north by N.W. 8th Avenue,

on the west by NW 5th Street and on theeast by NW 1st Street.

Of the 271 buildings located in this dis-trict, 259 are contributing historic build-ings which can be found in two distincthistoric areas of development, identified aszone A and B, which date between 1875and 1935.

The first area, Zone A, includes all buta small enclave in the southeast corner ofthe district. This portion is a historicallyAfrican American residential neighbor-hood. The second area, Zone B, is a tradi-tionally white neighborhood that devel-oped during the same period in conjunc-tion with the downtown commercial area.

The district has contained a mixture oflow to upper income African Americanresidences and structures housing the com-mercial and service enterprises of the com-munity. Churches, schools and cultural in-stitutions such as theaters and fraternallodges could be found within the district.The district is mostly comprised of one-and two-story wood frame vernacular resi-dences, bungalows, and romantic and re-vival styles from the period.

The noncontributing buildings withinthe district are one-and two-story build-ings either erected after the period of sig-nificance or severely altered. Many of thesemasonry residences and apartments wereconstructed to replace deteriorated, dam-aged and demolished structures. A large

percentage of demolished structures ac-count for the large number of vacant lotsthroughout the district.

Documentation of DevelopmentVisual evidence and oral history sug-

gest that the oldest extant structures in thedistrict date from 1870, however, due to alack of reliable documentation the accu-rate dating of earlier buildings is extremelydifficult. Gainesville tax records do notprecede 1891 and the Pleasant Street areais not included on the 1884 Beck and PauliBird’s Eye View of the city. The SanbornInsurance Maps of the neighborhood donot represent this section prior to 1903 andpreliminary deed searches on several sig-nificant structures have title chains that areof little assistance in establishing originsof the district’s oldest sections. Plat mapresearch reveals insight into the develop-ment of the district and minimal indirect evi-dence for the construction of specific build-ings.

The Sanborn maps offer the best tem-plate for dating sections of the district. The1897 map identifies the Masonic Hall, aschool and a Baptist Church on currentlynamed N.W. 1st and 2nd Streets.

The 1903 map identifies the school asUnion Academy and shows additionalstructures with ells at the rear and porchesacross the street facades and major ells. Thestructures begin to appear larger and more

elaborate in plan with outlines of bay win-dow and pavilioned veranda elements onN.W. 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Simple struc-tures appear north of N.W. 3rd Avenue.

The 1913 Sanborn Map shows an in-crease in the number of structures through-out the Pleasant Street Neighborhood. Sev-eral churches appear within the neighbor-hood such as Mt. Pleasant AME Churchon N.W. 2nd Street, Bethel AME Church onN.W. 1st Street and St. Augustine Episco-pal Mission School on N.W. 4th Avenue.The residential house plans begin to varyfrom the simple shotgun and hall and par-lor types to asymmetrical plans typical ofQueen Anne Style. Northwest 4th Avenueshows a large buildup of structures withfew empty lots. Commercial usage becomesindicated on a number of the structures.

The maps which follow, 1922 and 1928,show an increase in the bungalow styleplans with tapered porch columns takingup much of the available space in the neigh-borhood as well as replacing previousplans. In some cases, these details indi-cated changes to existing plans as the Bun-galow style became increasingly popular.


1. Florida Master Site Files, Pleasant Street Historic District. Florida Division of Historic Resources. Tallahassee, Florida.

56

HISTORIC CONTEXT


HistoryThe African Americans who settled in

the Pleasant Street Historic District foundedtheir own businesses, churches, schoolsand social and political organizations par-allel to and modeled on those institutionsof the white society that attempted to ex-clude them from full and equal participa-tion as citizens of the community. The as-pirations of these pioneer urban AfricanAmericans in Gainesville and the difficul-ties they faced in obtaining social and le-gal equality in the postbellum South is re-flected, in part, in the character of the builtenvironment of the Pleasant Street District.The area was home to common laborersand domestic servants working for thewhite citizens as well as where most of thecity’s African American merchants, profes-sionals, teachers and religious and politi-cal leaders resided.

The defeat of the Confederacy in theCivil War and the resulting emancipationof the slaves had an enormous impact onsouthern society. The racial division of la-bor imposed by slavery was central to thepre-war social structure, but the end of sla-very found southern whites unwilling toaccept the fact that the colored man hadceased to be property. A large segment ofthe white population continued to hold theview that African Americans still existedspecifically to produce cotton, sugar, andrice for his “superiors” and to fill the role

of domestic servant. Any wider share inthe rights and privileges of citizenship—the right to vote and hold public office, toobtain an education for children at publicexpense, to work as a skilled artisan or inthe professions, or even to travel and livewhere one pleased—was unthinkable inthe eyes of former masters.

African Americans were provided someopportunity for self-determination by themilitary occupation of the former Confed-erate states by northern troops and theadoption of new state constitutions, as pro-vided by the Reconstruction Acts of theU.S. Congress. These measures, plus as-sistance by the U.S. Freedman’s Bureau andvarious northern philanthropic and mis-sionary organizations, gave African Ameri-cans a new mobility and some real controlover their destiny. The imposition of “blackcodes” and “Jim Crow” laws after the endof the Reconstruction Period (1867-1877)reversed many of the economic and politi-cal gains made in that first postbellum de-cade, but the first step on the long road tofull citizenship had been taken by the Afri-can American populous, and they eagerlyseized whatever opportunities for progressthat were presented to them. Among thefirst dramatic changes to come at the endof the national conflict that brought aboutthe demise of slavery was a shift in a siz-able segment of the African American popu-

lation from the plantation to towns and cit-ies of the South.

Gainesville in 1860, was a town of 269people, 46 of which were slaves. The areahad served as a commercial hub for theagricultural products of the surroundingregion. The previous year the railroad,which had been under construction since1855 from Fernandina to Cedar Keyreached Gainesville, providing a transpor-tation outlet for the Sea Island Cotton thatwas the mainstay of Alachua County. Theimportance of the rural economy to Gaines-ville is shown by the fact that the fourteenslave owners who lived in town also ownedat least 184 slaves in the county. Slaveowners represented eighty-one percent ofthe declared wealth of the community.While Gainesville’s racial composition waspredominately white (eighty-three per-cent), it’s economic structure demonstratedcharacteristics similar to most of the restof the South; it was tied directly to ruralagriculture and slave labor.

The town grew rapidly during the1860’s, principally due to it’s function asan organizational and supply center for thesouthern war effort. The end of the CivilWar, however, saw an even more dramaticjump in the population and a radical trans-formation in it’s racial composition. By 1870,more than half (fifty-three percent) ofGainesville’s residence were African Ameri-cans, an increase from the seventeen- per-

Early rail lines in Gainesville.


57

HISTORIC CONTEXT


cent level of 1860. This large influx of Afri-can Americans was part of the geographicmobility of ex-slaves after the war ended.Throughout the south, African Americansmoved to urban centers and to areas whereland was available for the establishment offarms which they themselves owned. Manyfrom South Carolina where drawn to theAlachua area by the promise of land. Thou-sands of others from elsewhere in the southhoped to escape the social and politicalturmoil of the post-war era in the relativelyunsettled state of Florida. After the initiallarge emigration, the racial composition ofGainesville remained stable until the end ofthe century. In 1880, the population wasequally divided between African Americansand white Americans. The 1900 census re-vealed that whites held a slim majority ofthe 3,633 residents of the city.

As the city grew and the century waned,Gainesville slowly made the transition froma rural to an urban community as it shiftedaway from agriculturally oriented employ-ment. In 1870, one-third of the town’s la-bor force was directly linked to the agri-cultural sector. Only ten percent of thework force was still engaged in such ef-forts by 1900. The urbanization of the townis demonstrated, in part, by the numbersof people classified as professional, mana-gerial, and clerical workers. These sectorsmade up only twenty percent of the

workforce in 1870 but had increased tothirty percent by 1900.

An examination of the racial division oflabor reveals that African Americans expe-rienced the most marked change in theirpatterns of employment during the 1870-1900 period. In 1870, a large majority(eighty-eight percent) of the African Ameri-can laborers were employed in eithermanual or menial positions such as domes-tic service, farm labor, or unskilled labor.However, this condition changes dramati-cally over the next several decades,whereas, the white divisions of labor forthe same period changed only gradually ornot at all. By 1800, African Americans werepresent in every occupational category inGainesville, but less that one in twenty wereprofessional, managerial, or clerical work-ers, as compared to over half (fifty-twopercent) of their white counterparts. In1900, when African Americans were mostrepresented in these areas of the labor pro-file, less than one out of every ten workersheld jobs in these categories. The inabilityof African Americans to penetrate the up-per echelon of the labor structure was ac-centuated by the fact that most AfricanAmerican professionals were either preach-ers or teachers, positions of high socialprestige within the community, but whichrequired little formal education or economiccapital.

Census data and information from thecity directories suggests that a fledge ofAfrican Americans commercial class haddeveloped in Gainesville by the end of thecentury. The scale of these operations,however, was smaller than those of theirwhite counterparts. The absence of Afri-can American contractors, hotelkeepers, ormanufacturers underscored the fact thatthey were unable to undertake capital-in-tensive business efforts. The majority ofAfrican American workers, therefore, con-tinued to be engaged in manual or meniallabor, a pattern unchanged since the daysof slavery.

Development of the Pleasant StreetNeighborhood (Zone A)

This area was the first place in Gaines-ville where former African Americanslaves settled in large numbers. In 1859,the area was developed and platted intolarge block-sized lots and named Brush’sAddition. The land was owned byNehemiah Brush Estate and managed byCharles Brush, a Baltimore lawyer and hissister, Julia VanNess. The Brush andVanNess families had acquired over 30,000acres of the Arrendondo Spanish Grant in1849. This land was set aside expressly toaccommodate the rapid influx of AfricanAmerican settlers whose labor was neces-sary to the expanding commercial and in-dustrial community. Working through its


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Florida agent, the Brush Estate had smallwood frame residences erected in the sub-division and rented them to the newcom-ers or, when possible, sold the lots out-right. Many who initially rented propertyfrom the estate eventually purchased theproperty. As early as 1866, African Ameri-cans were contracting with the Brush Es-tate to buy lots and even whole blocks inthis area of Gainesville. Nearly all purchas-ers acquired lots in a contract for deed.Records of these transactions indicate thatmany early purchasers were able to buytheir land in three to four years. In this way,those who probably had little money wereable to secure land and build homes. As aresult of the rapid increase in the AfricanAmerican population of Gainesville, by the1880s more African Americans were build-ing houses than whites.

Similar neighborhoods were establishedin other Florida cities such as theFrenchtown Neighborhood in Tallahassee,and the La Villa and Brooklyn Subdivisionsin Jacksonville and the west side of Ocala.In each case, the early areas where Afri-can Americans settled was not the resultof directed development, but the willing-ness of the property owners to rent or sellthis undeveloped land to African Ameri-cans. These developments also facilitatedthe segregation of African Americans fromthe white community. As the AfricanAmerican population grew larger, they con-

gregated together for protection and mu-tual support. They built small houses andcreated social institutions of their own in-cluding churches, schools, businesses andclubs.

The first settlers in this subdivisionwere primarily refugees from neighboringplantations who sought work in the nearbylumber mills and other local industries orfor the railroad on which the growing com-merce or post-war Gainesville depended.The majority of the settlers were day la-borers, draymen, porters or domestic ser-vants. They were soon joined by skilled orsemiskilled emigrants, such as tailors,blacksmiths, shoemakers and carpenters,some of whom had received training asslaves on self-sustaining plantations.

Many of the newcomers who settledinto Gainesville were from Georgia andSouth Carolina, particularly Camden,South Carolina. They were members of theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church andcame to the area to spread the Gospel aswell as to form schools in order to teacheducation skills to the freedmen and theirchildren. Many of these teachers and mis-sionaries received their training from thenorthern American Missionary Associa-tion, which had opposed slavery and at-tempted to organize schools for AfricanAmericans in the south prior to the CivilWar.

Education among African Americanswas a primary objective of the Freedmen’sBureau, and Union Academy was estab-lished in the district in 1865 to provide forthe education of both adults and children.The Peabody Fund and later the localBoard of Public Instruction gave financialsupport for this institution, one of only twoNegro high schools in the state. The firstteachers came from Newburyport, Massa-chusetts in 1865, under the sponsorship ofthe National Freedmen’s Relief Associa-tion of New York, which was organizedby the American Missionary Associationand the Congregational Church. A boardof trustees for the school was formed in1867 to build a school for African Ameri-cans. The board included the leading Afri-can American property owners and politi-cal leaders of the community. Every townin Florida with African American enclavesexperienced the same type of process indeveloping educational institutions to servethe African American community.

By 1868, the wood frame school had179 students. Union Academy continuedto be the center of local African Americaneducation growing to an enrollment of over500 students and serving as a normalschool. It was abandoned in 1925 when anew building, Lincoln High School, wasconstructed outside the district. The UnionAcademy building became a recreationalcenter supported by the colored Citizens’

Workers in the Shoe Hospital, C19--.

Union Academy.


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Alliance. Later the teachers quarters wereused as a retirement home for AfricanAmericans until its demolition in the 1960s.The site of the academy remains a land-mark of African American education inGainesville from 1865-1925.

Another educational institution in thedistrict was the St. Augustine MissionSchool, which was organized as an Epis-copal mission and school in 1893. Theschool was a private elementary schoolwith a tuition of ten cents a week or 50cents per month, although some childrenwere allowed to attend free. The studentswere from homes where the parents wantedtheir children to receive religious trainingas part of their formal education. Classesstarted at about 12 to 15 students andreached a peak of 150 with three teachersin the 1930s. The teachers were employedby the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.

Originally classes for colored childrenwere held in the parish hall or the whiteHoly Trinity Episcopal Church on MainStreet. When Holy Trinity erected a newchurch in 1907, the old parish hall wasmoved to 405 N.W. 4th Avenue where itserved the community until 1944 when itwas demolished and a new wood framestructure was erected.

The establishment of churchesstemmed from a desire of freedmen to ex-press their independence and form theirown religious institutions free from the

influence of their former masters. Manywithdrew or were expelled from whitechurches, where they became unwelcome.In 1867, land was purchased in the Pleas-ant Street neighborhood on which to con-struct the Mt. Pleasant African EpiscopalMethodist Church (now Mt. PleasantUnited Methodist Church), which quicklybecame the leading church organization inthe area.

Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Church was a so-cial and religious center for the neighbor-hood. It was organized under the SouthCarolina Annual Conference of the North-ern Methodist Episcopal Church. The firstboard of trustees consisted of WilliamAnderson, Adam Dancy, Shadrach M.Abednego, Robert McDuffie and Dr.McDowell. The first building to serve thecongregation was constructed on land ac-quired from the Brush estate and was dedi-cated on July 16, 1867. That building wasdestroyed by fire in 1903, and the presentmasonry, Romanesque Revival style struc-ture was completed in 1906. The churchboasts the earliest formal African Ameri-can congregation in Gainesville and is oneof the oldest church buildings in the city.

Several other churches were organizedin the Pleasant Street neighborhood soonafter Mt. Pleasant was founded. These in-clude the Bethel African Methodist Epis-copal Church (1877) and the First Friend-ship Baptist Church (1884). The Friend-

ship Baptist Church burned in 1911 andwas replaced by the present RomanesqueRevival style building. The old BethelA.M.E. Church was demolished in the1960s.

The Reconstruction Constitution ofFlorida had enfranchised African Ameri-cans and a number were elected to office.Several of the early political leaders inGainesville came from the Pleasant Streetneighborhood. These included HenryHarmon, a state representative, and Tho-mas Gass, a member of the Gainesville CityCouncil and also a state legislator, JosiahT. Walls, Matthew M. Leavy and the Mar-tin brothers. Caesar Joyner was a city po-liceman during Reconstruction, and hishouse, 502 N.W. 4th Avenue still stands inthe historic district.

The period of 1880-1900 was one of eco-nomic expansion in Florida and Gainesville.During this time, the Pleasant Street areabecame an increasingly important, but moreisolated section of the city. African Ameri-cans continued to play influential roles inlocal politics until the end of Reconstruc-tion (1877), after which the white powerstructure took steps to disenfranchise themby the imposition of a poll tax and othermeasures. Segregation grew as whiteSoutherners regained the upper hand andwere assisted by northern newcomers whowere unconcerned with the declining posi-tion of African Americans in the commu-

Josiah T. Walls family portrait, c. 19--.

Romanesque Revival Friendship Baptist Churchin Pleasant Street District.


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nity. Nearly every aspect of life becamesegregated, and even formal deed restric-tions prevented African Americans fromowning property in certain Florida cities.Jim Crow laws codified racial separation.The result was the establishment of com-pletely separate towns with the larger mu-nicipal area with every commercial, social,and religious aspect of life run by and serv-ing the African American residents.

The commercial center of the districtwas N.W. Fifth Avenue, originally namedPleasant Street, with a section of businessesextending north along N.W. 3rd Street. Thebusinesses were generally small enter-prises, which catered to the overall needsof the residents. In addition to churchesthere were grocery stores, clothes stores,insurance agencies, business offices,doctor’s offices, private schools, theaters,funeral parlors, social halls, billiard halls,eateries and clubs. The self-sustainingneighborhood also included a building con-tractor, sawmill and welder. Several of thesebuildings remain in the neighborhood andoutside the current boundaries of the des-ignated historic district.

Cue’s Grocery once located at 602 N.W.2nd Street was built in 1923 and originallyknown as Malphur’s Grocery. The build-ing remains as a landmark of the once com-mercially active streets in the district. Othergrocery stores in the area included thoseowned by the DeBose Family at 701 N.W.2nd Street, Edward Furgeson at 606 N.W.

2nd Street, I.J. Gaines at 713 N.W. 2nd Streetand W.S. Stewman at 500 N.W. 3rd Street.

The D.E. White Building at 727 N.W.2nd Street was built in 1919 and served asthe location of the Jones Funeral Home.D.E. white erected the building and was apartner in the mortuary. He and his wifelived above the office.

Insurance offices were also located inthe district, including the Afro-AmericanLife Insurance Company on N.W. 2nd Streetand the Central Life Insurance Companylocated across the street, all of which havebeen demolished.

By the turn of the century, the neigh-borhood had begun to spread west fromdowntown nearly to the present Universityof Florida Campus, which was founded in1905. By 1932, this area had once againshrunk to a section between N.W. 13th

Street, N.W. 1st Street, University Avenueand N.W. 8th Street. New African Ameri-can enclaves were also established, suchas Porter’s quarters, which was boundedby S.W. 5th Avenue on the north, S.W. 2nd

Street on the east, Depot Avenue to thesouth and S.W. 6th and 9th Streets on thewest. While similar to the Pleasant Streetin some ways, Porter’s Quarters is smallerand it’s architecture consists almost exclu-sively of small wood frame residences ofthe shotgun variety or showing bungalowinfluence. The original quarters were plat-ted in 1884, but the area saw little immedi-ate construction and never rivaled Pleas-

ant Street in importance as a center of Afri-can American culture in Gainesville.

Most of the houses and structures lo-cated in the Pleasant Street Historic Dis-trict were built in the first thirty years ofthis century. Many of these where inhab-ited by ordinary laborers, but in the segre-gated society of Gainesville, the area wasalso where African American merchants,professionals, and community leaderslived. There are many houses still stand-ing in the district, which were the resi-dences of these leaders. J.C. Metts, a localgrocery storeowner, built a house in 1891at 730 N.W. 2nd Street. S.H. Henley was amerchant and leader in the Friendship Bap-tist Church. His circa 1903 house stillstands at 319 N.W. 4th Avenue. Anotherresidence built by an early pioneer of thePleasant Street district, is the George SmithHouse at 321 N.W. 8th Avenue, which wasbuilt in 1888. Smith was a merchant whohad immigrated from Camden, South Caro-lina. Two sons of Samuel DeBose, the thirdPastor of the Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. church,were prominent social and church leaders,both of whom owned property in the dis-trict. George DeBose was a barber and un-dertaker whose house built in 1903 at 419N.W. 4th Avenue, still survives. His brother,Fletcher also worked in the family funeralhome and also built a house that same yearat 316 N.W. 4th Avenue, which still stands.

For many years there were only twoAfrican American doctors in all of Gaines-

A prime example of a wood frame vernacularresidence with Queen Anne details in PleasantStreet District.


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ville. One of these, Dr. A.B. Ayer built ahouse at 507 N.W. 2nd Street about 1903and had his practice near Mt. PleasantChurch. Ayer was born in Barnwell, SouthCarolina and attended Cookman Institutein Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated fromMeharry Medical College in Nashville, Ten-nessee and started to practice in Gaines-ville in 1901. The other physician was Dr.J.A. Parker. He was born in Gainesville in1877 and attended local schools, includingthe Union Academy. Like Dr. Ayer, he at-tended Meharry Medical College in Nash-ville. He started a practice in Oklahoma in1902 but moved back to Gainesville in 1906.His home has not survived.

Another recognized early doctor inGainesville is Dr. F. Thomas, also knownfounder of the Williams Thomas FuneralHome, built a home at 110 N.W. 4th Avenuein 1894 and renovated in 1960.

Development of the Pleasant StreetNeighborhood (Zone B)

The southeast corner of the PleasantStreet Historic District contains a numberof residences associated with the whitesettlement of Gainesville. This area isbounded approximately by N.W. 4th Av-enue on the north, N.W. 1st Street on theeast, N.W. 2nd Avenue on the south andN.W. 3rd Street on the west. This part ofthe district is located immediately adjacentto the original commercial section of down-town Gainesville and was settled mainly

by the white merchants, professional men,store clerks and office personnel whoworked in the downtown central businessdistrict.

The commercial core of Gainesville wasnot very large and its character in the latenineteenth and early twentieth centurieswas one of mixed business and residentialusage. As the commercial area began tospread westward along University Avenueand northward along Main Street, with thebeginning of the twentieth century, the resi-dences were displaced, leaving these thor-oughfares completely commercial in theircharacter. Still, at few points along theseroutes, one can see early houses that havebeen converted to shops or offices. Resi-dential neighborhoods, therefore, bordereddirectly on downtown Gainesville, and the“white” section of the Pleasant Street His-toric District was one of these. Areas A andB have no distinct visual boundaries, thesegregationist policies of the past and cus-tom being sufficient to create boundariesbetween the two sections of the neighbor-hood.

Boundary of the Pleasant Street HistoricDistrict

The general area of the Pleasant StreetHistoric District is defined mainly by clear,natural boundaries. The western limits aremarked by the railroad right-of-way along6th Street. On the north, N.W. 8th Avenuewas the historical limits of the African

American community and is today a busyfour lane traffic corridor. To the east andsouth lie the commercial buildings alongMain Street and University Avenue.

The specific character of the boundaryhas been determined by location and con-tiguity of the structures contributing to thedistrict. Fortunately, this area is quite co-hesive, if rather small. The demolition ofolder, deteriorated structures has left somevacant areas, and the construction of newerbuildings has eroded the edges of the neigh-borhood somewhat, making for a ratherragged boundary line. Still the district haspreserved its sense of place and its iden-tity as a significant historic neighborhood.

Physical Character of the PleasantStreet Historic District

The house forms and styles of thePleasant Street Historic District are repre-sentative of those of many American com-munities affected by the rapid growth ofthe nation’s railroads during the 1850 to1890 period.

The majority of the residences in bothzones are wood frame vernacular structuresthat reflect the six distinctive varieties ofhouse shapes that dominated Americandomestic construction for almost the firstfive decades of the twentieth century: gablefront, gable front and wing, hall and par-lor, I-house, side gable and pyramidal. Thedistrict also contains a number of Bunga-lows and residences reflecting the Queen

A proud example of another renovation projectin Pleasant Street District is Warrington’s FineInteriors.


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Anne and Colonial Revival traditions. Inaddition there are the Mt. Pleasant UnitedMethodist Church and the Friendship Bap-tist Church which embody variations of theRomanesque Revival Style.

It is difficult to determine the appear-ance of the first houses erected in the dis-trict. Visual evidence suggests that the old-est extant structures date from the 1870-1880’s but most vernacular forms are age-less and the available documentary sourcesare unreliable for judging exactly whenmost buildings in the area were con-structed.

Gable front houses appear to be themost common types in the district. Theseinclude the shotgun houses and bungalowsand variations on the type found in the dis-trict, such as the “double shotgun” du-plexes or two story frame structures as ex-emplified by the one at 212A-212B N.W.7th Lane. One can expect that the earliestbuildings in the neighborhood were shot-guns or variations of the hall and parlorhouse, a type that had survived Americansas basic shelters in the colonial era.

Recent Preservation EffortsThe area experienced a severe decline

for more than twenty years. Buildings be-came abandoned due to deterioration andthe number of vacant lots increased due to

demolition. Many of the existing historicstructures have become victim to the bor-dering development of the commercial ar-eas.

In 1989, the Pleasant Street neighbor-hood was listed as a historic district by theNational Register of Historic Places anddesignated as a local historic district onFebruary 18, 1991, by the City Commissionof Gainesville. With this recognition, theresidents gained momentum to revitalizethe area. Efforts focused mainly on the pres-ervation of significant residences andchurches. The southeast corner (zone B)of the Pleasant Street district has taken ona greater initiative and earlier advancementin this movement.

Today, the Pleasant Street Historic Dis-trict remains as a significant historic andcultural center within Gainesville. Pridecan be seen throughout the entire districtin treatment of landscape and beautifica-tion efforts. The residents continue to fightthe advancement of bordering develop-ments and to protect the valuable historicfabric of their district.

Building and renovation within the dis-trict has increased in the most recent years.Over forty deteriorated structures havebeen restored and rehabilitated with assis-tance from the City of Gainesville Com-munity Development Department and

Housing Division and the NeighborhoodHousing Development Corporation(NHDC), a non-profit organization. Manyvacant lots have received new structurescompatible to the character and scale ofthe existing context with participation fromthe Habitat for Humanity, Gainesville’sBuilders Association and HistoricGainesville, Inc. (HGI). Students and pro-fessors at the University of Florida Collegeof Architecture have worked and continueto work with leaders and residents of thecommunity in an effort to bring about vital-ity to the district through neighborhoodstudies, charrettes and education.

Examples of restored historic residencesare the Chapin House -1886 renovated in1984 (320 N.W. 4th Street), the CrouchHouse built in 1901, renovated in 1989 (102N.W. 4th Avenue) and the Saunders House1879 (116 N.W. 3rd Street).

Several projects have received local andstate recognition for their preservation ef-forts. A 1999 Award for MeritoriousAchievement was awarded by the FloridaTrust for Historic Preservation to theDunbar Hotel Rehabilitation Project whichis now known as Pleasant Place, a homefor homeless teenage mothers. Several ofthe churches have also received recogni-tion for preservation efforts such as Friend-

Dunbar Hotel Rehabilitation Project which is nowknown as Pleasant Place.


Over forty deteriorated structures have been restoredwithin the District.

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ship Baptist Church and Mount PleasantUnited Methodist Church.

Other significant sites and structuresthroughout the area are not included withinthe district boundary. Santa Fe CommunityCollege Downtown Campus, which wasbuilt in 1988 on the original site of the Rail-road Depot, which served the Sea BoardCoast Line, stands as a link to the past anda foundation to education.

Pressure continues within the districtto protect, maintain and preserve the area’shistory.

Train station on 6th Street prior to renovatationas Sante Fe Community College Downtown Campus.


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New sidewalks have been one of many improvementsinitiated in Pleasant Street District.

Green space in Pleasant Street District is preserved.

Setting

• Entrances: facing all primary streets.

• Parks, monuments, and greenspaces:Rosa B. Williams Recreation and Cul-tural Center, Tot Lot.

• Streetscape features: minimal sidewalks,fence lined properties, concrete curb-ing, and no walls.

• Subdivision layout: rectangular lots andblocks flanking the primary streets.

• Facade lines, front and side setbacks:detached residences with minimal frontsetbacks and minimal side setbacks.

• Lot size and density of development:small lot size and low to medium den-sity.

• Block patterns: Commercial: 300 feet inlength on east and west and 400-600 feeton their north and south ends. Residen-tial: rectangular 300 feet in length on eastand west and 300 feet on their north andsouth ends.

• Patterns of vacant lots and open spaces:vacant lots throughout.

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Building Characteristics

• Height: number or stories: Primarilysingle story. Range of 1-2.

• Width: number of bays or vertical divi-sions: one.

• Types: residential, commercial.

• Predominant architectural styles anddesign influences: Frame.

• Massing or overall form: single rectan-gular structures.

• Orientation: both compass orientationand horizontal or vertical orientation.

• Foundations: Residential elevated woodframe on brick piers or masonry piers.Commercial: continuous brick or ma-sonry perimeter wall and slab on grade.

• Roofs: primary and secondary roofstructures: gable, hip with standardpitch.

• Materials: Primarily wood frame

• Windows: Primarily wood frame doublehung sash in 6/6, 2/2, or 1/1 light pat-tern.

• Repetitive features: Porches and de-tached outbuildings.

• Decoration: Minimal. Religious: brickcorbeling. Stained glass. Residential:minimal wood millwork such as brack-ets, fretwork, spindles.

• Predominate Architectural Styles: WoodFrame Vernacular, Queen Anne andEastlake influence, Romanesque Re-vival.

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Pleasant Street District Map, indicating densityof structures along N.W. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Streets.

Two dimensional study of Pleasant Street District’sdensity.

Commercial AreasA commercial area borders the district

on the south and mixed commercial and resi-dential uses characterize the other threesides. Currently, very few commercial build-ings exist in the district.

Blocks and SetbacksThe district is comprised of all or por-

tions of 15 rectangular blocks of varyingsize, which are laid out on an irregular gridpattern. The blocks contain lots ranging insize from 40’ x 60’ to 100’ by 200’.

Building setbacks vary considerablywith some buildings sited at the front prop-erty line while others are sited at a depthranging from 10 to 15 feet or more.

Building HeightZone A is primarily one-story resi-

dences. Zone B contains one-and two-story residences.

MaterialsWood frame and siding is the primary

and traditional construction material withinthe district. Weatherboard and drop sidingtypes are prominent.

Masonry structures exist within the dis-trict and are primarily churches and com-mercial structures.

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Pleasant Street District Map, indicating blockconfigurations.

Pleasant Street District Map, indicating street andgrid pattern.

Building StylesWood frame vernacular houses repre-

sent the largest building category in thedistrict with 123 examples. Virtually all ofthe national vernacular house types whichdeveloped between 1850 to 1890 are repre-sented in the Pleasant Street district ex-amples.

The buildings are traditionally woodframe residences raised on brick or con-crete piers ranging in size, form and style.On the small scale are Shotgun and halland parlor vernacular structures to thelarger structures of two-story I- houses andQueen Anne residences with large porchesand verandahs.

PlansThe floor plans of the smaller houses

are generally simple rectangular plans witha small rear ell, or are variations of the L-plan. Few residences have garages or otheroutbuildings on the same property.

Roof FormThe roofs represented are either side or

front gable roofs with v-crimp metal sheet-ing or asphalt shingles.

WindowsDouble hung wood sash windows pre-

dominate throughout the district. The lightpattern generally found is 2/2, however,other examples such as 1/1 or 6/6 are alsofound in the district.

Bungalows are the second largest cat-egory style with 91 examples.

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University Heights Historic Districts

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UNIVERSITY HEIGHTSHISTORIC DISTRICTS -NORTH AND SOUTH

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4. University Heights North District, 20055. University Heights South District, 2005


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UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS—NORTH AND SOUTH

The University Heights Historic Dis-tricts contain a collection of residences,landscapes and related cultural resources,which correspond to housing needs gen-erated by the location of the Universityof Florida in Gainesville in 1905. The dis-tricts and the surrounding areas also con-tain a less numerous concentration of com-mercial and institutional buildings whichalso developed in response to Universitygrowth between 1905 and the present, al-though today the districts are comprisedalmost exclusively of residential structures.

Gainesville was fifty-one years old whenthe Florida legislature passed the BuckmanAct, consolidating state supported collegesand seminaries in one university atGainesville. Prior to the founding of theUniversity in 1905, Gainesville’s early so-cial and economic history was based on itsrole as the county seat of Alachua County,a railroad and agricultural market center, andnear the turn-of-the-century, a major phos-phate mining center. After its establishmentin Gainesville, the University became thedominant force in the community. It wasthe major community employer and its pres-ence was felt in the movement of busi-nesses and residences away from the tra-ditional center of the city, near the court-house square, westward to University-related areas then on the edge of the city.

History of the University Heights Areaand Impact of the University

The high expectations for the Univer-sity, both locally and at the state level, werereflected in the choice of architect andstyle for the first campus buildings. Will-iam A. Edwards, of the South Carolina firmEdwards & Walter, designed thirteen build-ings for the campus between 1905 and themid-1920’s. The Collegiate Gothic style cho-sen in a competition for the campus asso-ciated the new university with prestigiousNew England institutions, which had popu-larized secular Gothic as a style, and linkedthe new campus to older medieval cam-puses like Oxford and Cambridge.

The same intentions of quality, formal-ity, European association and even, “pic-turesqueness” seen in Edwards’ campusdesigns were also found in the new resi-dential subdivisions which grew up aroundthe University beginning in 1907. WhileEdwards had envisioned faculty housingon campus, this did not materialize. Instead,new housing developments were plannedprivately to support the University, a pat-tern which continued through the first halfof the 20th Century. This speculative de-velopment was spurred on by the Floridaland boom of the 1920’s and shared severalcommon features: they are located near theuniversity and fall within about five blocksnorth and south of University Avenue.Their plans and early names reveal an in-

tentional identification with the Universityand, by and large, the scale is small withonly a few large and pretentious homes inthe area. The new developments are plat-ted to often break the historic regular gridof the city with cul-de-sacs and interiorblock alleys. All the developments werefilled with modest single-family residencesin a mixture of period, bungalow, revivaland suburban “dream houses” of the 1910’sto the 1940’s. While not unlike many Ameri-can early 20th century suburban develop-ments, this area is unique because of thenumber of similar projects and their directrelationship to the University which canbe seen in: College Park (1907), UniversityPlace (1909), University Heights (1912),University Terrace (1914), Florida Court(1922), College Court (1922), Palm Terrace(1925), Hibiscus Park (1925), Golfview Es-tates (1925), and University Park (1928).

Collectively, these buildings adhere toa University town theme reflected in theobvious intention to have a relationshipto the University which was subsequentlyconfirmed by the actual settlement of fac-ulty, university-related staff and later, stu-dents. These residential neighborhoodswith the business and institutional devel-opments they attracted, perhaps betterthan any other neighborhoods in the city,convey a unique sense of what is essentialabout Gainesville and its history.

ERLA Associated & The History Group, City og Gainesville Comprehensive Preservation and Conservation Plan, Phase 1: Survey Report, Gainesville, 1980

Gainesville developed as a small railroadcommunity.

University Heights neighborhood sidewalk inNorth District

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


In 1902 and 1912, Major William R. Tho-mas, developer of the home and later hotelthat now serves as the cultural affairs cen-ter and a municipal office facility for theCity (The Thomas Center), platted Univer-sity Place and University Heights, respec-tively. Located between what is now WestUniversity Avenue, S.W. 13th Street, S.W.8th Avenue and S.W. 8th Street, the twoareas are still primarily residential subdivi-sions, with commercial development evolv-ing in the lots along University Avenue andsome larger scale multi-family residentialprojects developing in the period after WWII. The University Heights South HistoricDistrict falls within this area.

North of University Place across Uni-versity Avenue are two other early Uni-versity-related subdivisions, UniversityTerrace and Florida Court, both platted in1914. Still primarily residential today withcommercial development along West Uni-versity Avenue, The University HeightsNorth Historic District falls within thesetwo areas.

Significance of University HeightsHistoric Districts

The University Heights Historic Dis-tricts are significant in terms of commu-nity planning, architecture, landscape ar-chitecture, local history and settlement fortheir distinct social, economic, physical

and its impact on the growth of Gainesville.In terms of local history, the 400+ acres ofthe University’s residential neighborhoodsare significant as one of Gainesville’s thriv-ing residential areas during the first half ofthe 20th Century and as an expression ofthe Florida real estate boom during the1920’s. The neighborhood is also signifi-cant for its cultural landscape as aging oaks,azaleas, and a variety of tropical plantingshelp to retain the picturesque character ofthe neighborhood.

The identification of these areas withthe University was intended to attract de-sirable permanent residents, particularlyUniversity faculty and staff. Research incity directories show that between 1920 and1930, faculty addresses vacate the oldercity neighborhoods near the downtowncore in favor of the new University-relatedsubdivisions. After WW II, faculty mi-grated to the ranch suburbs in the city’snorthwest area, changing the original uni-versity-related single-family home charac-ter that had prevailed through the first halfof the century. In the postwar years, as theUniversity experienced dramatic growth,many of the single-family homes were modi-fied for multi-family student occupation, atrend that continues to dominate the SouthDistrict even today.


Physical Description of UniversityHeights Historic District—North &South

The University Heights Historic Dis-trict-North is primarily one and two-storyresidential structures with uniform set-backs. Most are single-family residencesused as multi-family housing interspersedwith 2-story apartment buildings. The dis-trict is bounded by three main corridors,N.W. 13th Street on the West, N.W. 6thStreet on the East, and West UniversityAvenue on the South. The district is onlyseven blocks from the downtown commer-cial area and four blocks from the Univer-sity campus. The majority of the lots be-fore N.W. 3rd Avenue are rectangular par-cels laid in blocks, which are oriented north/south with the majority of the buildingsfacing east/west. This reverses north ofN.W. 3rd Avenue. A north/south loop roadconnected by N.W. 2nd Avenue begins onNW 7th Terrace and ends on N.W. 7thStreet, and a cul-de-sac is found on N.W.12th Terrace. University Avenue accessesboth the loop and cul-de-sac. The approxi-mately 28-acre district is bounded on thenorth by the Fifth Avenue neighborhood,and on the south by the commercial devel-opment along the north side of UniversityAvenue.

The University Heights Historic Dis-trict - South is located immediately southof the North District across University Av-

and historic relationship to the University

Mid-block alleyway in South District withancillary garage apartment structures.

Period Revival Tudor style in North District.

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


enue. It has similar development patterns,but the blocks are more regular and havemid-block alleys. Garages and secondarystructures are located along the alleys, re-ducing the number of front yard driveways.The North District structures are typicallymore modest buildings in scale and detail-ing, with smaller lots.

The approximately 34-acre South Dis-trict is also primarily one and two-storysingle-family residential structures withuniform setbacks, occupied as multi-familydwellings by students. Two-and three-storyapartment buildings are interspersedthroughout the district.

The South District is divided by S.W.2nd Avenue, a planned primary corridorconnecting campus to downtown and pro-grammed for more intensive development.Most of the north side of 2nd Avenuebetween S.W. 10th Street and S.W. 12thStreet has been excluded from the historicdistrict, and many of the historic struc-tures along the south side of S.W. 2nd Av-enue have undergone rehabilitation to of-fice uses.

The general area is bounded by the S.W.13th Street traffic corridor to the west,and on the north by the West UniversityAvenue corridor. The South District is onlyseven blocks from the downtown commer-cial area and only one block from the Uni-versity campus. The Shands at AGH Hos-pital complex is on the east boundary of

the area and the west side is bounded byUniversity institutional structures andhigher density development along the S.W.13th Street corridor. Commercial develop-ment along the University Avenue corridorbounds the north side and S.W. 7th Av-enue bounds the south side.

Architectural Styles in the UniversityHeights Historic Districts

The University Heights Historic Dis-tricts are primarily Colonial Revival, Crafts-man/Bugalow and Period Revival architec-ture in a range of historical styles: Colo-nial, Tudor, Spanish/Mediterranean, Frenchand English Provincial, and Minimal Tradi-tional, a later highly diluted variant of Pe-riod Revival design. The area also pos-sesses a large number of fieldstone ma-sonry buildings known locally as “ChertHouses,” a style that is indigenous toGainesville.

Fieldstone Houses are found through-out the Districts and have one of the high-est concentrations of these unique build-ing types in the city. Made from a flint-likelimestone called chert, the fieldstone is laidin a random, uncoursed pattern with brickquoining at corners and around openings.The fieldstone and brick reflect the pictur-esque character of period revival designsand many different revival styles were builtwith this material technique.

The Craftsman/Bungalow style wasinfluenced by the Arts and Crafts Move-ment and provided modest homes with ahigh degree of artisanship. They are char-acterized by overlapping gable roofs withbroad overhangs, projecting rafters, brack-eted eaves, carved ridge poles, front ve-randas and use of natural colors. Detailingcan transform these structures into a vari-ety of revival styles such as Tudor or Span-ish/Mediterranean.

Tudor Revival, which has a number ofexcellent examples in the Districts, was adirect reference to the medieval CollegiateGothic style of the campus. Characterizedby herringbone brick patterns, stone ac-cents, half-timbering, steep roofs with mul-tiple chimney stacks, and asymmetrical en-tries, these houses represent the Englishprovincial “dream house.”

Colonial Revival architecture inGainesville is characterized by a more for-mal brick form evoking the early Ameri-can architecture popularized in the 1920’sand 1930’s by Colonial Williamsburg.

Spanish/Mediterranean style, embrac-ing a range of Mediterranean and Ameri-can Southwest influences, while very popu-lar in South Florida, is less common in theDistricts. These include the Monterey stylewith projecting balconies as well as themore familiar stucco, arched openings,wrought iron work and barrel tile roofs.


Spanish/Mediterranean Style in South District.

Fieldstone and brick construction in SouthDistrict. Known locally as “chert” houses, thetechnique was used for a variety of historicstyles

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


The University Heights Historic District- North contains one hundred seventy-three (173) buildings of which thirty-three(33) are noncontributing structures.

The University Heights Historic District- South contains one hundred eighty-two(182) buildings of which 32 are non-con-tributing.

Approximately 82% of the buildings inthe two districts are contributing structures.

A final prevalent architectural style isknown as Minimal Traditional, which is alater, highly diluted variant of Period Re-vival and Craftsman architecture usuallydating from the 1930’s onward. The designis a simplified form of the earlier styles, lack-ing the decorative details that character-ized the older structures. The roof pitchesare lowered, facades are simplified withoutdetailing, and overhangs are minimized.These houses, forerunners in some waysof the modern ranch house, were introducedin the 1930’s (possibly influenced by theGreat Depression), and were common in the1940’s and early 1950’s in the UniversityHeights area.

Other Styles found within the Uni-versity Heights Historic Districts - North& South in smaller numbers include Pro-vincial, Frame Vernacular, Prairie School/Wright, International Style Modernism, andthe modern Ranch Style.

Noncontributing Buildings in the Dis-tricts are either less than fifty years old orhave been so significantly altered that theoriginal character of the building has beenlost. Many of the noncontributing build-ings, built during the earlier periods of sig-nificance but modified insensitively to theirhistoric character, still retain some compat-ible context characteristics of uniform set-backs, mass, scale, height or materials.


.

Monterey Style in South District. A form ofSpanish/Mediterranean Style influenced by theSpanish in California.

Spanish/Mediterranean Style in North District.

Craftsman/Bungalow Style in South District.

Provincial Style in South District.

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


In January 2002, the City of Gainesvilleestablished the University Heights HistoricDistricts - North & South as local historicdistricts, and the process for nominationof the districts to the National Register ofHistoric Places was initiated. The historicdistrict significance is based on the rela-tionship of the residential subdivisions thatare incorporated within the district bound-aries to the University of Florida duringthe first half of the 20th century. Principallysingle-family residential buildings now con-verted to multi-family student-orientedhousing, the Historic Districts contain abroad cross section of historic residentialbuilding styles including a large number ofunique local fieldstone (chert) houses,Craftsman/Bungalows and Period Revivalstyles from the early 20th century. The arearetains much of its historic residential char-acter even though a number of larger scaleinfill apartment projects are scatteredthroughout the neighborhoods.

Because of its proximity to the easternedge of campus and its location betweencampus and the downtown core area, theCity has been interested in the develop-ment of the University Heights area. TheGainesville Comprehensive Plan designatesthe area for higher density development toprovide University-related housing andservices while reducing local traffic impact.

In October 2000, the City of Gainesvilleadopted the University Heights SpecialArea Plan to guide development in theUniversity Heights neighborhoods. Withthe 2002 adoption of the University HeightsHistoric Districts, a second overlay thatoccupies a substantial portion (but not all)of the Special Area Plan district, was put inplace.

The University Heights Special AreaPlan Overlay Zoning District and the un-derlying zoning regulations currentlyguide development in the area, parts ofwhich also have the Historic District over-lay which has been governed by The Pres-ervation and Conservation Manual (1) ofthe City pending adoption of specific his-toric district rehabilitation and designguidelines. Projects in the Historic Districtsare reviewed by the City of Gainesville His-toric Preservation Board, and the CollegePark University Heights RedevelopmentAdvisory Board provides community ad-vice and input.

The University Heights Historic Dis-tricts - North and South are a complexhistoric area. While both districts have gen-erally similar residential settlement patterns,there is a wide diversity of neighborhoodswith differing setbacks, lot sizes and scaleof buildings, with the North District hav-ing somewhat more modest buildings onsmaller lots with narrower street right-of-ways. The architecture represents a cen-

tury of Gainesville history with a broadrange of styles and materials. Guidelinesneed to provide flexibility to consider theunique character of the individual neigh-borhoods within the historic districts. His-toric Preservation Rehabilitation and De-sign Guidelines should be implemented towork effectively with other overlappingoverlay regulations to avoid conflicts andconfusion in the implementation of citypolicy in the area.

1. The Preservation and Conservation Manual, City of Gainesville Department of Community Affairs, February 1998.

OVERVIEW OF UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND SPECIAL AREA PLAN

New 3-story addition to existing two-story structure with new pedestrian-friendly porches.

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


Special Area Plan CoordinationThe University Heights Special Area

Plan seeks to:1. Preserve and extend the historic

neighborhood character through the de-sign and placement of building types andpublic spaces.

2. Create high-quality street spaces byusing buildings to form a pleasant, conve-nient and safe environment designed forpedestrians, bicyclists, public transit andmotorists.

3. Enhance the viability of local busi-nesses and reduce car travel demand byfocusing growth in appropriate locations.

4. Provide a measure of predictabilityto property owners and occupants aboutwhat may be built on their land or that oftheir neighbors property, yet allow for amarket-driven mixture of land uses.

5. Encourage a wide range of buildingtypes and sizes that will offer a measureof self-sufficiency and sustainability, andwhich will adapt gracefully to change overtime.

6. Make the neighborhood a pleasantplace to live that will attract a mix of long-term residents reflecting the compositionof the university community and adjacentneighborhoods.

The thrust of the goals is that Univer-sity Heights will evolve and change withnew building types, new streetscapes andnew uses.

Area Development GoalsBoth the Gainesville Comprehensive

Plan and the University Heights SpecialArea Plan call for increased density of thearea to support University-related devel-opment that would potentially reduce ve-hicle dependence and promote pedestrianactivity. The challenge for the historic dis-trict is how to protect the historic culturalresources and residential character of thearea while accommodating the desired de-velopment objectives of the Special AreaPlan and the Comprehensive Plan whichencourage new higher density infill devel-opment.

The goals of the Historic District Reha-bilitation and Design Guidelines for Uni-versity Heights are:

1. Protect the identified historic cul-tural resources in the districts through re-habilitation standards and compatible de-sign standards for new construction.

2. Protect the general scale and charac-ter of the historic neighborhoods in thedistricts including street grids, alleyways,and the cultural landscape of tree cano-pies, streetscape and landscaping.

3. Promote compatible design of newinfill projects.

4. Promote a diverse resident popula-tion in the districts.

5. Promote higher density through useof ancillary structures and compatibleinfill development.New pedestrian-friendly infill construction with

porches near the street and sidewalk.

New infill construction located closer to thestreet, juxtaposed against adjacent historicstructure in South District.

New site occupation characteristicssuch as moving new infill buildings closerto the street to promote a pedestrian-`friendly environment will at times clashwith traditional neighborhhod front yardsetbacks. New higher-density infill con-struction will at times clash with the tra-ditional single-family residential scale andcharacter of the historic neighborhoods.

To accommodate proposed new de-velopment and protect existing historicstructures and neighborhood character willrequire amelioration strategies to modifythe impact of new construction on exist-ing historic fabric. The Guidelines forNew Construction specifically seek toput in place amelioration strategiesthrough scale, massing, building placementand height.

Mid-block alleyway in South District withancillary structures (garage apartments).

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HISTORIC CONTEXT


Subdivision Layout North DistrictThe original plats for the North District

include University Terrace (1914) andFlorida Court (1922) subdivisions. The platsare laid out to break the traditional city gridwith cul-de-sacs, loop roads and mid-blockalleyways within grid blocks.

Subdivision Layout South DistrictThe original plats found in the South

District include University Place (1909)and University Heights (1912) subdivi-sions. They are platted in a regular gridwith mid-block alleyways.

BlocksBlock size and street width vary greatly

throughout the two districts. Lots in theNorth District tend to be smaller and lessconsistent, varying from block to block.Roadway widths also vary. Blocks in theSouth district are fairly uniform with mid-block alleyways and relatively consistentlot sizes and roadway widths.

DensityMost buildings are single family de-

tached structures now occupied as multi-family student-oriented housing. Two andthree-story infill apartment buildings areinterspersed within the districts. There arenumerous outbuildings and auxiliary struc-tures throughout the area, usually clus-tered along the mid-block alleyways. Thereare few vacant properties in either district,with new higher density infill projects be-ing built in the South District.

SetbacksThe setbacks are generally uniform

within each given block, but vary withinthe districts from block to block. Largefront yard setbacks are common in theSouth District. Orientation of structuresis generally consistent in the South Dis-trict and varies from block to block in theNorth District. Primary buildings front onthe principle street.

Street EdgeUniform setbacks along many (but not

all) streets create a number of blocks with aconsistent front yard condition. Paved side-walks, curbs and front yard fencing variesacross the districts. Some streets in theNorth District are without curbs while theSouth District has consistent concretecurbs along all primary streets.

Cultural LandscapeAs older neighborhoods, both districts

have a great deal of mature vegetation. TheNorth District has a number of live oaktrees with a dense tree canopy. The SouthDistrict is populated with numerous lauraloaks that have reached maturity and arenow falling victim to age and disease,which is degrading the historic tree canopyin these neighborhoods. Understory treesand mature azaleas along with a variety oftropical plantings make for a lush land-scape environment.

Building CharacteristicsHeight: Historic structures are one and

two-story structures. New infill buildingscan be 3 to 4 stories in height.

Width and Number of Bays: Varies withbuilding styles. Historic buildings are over-whelmingly single-family residential scale.

Building Types: Primarily single-familydetached houses with intermittent infill oftwo and three-story apartment buildingsand recent rowhouse buildings.

Predominent Architectural Styles: Var-ies across the districts. Styles include:Craftsman/Bungalow, Frame Vernacular,Period Revivals, Ranch, Provincial, Tudor,Spanish/Mediterranean, Prairie, NativeFieldstone, and Minimal Traditional.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS—NORTH & SOUTH CHARACTERISTICS

Complex roof form and multiple materialsNorth District Tree Canopy

Massing or Form: Varies with style ofbuildings. Can be highly complex (Bunga-low) or relatively simple (Colonial Revival).

Foundations: Most buildings are el-evated on brick piers or vented stem wallsabove grade.

Roofs: Varies with the building styles.Includes gable, hip, mansard, flat and mul-tiple combinations covered in metal, as-phalt shingles, tile, or asbestos shingles.

Materials: Varies with building styles.Includes wood frame and masonry con-struction with wood siding, wood shingles,brick, stone, stucco, and varied combina-tions.

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REHABILITATION GUIDELINESOverview

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REHABILITATIONGUIDELINESAll Historic Districts

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Renovation of structure.

81


The Structure of the GuidelinesThe second section of the guidelines is

divided into two main chapters coveringrehabilitation and new construction. Thefirst section examines rehabilitation issueswith respect to existing historic propertiesand landscapes. This section also ad-dresses the modification of historic struc-tures to accommodate handicapped acces-sibility requirements and the demolition andrelocation of buildings. In the second sec-tion, a systematic approach to designingand evaluating compatible new buildings,additions, out buildings and landscapes isoutlined followed by detailed recommen-dations and avoidances; a synopsis ofwhich can be found in Appendix 5.

All the recommendations in these chap-ters are based on the Secretary of the Inte-riors Standards for Rehabilitation (seeAppendix 1). While the treatment of reha-bilitation is the major focus of these guide-lines, they strongly emphasize the impor-tance of well-designed new constructionin the process of preserving the characterof historic districts.

Authority to ReviewSection 30-112 of the Land Development

Code authorizes City staff and the HistoricPreservation Board to review and approve,approve with conditions or deny applica-tions for Certificates of Appropriatenessthat propose the regulated work items.These work items, summarized below, arespelled out more specifically in Section 30-112(d)(5)(c) of the City of Gainesville LandDevelopment Code.

· Abrasive cleaning· Awnings or canopies· Decks· Exterior doors and door frames· Exterior walls· Fencing· Fire escapes, exterior stairs and handi-

capped ramps· Painting (includes only painting un-

painted masonry, not wood)· Porch fixtures· Roofs· Security grilles· Siding· Skylights· Screen window and doors· Windows and door frames

Certificate of AppropriatenessIn addition to the foregoing, a Certifi-

cate of Appropriateness (COA) must beobtained from the Historic PreservationBoard to:

1. Erect a new building, structure or park-ing lot within a district listed on the lo-cal register.

2. Demolish a building, structure or ob-ject listed on the local register, or desig-nated as contributing to a district listedon the local register.

3. Relocate a building, structure or objectlisted individually on the local register,or designated as contributing to a dis-trict listed on the local register.

Buildings and structures, which do notconform to the Historic Preservation Reha-bilitation Guidelines at the time of LocalRegister nomination, are “grandfathered”meaning they are not required to come intoconformance. However, if an applicant pro-poses to replace a feature of the buildingthat is considered nonconforming, then heor she will be required to conform to thestandards set forth in the guidelines.

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Architectural details in need of repair.

83


Varied additions with complex roof form and multiple materials.

Historic Preservation Design Standardsand Their Interpretation

Work projects as ordinary maintenance(1) may be done without a Certificate ofAppropriateness. Staff can approve workwhich will result in either the return of thestructure to its original appearance or (2)complies with the Historic Design Stan-dards for staff approval. If the work doesnot fall under either of the above defini-tions, it must be approved by the City ofGainesville Historic Preservation Board.

(1) “Ordinary Maintenance” is definedin Section 30-23 of the City of GainesvilleLand Development Code as work whichdoes not require a building permit and thatis done to repair damage or prevent dete-rioration or decay of a building or structureor any part thereof by restoring the build-ing or structure or part thereof as nearly aspracticable to its condition prior to dam-age, deterioration or decay.

In its deliberations on applications forCertificates of Appropriateness, the HPBis guided by the Secretary of Interior’sStandards for Rehabilitation and Guidelinesfor Rehabilitating Historic Buildings andvisual compatibility standards set forth inSection 30-112(d)(6)a. The Secretary’s Stan-dards are tailored for the Gainesville Dis-tricts which also include the criteria for staffand board approval. A summary of thesecriteria is located in Appendix 4. The HPBalso refers to the Secretary’s Standardswhen reviewing ad valorem tax exemptions.

The visual compatibility standards are ap-plicable to new construction and concernsuch work items as height and scale of pro-posal, setback relationships, materials androof shapes.

As mentioned above, most of the stan-dards set forth in this document are pre-ferred and ideal approaches to rehabilitat-ing historic structures but are not, per se,mandatory. When you read “shall” “is notpermissible” or “must,” the standards aremandatory. The bulk of the document iscomprised of preferred approaches and arereflected by use of the verb “should.” TheHPB recognizes that individual circum-stances may require a less-than-preferredapproach and it wants to have flexibility toimplement and interpret these standards asthose circumstances occur.

(2) According to Section 30-23 of theLand Development Code, “original appear-ance” means that appearance (except forspecific color) which, to the satisfaction ofthe city manager or designee, closely re-sembles the appearance of either:

1. The feature on the building as it wasoriginally built or was likely to have beenbuilt; or

2. The feature on the building as it pres-ently exists so long as the present ap-pearance is appropriate, in the opinionof the city manager or designee, to thestyle and materials of the building.

84

REHABILITATION GUIDELINES

Setting

NW 3rd Avenue in University Heights North District.

Roper Park in Northeast District.

Thomas Center courtyard in Northeast District.

Gardens at the Thomas Center.

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Setting

Applicable Secretary Standards

2. The historic character of a propertyshall be retained and preserved. Theremoval of historic materials or alter-ation of features and spaces that char-acterize a property shall be avoided.

9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize the property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall becompatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protectthe historic integrity of the propertyand its environment.

Setting is the relationship of a historicbuilding to adjacent buildings and the sur-rounding site and environment. The settingof a historic building includes such impor-tant features as parks, gardens, street lights,signs, benches, walkways, streets, alleys,and building setbacks. The landscape fea-tures around a building are often importantaspects of its character and the district inwhich it is located. Such historic features asgardens, walls, fencing, fountains, pools,paths, lighting and benches should be re-tained during the course of rehabilitation.

Historic fencing, garden and retainingwalls, and designed landscape features adddistinction to individual buildings and dis-tricts. Collectively, they form important

streetscape compositions. Fences andwalls serve to delineate property lines andas a barrier to distinguish lines between ayard, sidewalk, and street. Wooden picketfences of simple design were historicallythe most common in Florida but consider-able variety in design is found throughoutthe Districts. Cast iron fencing of a pike orhairpin design was much less common andwas generally restricted to buildings de-signed in the Queen Anne, Colonial Re-vival, and Neo-Classical styles. Retainingwalls of brick, poured concrete, or cast con-crete block with pilasters and coping arealso common streetscape features.

Historic landscape features visually linkindividual buildings to each other andshould be retained under Standard 2. Chainlink and hurricane fences have been addedto many historic properties during the lastforty years. Although there is no require-ment to remove this type of fencing, it isinappropriate and should not be installedin the future. It is recommended that exist-ing metal fences be screened with shrub-bery or plants.

Under Standard 9, new fences and wallsshould respect traditional materials, design,and scale found in historic districts. Theyshould have a regular pattern and be con-sistent in design with those found in thesame block or adjacent buildings. Wood isthe most appropriate material, particularlyfor simple frame buildings. Split-rail or hori-zontal board fences should be avoided.

Cast iron fencing is most appropriate forbuildings designed in the Colonial Revival,Neo-Classical, and Queen Anne styles.Fences should be of appropriate scale onstreet elevations. They should complementthe building and not obscure significantfeatures. They should be no more than fourfeet on the street elevation and six feet onthe side and rear elevations. They shouldalso be set back from the wall plane on themain elevation.

Incompatible uses of parks and otherhistoric design landscapes, should beavoided.The linear character and overall in-tegrity of parks should be preserved. UnderStandard 9, new construction should be lo-cated unobtrusively and with the leastamount of alteration to the site and settingof a historic building. Parking should be lim-ited to the rear or side of buildings unless itwas historically located in other areas.

Mid-block alleyway in University Heights-S District.

SETTING

Private garden in University Heights-N District.

Duck Pond in Northeast District.

Gardens at the Thomas Center in Northeast District.

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Setting

Identify and retain plants and trees that reflect aproperty’s history and development.

Retain landscape features such as streets, alleys,and setbacks that have traditionally linkedbuildings to the environment.

Recommended

1. Retain distinctive features such as size,scale, mass, color, and materials of build-ings, including roofs, porches, and stair-ways, that distinguish a district.

2. Retain landscape features such as parks,gardens, street lights, signs, benches,walkways, streets, alleys, and setbacksthat have traditionally linked buildingsto their environment.

3. Use new plant materials, fencing, walk-ways, street lights, signs, and benchesthat are compatible with the characterof the district or neighborhood in size,scale, materials, and color.

4. Identify and retain plants, trees, fenc-ing, walkways, street lighting, signs, andbenches that reflect a property’s historyand development.

5. Base new site work on documentationor physical evidence.

6. Remove or trim plants and trees in closeproximity to the building that may causedeterioration of historic fabric.

7. Provide proper site and roof drainage toassure that water does not splashagainst building or foundation walls, nordrain toward the building.

8. Landscape to provide shade, privacy,screening of non-historic features, anderosion control.

Not Recommended

1. Removal of building features that addto the character of a district.

2. Removal of historic landscape featuresthat have been traditionally utilized tolink buildings and the surrounding en-vironment.

3. Removal of historic or archeological el-ements that provide a context to the his-toric development of the landscape orbuilding such as brick paving, historicconcrete curbing or carriage steps.

4. Avoid conjectural changes to the site.

Retain historic and archeological features thatdefine the property’s history.

Retain landscape features such as streets, alleys,and setbacks that have traditionally linkedbuildings to their environment.

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Setting

Identify and retain curbing, fencing, walkways,street lighting, signs, and benches that reflect aproperty’s history and development.

Staff Approval Guidelines

Rehabilitation of settings that meet allof the following conditions can be ap-proved by staff:

New landscape designs that preserveand extend existing spatial and plantingpatterns.

Fences and walls meeting the criteriaof guidelines for Fences and Garden Walls.

Board Approval Guidelines

The board must approve all projectsthat involve significant modifications topublic parks, street spaces and landscapesvisible from major streets.

Identify and retain curbing, fencing, walkways,street lighting, signs, and benches that reflect aproperty’s history and development.

Retain landscape features such as parks andgardens that have traditionally linked buildingsto their environment.

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REHABILITATION GUIDELINESAdditions to Existing Buildings

Additions, such as this access ramp at theMatheson House, should not significantly alteroriginal distinguishing qualities of buildings suchas the basic form, materials, fenestration, andstylistic elements.

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ADDITIONS TO EXISTING BUILDINGS

Additions to Existing Buildings



3. Each property shall be recognized as aphysical record of its time, place, anduse. Changes that create a false senseof historical development, such as add-ing conjectural features or architec-tural elements from other buildings,shall not be undertaken.

9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize the property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall becompatible with the massing, size, scale,and architectural features to protectthe historic integrity of the propertyand its environment.

10. New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the historic property and its envi-ronment would be unimpaired.

Additions to historic buildings are of-ten required to make projects economicallyfeasible, to satisfy fire and building coderequirements, to house mechanical sys-tems, and for other personal or practicalreasons. They are allowed under the Sec-retary of the Interior’s Standards and spe-cifically addressed in Standards 9 and 10.

Although additions are usually accept-able, they should be undertaken only afterit has been determined that the new usecannot be successfully met by alteringnon-character defining interior spaces. Ifundertaken, additions should not signifi-cantly alter original distinguishing quali-ties of buildings such as the basic form,materials, fenestration, and stylistic ele-ments under Standard 2. Additions thatimitate the style of the existing building orother historical styles should be avoidedunder Standard 3.

Under Standard 9, additions should beclearly distinguished from original portionsof the building and should result in mini-mal damage to its integrity. Character-de-fining features of a historic building shouldnot be radically changed, obscured, dam-aged, or destroyed in the process of add-ing new construction. The size and scaleof the new addition should be in propor-tion to the historic portion of a buildingand clearly subordinate to it. Additionsshould be attached to the rear or least con-

spicuous side of a building. Under Stan-dard 10, they should be constructed so thatif removed in the future, the essential formand integrity of a building will be unim-paired.

In order to comply with the Americanswith Disabilities Act (ADA) handicap ac-cess was required. The addition of a handi-cap access ramp as required by ADA mustcomply with Standards 9 and 10. The rampmust be clearly distinguished from the his-toric portion of the building by its form andconstruction. Access ramps are clearly nothistoric features. At the same time the de-sign should be well integrated with thebuilding through the use of appropriate ma-terials and matching paint colors. The ramplocation should be considered a design is-sue. No significant historic features shouldbe impacted. The size and scale of the rampshall be appropriate to the building andclearly subordinate to it. Under Standard10, ramps could be removed in the futurewithout altering the form of the building orany significant features. See Design Guide-lines for more information on handicap ac-cess.

Before considering an addition to a his-toric building, attempt to accommodate theneeded function within the existing struc-ture. Enclosing a historic porch, however,is discouraged.

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New additions should be designed tominimize the impact on the visual characterand materials of the historic structure. Theapplicant should take care to preserve asmuch of the original building wall as pos-sible by utilizing existing openings for pas-sageways rather than increasing their size.

New additions should be compatible interms of mass, materials, vertical or hori-zontal projection, relationship of solids andvoids, symmetry or asymmetry and size andscale with the principal structure. However,the character of the historic resourceshould be identifiable after the addition isconstructed. Additions should be con-structed in a manner that clearly distin-guishes the footprint and plan for the his-toric building.

Recommended

1. Place functions and services requiredfor a new use in non-character defininginterior spaces rather than installing anew addition.

2. Protect architectural details and featuresthat contribute to the character of thebuilding during the course of construct-ing the addition.

3. Construct a new addition so that thereis the least possible loss of historic ma-terials and so that character-definingfeatures are not obscured, damaged, ordestroyed.

4. Locate an attached exterior addition atthe rear or on inconspicuous side of a his-toric building; and limit its size and scalein relationship to the historic building.

5. Design new additions in a manner thatclearly distinguishes historic and non-historic features.

6. Design additional stories, when requiredfor a new use, that are set back from thewall plane and are as inconspicuous aspossible when viewed from the street.

Not Recommended

1. Expanding the size of a historic buildingby constructing a new addition whenthe new use could be met by alteringnon-character-defining interior spaces.

2. Attaching a new addition so that thecharacter-defining features of the his-toric building are obscured, damaged,or destroyed.

3. Designing a new addition so that its sizeand scale are out of proportion to thehistoric building, thus, diminishing itshistoric character.

4. Duplicating the exact form, material,style, and detailing of the historic build-ing in the new addition so that the newwork appears to be part of the historicbuilding.

5. Imitating a historic style or period of ar-chitecture in new additions, especiallythose used for contemporary uses.

6. Designing and constructing new addi-tions that result in the diminution or lossof the historic character of the resource,including its design, materials, work-manship, location, or setting.

7. Using the same wall plane, roof line, cor-nice height, materials, siding lap or win-dow type to make additions appear tobe part of a historic building.

8. Adding height to a building thatchanges its scale and character. Changesin height should not be visible whenviewing the principal facades.

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3-story addition on 2-story historic structure in University Heights South District


Additions that meet all of the followingconditions can be approved by staff:

Addition to historic building is sitedin the rear yard and does not front on twoor more streets;

Do not exceed 1-story in height and300 sq. ft. area;

Utilizes materials and textures consis-tent with the principal building;

Window openings are of the same pro-portion as the nearest windows on the prin-cipal building;

Existing window and door openingsthat will be enveloped by the addition areretained and not modified.


Plans that propose adding floors tobuildings are inappropriate and are unlikelyto be approved.

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Roof and Roof Surface

Eave detail of exposed rafters and gable vent ofsmall wood frame Craftsman/Bungalow stylehouse.

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ROOF AND ROOF SURFACE




4. Most properties change over time; thosechanges that have acquired historicsignificance in their own right shall beretained and preserved.


6. Deteriorated historic features shall berepaired rather than replaced. Wherethe severity of deterioration requiresreplacement of a distinctive feature, thenew feature shall match the old in de-sign, color, texture and other visualqualities and, where possible, materi-als. Replacement of missing featuresshall be substantiated by documentary,physical or pictorial evidence.


The roof shape of the building, struc-ture or object shall be visually compatiblewith the buildings to which it is visuallyrelated. It is important to identify, retain andpreserve roofs and their functional anddecorative features that are important indefining the overall historic character ofthe building. This includes the roof’s shapeas hipped, gambrel or mansard; decorativefeatures such as cupolas, cresting andchimneys; and roofing materials such asslate, clay and tile.

Roofs are highly visibly componentsof historic buildings in Gainesville’s His-toric Districts. They are an integral part ofa building’s overall design and often helpdefine its architectural style. Examples in-clude mansard and belvederes which areprimary features of the Second Empire andthe Airplane Bungalow styles, respectively.Materials such as clay tile and ornamentalmetals which cover roofs in Gainesville arealso significant and should be preservedin the course of rehabilitating a building.

Roof forms comprise an important partof streetscapes in the historic district andcreate a unified rhythm with neighboringbuildings. The most numerous residentialroof types are gable, hip, or a combination.Other common examples are pyramidal,gambrel, and clipped gable (jerkinhead). Flatroofs with parapets predominate in com-mercial buildings in the Pleasant Street Dis-trict.

In planning roof repairs, it is importantto identify significant features and materi-als and treat them with sensitivity underStandards 2 and 5. Under Standard 6, sig-nificant features and materials should berepaired rather than replaced. If replacementof a deteriorated feature is necessary, thenew materials should closely match theoriginal.

Roofs perform an essential function inkeeping a building weathertight. As a re-sult, they are particularly subject to change.In the local district the most common origi-nal roofing materials were embossed orcrimped sheet metal and sawn woodshingles. Virtually all original wood shinglecoverings have been removed and oftenreplaced with ornamental sheet metal. Suchhistoric changes to roofs have gained asignificance in their own right and shouldbe respected under Standard 4.

Where existing roofing material is non-original and nonsignificant, there is greaterflexibility. The existing roof may be retained,

or replaced in a manner known to be accu-rate based on documentation or physicalevidence, or treated in a contemporary stylein compliance with Standards 6 and 9. Inreviewing replacement of non-historic roofsurfacing, it is important to keep in mind,Standard 9. Even if the existing surfacing isinappropriate, the replacement material mustbe compatible with the overall design ofthe building.

Rooftop additions are another commonchange to historic buildings. They are gen-erally not suitable for smaller buildings ofthree stories or less or for buildings withvery distinctive roof lines. They can, how-ever, meet Standard 9 if certain conditionsare met. The addition should be designedto be distinguished from the historic por-tion of the building; be set back from thewall plane; and be placed so it is incon-spicuous when viewed from the street.

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Retain roof shape, materials and features.


Recommended

1. Alterations to the configuration orshape of a historic roof should be con-fined to portions of the building not vis-ible from the right-of-way.

2. Repointing of chimney mortar jointsshall match the existing composition,joint size, and profile.

3. Retain and preserve the roof’s shape,historic roofing materials and features.

4. Preserve the original roof form in thecourse of rehabilitation.

5. Provide adequate roof drainage and in-sure that the roofing material provides aweathertight covering for the structure.

6. Replace deteriorated roof surfacing withmatching materials or new materials,such as composition shingles or tabbedasphalt shingles, in dark shades thatmatch the original in composition, size,shape, color, and texture.

7. Retain or replace where necessary dor-mer windows, cupolas, cornices, brack-ets, chimneys, cresting, weather vanes,and other distinctive architectural orstylistic features that give a roof its es-sential character.

8. Design rooftop additions, when requiredfor a new use, that are set back from awall plane and are as inconspicuous aspossible when viewed from the street.

Not Recommended

1. Removal of existing chimneys is discour-aged. Removal of historic or architec-tural roofing features should beavoided, if possible. If removal is un-avoidable, replacement material shouldmatch the existing fabric in composition,design, color, texture and other visualqualities.

2. Mortar with high portland cement con-tent shall not be used.

3. Masonry surfaces shall not be sand-blasted.

4. Avoid applying paint or other coatingsto roofing materials which historicallyhave not been painted.

New synthetic roof tile representing historicmaterial.

Clay tile roof tile in Northeast District.

French roof tile in Southeast District.

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Retain distinctive architectural or stylistic featuresthat give a roof its essential character.


Additions and alterations to the roofthat meet all of the following conditionscan be approved by staff:

Vents and pipes for water heaters, dry-ers, stoves, etc., are appropriate;

Skylights which are located on por-tions of the roof not visible from the right-of-way and have flat surfaces and do notdestroy or damage historic roofing fea-tures, shapes or materials;

Solar collectors, antennae and satel-lite dishes which are placed on portionsof the roof not visible from the right-of-way and do not destroy or damage his-toric roofing features, shapes or materi-als;

Replacing non-historic roofing mate-rial with a material of similar composi-tion and design provided that the entirestructure will be covered;

Replacing historic roofing materialwith a material of similar composition anddesign provided that the entire structurewill be covered;

Chimneys that are designed in a man-ner appropriate to the period of the house,placed on the side elevation, located onthe exterior of the building and do notdestroy or damage historic roofing fea-tures, shapes or materials; and

Alterations to non-historic portions ofcontributing buildings provided they arecompatible in scale, design and materialsbut distinguishable from the historic por-tions.


Rooftop additions are not discouragedif they do not destroy significant historicor architectural fabric and if their design iscompatible in size, scale, color, materialsand character of the property and theneighborhood.

Rooftop additions should be incon-spicuous when viewed from the street andbe clearly distinguished from what is his-toric.

Dormers should be added to portionsof the building not visible from the right-of-way. When a dormer must be con-structed, the new dormer should generallymatch the appearance of existing dormersor, if none are present, draw inspiration fromthe architectural details on the buildingsuch as roof pitch, molding or window style.Contemporary dormers would generally de-tract from the overall historic character ofthe building.

Roof decks and balconies should onlybe added to portions of the building notvisible from the right-of-way and con-structed in a subordinate manner to the his-toric building.

Roof decks and balconies should becomposed of materials that are sympatheticwith the historic building.

Roof windows and skylights should beplaced on portions of the building not vis-ible from the right-of-way. Flat skylightswhich project minimally from the roof, arethe recommended treatment.

The design of roofing features, shapesor materials which seek to replicate or du-plicate a missing historic feature must bedocumented through historical, physical orphotographic sources.

Mansard roof form of Matheson House inSoutheast District.

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Foundations

Foundation repairs, the historic materials shouldbe retained, repaired as needed, or replaced withsimilar materials.

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Foundations

FOUNDATIONS






It is necessary to provide the appropri-ate foundation system as required by code.However, the design of this element is ex-tremely important in defining the characterof the building or structure. The founda-tion enclosure should work with the over-all style and design of the proposed struc-ture or building.

Most historic buildings in Gainesvillerest on raised masonry foundations, eithercontinuous or piers. Although brick is themost common material, there are also nu-merous examples of other foundation types,including beveled and rock-faced concreteblock, and coquina. Some buildings, par-ticularly Bungalows, feature foundationelements as an important part of the overalldesign of the facade. Historically, lattice,pierced brick, and continuous brick or othermasonry generally constituted infill be-tween foundation piers. These infill materi-als protected the underside of a building,allowed ventilation, and, in some instances,provided additional decoration.

In undertaking foundation repairs, thehistoric materials should be retained, re-paired as needed, or replaced with similarmaterials under Standards 2 and 6. Non-historic materials such as unpainted con-crete block, plywood, and stucco shouldnot be used to fill raised foundations. En-closures should be limited to historicallyappropriate materials under Standard 3 or acompatible new design under Standard 9.

Pierced brick and lattice are examplesof compatible contemporary infill. Piercedcontinuous brick infill, a pattern of brickslaid with air space between the end sur-faces, can easily be added to a foundation,providing ventilation, continuous supportto the sill plates, and a historic appearance.Lattice infill can be purchased in prefabri-cated panels and installed between ma-sonry piers. Square crisscross lattice infillis also an appropriate infill material.

Pier FoundationsPier foundations are common in all dis-

tricts and should be retained as significantelements of the building. Enclosing thefoundation with a continuous opaque wallis not recommended since it changes thecharacter of the pier profile.

Accessing crawl space for repairs ormaintenance is required in most cases. Theaccess panels also become inherent fea-tures in the character of the building espe-cially if they are not hidden by landscapematerials or shrubbery.

Original piers and foundations shouldbe left in place and exposed. Continuousbrick foundations should be left intact.

Spaces between piers can be infilledwith appropriate materials.

Slab FoundationsAlthough contemporary construction

often uses slab on grade foundations thistype of system is very rare in the five his-toric districts and is confined to non-con-tributing structures. Raising a buildingabove ground has traditionally served botha practical and symbolic role. In neighbor-hoods where this pattern is pervasive, slabon grade buildings look out of place. Forthis reason, this foundation system is notrecommended for residential construction.

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Lattice infill at pier foundation in UniversityHeights North Historic District.

Lattice infill at pier foundation with pier expressed.

Foundations

Recommended

1. Retain, repair as needed or replace historicfoundations with matching materials.

2. Maintain open spaces between piers.

3. Retain, repair as needed or replace his-toric foundation enclosures with match-ing materials.

4. If foundation enclosures are missing,enclose with an appropriate materialsuch as lattice or pierced brick.

Not Recommended

1. Removing historic foundation enclo-sures unless they are deteriorated andirreparable.

2. Enclosing a pier foundation with con-tinuous infill that prevents ventilationand destroys the openness of the fea-ture.

3. Using a replacement infill material whichis inappropriate to the style of the build-ing.

4. Using historically inappropriate mate-rial such as concrete block, stucco, orplywood as infill.

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Foundations

Pierced brick is an example of compatiblecontemporary infill.

Removing historic foundation should be avoidedwhen possible.

Enclosing a pier foundation with continuous infillis not recommended.

Wood lattice infill with brick pier.


Buildings proposed with slab on gradeconstruction cannot be approved by staff.


Slab on grade construction is inconsis-tent with Historic Districts. Floors shouldbe elevated to at least 1.5 ft. above grade.Buildings of exceptional merit with this typeof foundation system may be approved on acase-by-case basis provided all other de-sign criteria are satisfied.

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Windows, Shutters and Awnings

Wood frame windows with distinctive wood brackets and trim in Craftsman/Bungalow style.

Wood frame windows with distinctive wood bracketsand trim in Southeast District.

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WINDOWS, SHUTTERS AND AWNINGS




3. Each property shall be recognized as aphysical record of its time, place anduse. Do not undertake changes that cre-ate a false sense of historical develop-ment, such as adding conjectural fea-tures or architectural elements fromother buildings.



WindowsIdentify, retain, and preserve windows

and their functional features that contrib-ute to defining the building. Such featuresinclude frames, sash muntins, glazing, sillsand moldings.

The placement, design, and materialsof windows is often a significant part ofthe architectural character of a building.Common historic windows in theGainesville’s Historic Districts are double-hung sash in a 1/1, 2/2, 6/6 or multi-light/1pattern, wooden or steel casement types,and commercial show windows. Windowsoften offer or contain significant stylisticelements. Examples include lancet windowswith stained glass in Gothic Revivalchurches; multi-light upper sash in Bunga-lows; and round arch windows in build-ings associated with Mediterranean influ-enced styles. Non-historic windows in-clude awning, jalousie, and pivot types.

Under Standard 2, the visual role ofhistoric window design and its detailing orcraftsmanship should be carefully consid-

ered in planning window repair or replace-ment. Factors to consider include the sizeand number of historic windows in rela-tionship to a wall surface and their patternof repetition; their overall design and de-tailing; their proximity to ground level andkey entrances; and their visibility, particu-larly on key elevations.

Whether to repair or replace windowsis an issue that can pose considerable prob-lems in a rehabilitation. Distinctive windowsthat are a significant part of the overall de-sign of a building should not be destroyedunder Standard 6. Careful repair is the pre-ferred approach. If repair is not technicallyor economically feasible, new windows thatmatch the original in size, general muntin/mullion configuration, and reflective quali-ties may be substituted for missing or ir-reparable windows.

Window design to enhance appearanceis not permissible under the standards. Theproper procedure is to improve existing win-dows first. Weather stripping and otherenergy conservation methods should beemployed. If after careful evaluation, win-dow frames and sashes are so deterioratedthey need replacement, they should be du-plicated in accordance with Standard 6.

The following steps are recommendedfor evaluating historic windows. First, ana-lyze their significance to the building. Con-sider their size, shape, color, and detailing.Then consider the condition of the win-dow. Inspect the sill, frame, sash, paint and

Window with distinctive colored glass panes inSoutheast District.

Sidelights that frame the door of the MathesonHouse in Southeast District.

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Window with distinctive muntins assoiated withCraftsman/Bungalow style in University HeightsNorth District.

Period Revival Tudor style window in UniversityHeights North District.

wood surface, hardware, weather-stripping,stops, trim, operability, and glazing. Then,establish repair and replacement needs forexisting windows.

If, following careful evaluation, windowframes are deteriorated, then they can bereplaced. Replacement windows must beselected with care. They should match theoriginal sash, pane size, configuration, glaz-ing, muntin detailing, and profile. Small dif-ferences between replacement and historicwindows can make big differences in ap-pearance.

If 50 percent or more are deteriorated ormissing, then wholesale replacement ofwindows is allowable. When choosing re-placements, the qualities of the original win-dows should be used as criteria. Considerthe following features of the original:

1. trim detail;

2. size, shape of frame, sash;

3. location of meeting rail;

4. reveal or setback of window from wallplane;

5. separate planes of two sash;

6. color, reflective qualities of glass;

7. muntin, mullion profiles, configuration.

If these criteria are fulfilled, the new win-dows need not be exact replicas of the origi-nals. The Standards further permit new win-dows to be constructed of non-historicmaterials such as aluminum and to have atint of up to 10 percent. Of course, match-ing the original materials and visual quali-ties is always preferable. In general,changes to window openings should beavoided.

Owners often wish to replace windowsto create a new look, for energy efficiency,to decrease maintenance costs or becauseof problems operating existing units. Highlytinted windows, windows with reflectivequalities, or stock windows of incompat-ible design and materials often result fromsuch an approach and conflict with Stan-dards 3, 6, and 9.

The rhythm of window and door open-ings is an important part of the character ofbuildings. In some instances, new windowor door openings may be required to fulfillcode requirements or for practical needs.New openings should be located on non-significant walls. For commercial buildingsthese would be common or party walls orsecondary elevations. For residential build-ings, these would be side or rear walls notreadily visible from a main thoroughfare.

AlterationsThe alteration of historic windows may

be approved by staff if the replacementsash is of the same material, design, fea-tures size and configuration of that of theoriginal window. When replacing historicwindows, special care should be taken tomatch the trim detail, the width of the framesand sash, the location of the meeting rail,the setback of the window from the wallplane, the separate planes of the twosashes, and the reflective qualities of theglass. “Snap-in” grids are not allowed.

Repairing window frames and sashesby patching, splicing, consolidating, or oth-erwise reinforcing the window is encour-aged.

The design of replacement windowswhich seek to replicate or duplicate a miss-ing historic window must be documentedthrough historical, physical or photo-graphic sources.

Enclosing historic window openings isdiscouraged. If a window is no longerneeded for its intended use, the glassshould be retained and the back sidefrosted, screened, painted black, or shut-tered so that it gives a functional appear-ance.

Window openings on facades orhighly-visible elevations shall not be relo-cated, enlarged or reduced.

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Awnings in Universtiy Heights North District.

Awning on “Chert House” in University HeightsSouth District.


Altering historic windows by use of aw-ning, glass jalousie, picture or any othermodern window material is not permissiblein any wall of an historic structure that isvisible from a right-of-way.

Replacement windows for irreparablehistoric windows should be made of thesame materials. Compatible substitute mate-rials may be considered only on a case-by-case basis depending on building use andgenerally when the replacement window ison a less-visible secondary elevation.

Window AdditionsNew window openings are inappropri-

ate on the principal facade(s); new open-ings should be placed on secondary eleva-tions.

The addition of modern windows, metalsash, sliding glass windows or any type ofwindow which is inappropriate to the pe-riod shall be confined to “less visible sec-ondary elevations.”

Shutters Shutters which are appropriate to the

period and design of the building can beintroduced to facilitate energy efficiency.

Under Standard 3, unless there is physi-cal or documentary evidence of their exist-ence, shutters should not be mounted. Ifshutters are found to be appropriate, theyshould be operable or appear to be oper-able and measure the full height and one-

half the width of the window frame. Theyshould be attached to the window casingrather than the exterior finish material.Wooden shutters with horizontal louversare the preferred type although exact typesvary with style. Avoid metal and vinyl typesexcept in new construction.

AwningsAwnings shall be considered on a case-

by-case basis depending on the proposal’simpact on the historic character and mate-rials of the building.

Canvas awnings were sometimes fea-tured on buildings, particularly Mediterra-nean styled buildings, Bungalows, andcommercial buildings. They are functional,decorative, and appropriate to the manyhistoric buildings. Standard 3 should beconsidered when awnings are proposed aspart of a rehabilitation plan.

Under Standard 9, new awnings shouldbe of compatible contemporary design.They should follow the lines of the win-dow opening. Round or bell shaped are ap-propriate for Mediterranean styled build-ings. Angled, rectangular canvas awningsare most appropriate for flat headed win-dows and storefronts. Fiberglass and metalawnings and awnings that obscure signifi-cant detailing are inappropriate.

Canvas awning on Mediteranean style residencein Northeast District.

Windows of residence in Northeast District.

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Multiple windows typical of Craftsman/Bungalowstyle fenestration.


Recommended

1. Retain and repair window openings,frames, sash, glass, lintels, sills, pedi-ments, architraves, hardware, awningsand shutters where they contribute tothe architectural and historic characterof the building.

2. Improve the thermal performance of ex-isting windows and doors through add-ing or replacing weather-stripping andadding storm windows which are com-patible with the character of the build-ing and which do not damage windowframes.

3. Replace missing or irreparable windowson significant elevations with new win-dows that match the original in material,size, general muntin and mullion propor-tion and configuration, and reflectivequalities of the glass.

4. Install awnings that are historically ap-propriate to the style of the building orthat are of compatible contemporary de-sign. Awnings should follow the linesof window or door opening they are in-tended to cover.

Not Recommended

1. Introducing or changing the location orsize of windows, and other openingsthat alter the architectural and historiccharacter of a building.

2. Replacing window features on signifi-cant facades with historically and archi-tecturally incompatible materials suchas anodized aluminum, mirrored or tintedglass.

3. Removing window features that can berepaired where such features contrib-ute to the historic and architectural char-acter of a building.

4. Changing the size or arrangement of win-dow panes, muntins, and rails wherethey contribute to the architectural andhistoric character of a building.

5. Installing on significant facades shut-ters, screens, blinds, security grills, andawnings which are historically inappro-priate and detract from the building’scharacter.

6. Replacing windows that contribute tothe character of a building with thosethat are incompatible in size, configura-tion, and reflective qualities or whichalter the setback relationship betweenwindow and wall.

7. Installing heating/air conditioning unitsin window frames when the sash andframes may be damaged. Window instal-lations should be considered only whenall other visible heating/cooling systemswould result in significant damage tohistoric materials. If installation provesnecessary, window units should beplaced on secondary elevations notreadily visible from public thorough-fares.

8. Installing metal or fiberglass awnings.

9. Installing awnings that obscure archi-tecturally significant detailing or fea-tures.

10.Replacing architecturally significant de-tailing, such as commercial canopies,with awnings.

Louvered wood awning in Northeast District.

Awning on residence in Southeast District.

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Staff can approve repair of existing his-toric windows.

Additions of the new windows thatmeet the italicized conditions can be ap-proved by staff:

New window openings can be intro-duced on “less-visible secondary eleva-tions” provided that they are of the samesize or proportions as the nearest windowand utilize the same material as the his-toric windows. “Less visible secondary el-evation” is defined as the portion of thebuilding which is more than halfway be-hind the front and not fronting on street;

Alterations to non-historic portions ofcontributing buildings provided they arecompatible in scale, design and materialswith but distinguishable for the historicproportions.


New windows on additions should becompatible with those of the nearest win-dow on the historic building in terms ofproportions, frames, sills and lintels. Install-ing window designs reflective of a historicperiod is discouraged. Designs that matchthe proportions of existing historic win-dows, but are simple in detailing, are pre-ferred.

Window shutters proportioned to size of window.


Window shutters on residence in Northeast District.

Awning on residence in Southeast District.

106


.

Entries, Porches and Balconies

Period Revival Tudor style entry in University Heights North District.

Decorative entry on residence in Pleasant StreetDistrict.

Decorative detailing of the entry on a Queen Annestyle residence in Northeast District.

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ENTRIES, PORCHES AND BALCONIES


Distinctive detail of porch colomns and brackets onCraftsman/Bungalow style house in UniverstiyHeights North District.






9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize the property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall be

compatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protectthe historic integrity of the propertyand its environment.

10.New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that, if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the historic property and its environ-ment would be unimpaired.

Entries, Porches and BalconiesIdentify, retain and preserve entrances

and their functional and decorative featuressuch as doors, fanlights, sidelights, pilas-ters, entablatures, balustrade and stairs.

AlterationsEncasing a decorative balustrade, re-

moving or simplifying brackets and fret-work, or boxing in open eaves are gener-ally inappropriate alterations to a historicporch and should not be considered.

Aluminum storm doors, sliding doorsand screen doors are not appropriate for fa-cades or highly-visible secondary eleva-tions. French doors are appropriate for sideand rear entrances but are not acceptable asfront entryways unless documented byphysical, photographic or historic evidence.

Relocating, enlarging or reducing his-toric doorways on facades or highly-vis-ible secondary elevations is inappropriate.

The addition of non-historic architec-tural features such as sidelights andentryway surrounds is discouraged if notoriginal to the entrance.

PorchesPorches have been a traditional and sig-

nificant feature of architecture. Porchesserved as a covered entrance to buildingsand a transitional space between the inte-rior and exterior. They provided a protected,shaded area used for relief from the state’shot and humid weather. They were oftenthe principal location for ornamentation anddetailing, such as brackets and other jig-sawn woodwork, posts, columns, and bal-ustrades. Size, style, ornateness or simplic-ity, sense of openness, and detailing wereall important attributes of porches. Suchfeatures should be preserved during thecourse of rehabilitating a building underStandard 2.

There are a number of common prob-lems associated with porch treatments.Owners are often tempted to encloseporches for additional year-round livingspace. Although porch enclosures are gen-erally not recommended, they can meetStandards 5, 9, and 10 under limited cir-cumstances. Transparent materials, suchas clear glass enclosures or screens, whichare set behind balustrade and structuralsystems and maintain the visual opennessof a porch are permitted. Removal or en-

Detail of porch columns on the Craftsman styleMedlin House in Southeast District.

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Simple porch detail of Frame Vernacular styleresidence in Pleasant Street District.


Monterey style with balcony in University HeightsSouth District.

casement of significant porch features orenclosures with non-transparent materialsare not acceptable treatments. Permittedenclosures should be attached in such away that if removed, the form and integrityof the porch would remain.

Because they are open to the elements,porches also require frequent maintenanceand repair. Under Standard 6, deterioratedporch features should be repaired ratherthan replaced. When replacement provesnecessary, replacement features and mate-rials should approximate the originals asclosely as possible. If wholesale replace-ment is required, the new porch should berebuilt based on historical research andphysical evidence. If a porch or individualfeatures of it are missing and no documen-tation or physical evidence is available, anew porch design which is compatible withthe scale, design, and materials of the re-mainder of the building is appropriate un-der Standard 9.

Extant porches which have previouslybeen enclosed or otherwise altered are per-mitted to remain under the guidelines.There is no requirement to restore an al-tered or missing feature. However, if en-closures or other inappropriate alterationsare removed during the course of rehabili-tation, they can not be replaced. Moreover,new construction must comply with Stan-dard 9.

Recommended

1. Retain porches and steps that are ap-propriate to a building and its subse-quent development. Porches and addi-tions reflecting later architectural stylesare often important to the building’s his-torical development and should, wher-ever possible, be retained.

2. Repair and replace, where necessary,deteriorated architectural features ofwood, terra cotta, tile, brick and otherhistoric materials.

3. If enclosures are undertaken, maintainthe openness of porches through theuse of transparent materials such asglass or screens. Place enclosures be-hind significant detailing so that thedetailing is not obscured.

4. If additional interior space is needed ordesired, place the addition at the rear ofthe building rather than enclosing aporch.

Not Recommended

1. Removing or altering porches and stepsthat are appropriate to the building’s de-velopment and style.

2. Stripping porches and steps of originalmaterial and architectural materials suchas hand rails, balusters, columns, brack-ets, and roof decorations.

3. Enclosing porches in a manner that de-stroys their historical appearance.

Simple porch detail of frame vernacular styleresidence in Pleasant Street District.

Entry porch with built in benches in NortheastDistrict.

Articulated railing in Southeast District.

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Coordinate porch building design with building.


Enclosing a porch or porte cochere radicallychanges the appearance of the principal building.

Entry on Tudor style residence in UniversityHeights North District


Additions and alterations to entries,porches and balconies under the italicizedconditions may be approved by staff:

Stairways to existing openings whichare composed of materials compatiblewith the style of the building. Concrete isacceptable if historically documented;

New door openings can be introducedon “less-visible secondary elevations”provided that they are of the same size orproportions as the nearest door and uti-lize the same material as the historic doors.“Less-visible secondary elevation” is de-fined as that portion of the building whichis more than halfway behind the front andnot fronting on street.

Replacement doors which are appro-priate to the style of the building;

Screening porches on less-visible sec-ondary elevations;

Alterations to non-historic portions ofcontributing buildings that are compat-ible in scale, design and materials anddistinguishable from the historic portions.


In constructing a new entrance or porch,the design shall be compatible in size, scale,and material with the historic character ofthe building.

New porches or entryways should beconstructed to the rear of historic struc-tures. Unless their historic existence isdocumented, new porches for the main fa-cades are discouraged.

Porch designs for new constructionshould be simple and not replicate the pe-riod and style of the building in its detailsand balustrade.

Original door openings and featuressuch as transoms, sidelights, and doorsshould be retained. New door openingsshould not be introduced on elevations vis-ible from the street.

Where the intent is to preserve signifi-cant interiors and not enclose internal stair-ways, the required exterior should be rede-signed as an exterior addition on a second-ary elevation.

Coordinate porch building design with principalbuilding.

Porch plays important role as a spatial linkbetween the principal building and thesurrounding landscape and context.

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Doors and Entrances

Craftsman/Bungalow style entry in University Heights North District.

Historic door on office in Northeast District.

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Doors and Entrances

DOORS AND ENTRANCES



3. Each property shall be recognized as aphysical record of its time, place anduse. Changes that create a false senseof historical development, such as add-ing conjectural features or architec-tural elements from other buildings,shall not be undertaken.



Principal doors and entrances are anintegral part of historic buildings. Theyfrequently contain decorative or stylisticfeatures, such as transom and sidelights ordetailed surrounds. Under Standard 2,doors and entrances and associated de-tailing should be preserved. Changes todoor size and configuration should beavoided. If a historic entrance can not beincorporated into a contemporary use forthe building, the opening and any signifi-cant detailing should, nevertheless, be re-tained.

Replacement doors should either matchthe design of the original under Standard6, or substitute new materials and designssympathetic to the original under Standard9. Under Standard 3, historic doors that donot match the composition and stylisticdetails of the building should not be sub-stituted. Contemporary stock doors andscreen doors are inappropriate replace-ments. Replacement screen doors shouldbe simple and any ornamentation shouldbe based on historic precedent and in keep-ing with the character of the entry. Alumi-num, metal, and jalousie doors should beavoided except where documented histori-cally.

Codes or practicality may require newentrances. Placement on principal facadesshould be avoided under Standard 2. Un-der Standard 9, new doors should not bereadily visible from the public right-of-way.

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Doors and Entrances

Recommended

1. Retain and repair historic door openings,doors, screen doors, trim and detailssuch as transom, sidelights, pediments,frontispieces, hoods and hardwarewhere they contribute to the architec-tural character of the building.

2. Replace missing or deteriorated doorswith doors that match the original, orthat are of compatible contemporarydesign.

3. Place new entrances on secondary el-evations away from the main elevation.Preserve non-functional entrances thatare architecturally significant.

4. Add simple or compatibly designedwooden screen doors where appropriate.

Not Recommended

1. Introducing or changing the location ofdoors and entrances that alter the archi-tectural character of the building.

2. Removing significant door features thatcan be repaired.

3. Replacing deteriorated or missing doorswith stock doors or doors that are inap-propriate designs or constructed of in-appropriate materials.

4. Replacing historic doors, transoms orsidelights with blocking.

5. Adding aluminum or other inappropri-ate screen doors.

Side lights and transom on door of Pound Housein Southeast District.

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Staff can approve any rehabilitation ofentrances and doors that meet the follow-ing conditions:

New entrances that do not occur onfacades facing principal streets and whosedesign and materials are compatible withthat of the existing building.


The board may consider new designsthat utilize different materials for entryprojects provided the new entry does notdestroy contributing architectural featuresof the main entrance.

Historic door with tile border in Northeast District.

Historic entry on residence in Northeast District.

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Exterior Fabric

The exterior fabric of this house in the University Heights North District has both wood shingles and horizontalwood siding.

The exterior fabric of the Matheson House exhibitscypress shingles at gable ends and horizontal woodlap siding on first level.

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3. Each property shall be recognized as aphysical record of its time, place anduse. Changes that create a false senseof historical development, such as add-ing conjectural features or architecturalelements from other buildings, shall notbe undertaken.

7. Chemical or physical treatments, suchas sandblasting, that cause damage tohistoric materials shall not be used. Thesurface cleaning of structures, if appro-priate, shall be undertaken using thegentlest means possible.

9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize the property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall becompatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protect thehistoric integrity of the property and itsenvironment.

Horizontal wood siding is the predomi-nant exterior finish of residential buildingsin Gainesville’s Historic Districts. Woodsiding is a character defining feature offrame vernacular buildings and many of thelate nineteenth and early twentieth centurystyles found in the state such as the QueenAnne, Colonial Revival, and CraftsmanBungalow. Important characteristics ofwood siding which should be consideredin its repair or replacement are board size,width of exposure, length, and trim detail.

Probably the greatest threat to woodsiding is the application of non-historic sur-face coverings such as aluminum and vi-nyl siding, stucco, and permastone. Appli-cation of these materials violates Standards2 and 3. Standard 2 states that the removalor alteration of any historic material or dis-tinctive architectural feature should beavoided when possible. Application ofnon-historic exterior finishes results in ei-ther the removal or covering of historicalmaterials and details. Decorative trimaround doors, windows, and under rooflines is frequently removed. Detailing ofthe wood itself, such as beveling or bead-ing, is lost. Board width, length, and expo-sure are generally changed, thus, alteringthe scale and appearance of the building.

Standard 3 states that historic build-ings shall be recognized as products of theirtime and that alterations that have no his-torical basis shall be discouraged. Alumi-num, vinyl, and permastone are clearly

Exterior Fabric

non-historic materials and violate this stan-dard. Artificial siding also frequently dam-ages the fabric underneath. It can trap mois-ture and encourage decay and insect infes-tation. Furthermore, despite manufacturer’sclaims, artificial siding requires mainte-nance. All materials have a limited life spanand vinyl and aluminum are no exceptions.Within twenty years the finish of thesematerials will begin to deteriorate andweather, requiring painting, repair, or re-placement.

In cases where artificial siding is al-ready in place, its removal is not neces-sary under the guidelines. An owner mayretain the material or remove it. If, how-ever, the material is removed, it must bereplaced with historically appropriate ma-terials in accordance with Standard 9.

Abrasive cleaning or paint removal areother threats to historic wooden siding andviolate Standard 7. The proper method forpaint removal is cleaning, light scraping,and sanding down to the next sound layer.If more intensive paint removal is required,the gentlest means possible should be used.Appropriate methods include a heat platefor flat surfaces such as siding, window sillsand doors; an electric heat gun for soliddecorative elements; or chemical dip strip-ping for detachable wooden elements suchas shutters, balusters, columns, and doorswhen other methods are too laborious.

Harsh abrasive methods such as rotarysanding discs, rotary wire strippers, and

EXTERIOR FABRIC

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sandblasting should never be used to re-move paint from exterior wood. Suchmethods leave visible circular depressionsin the wood; shred the wood; or erode thesoft, porous fibers of the wood, leaving apermanently pitted surface. Harsh thermalmethods such as hand-held propane orbutane torches should never be used be-cause they can scorch or ignite wood.

WoodWood: Weatherboard, novelty, drop,

shingles and other wooden siding.Identify, retain and preserve historic

siding and its material, functional and deco-rative aspects such as masonry, rubble,clapboard, shiplap and novelty.

MasonryRepair damaged masonry features by

patching, piecing in, or consolidating tomatch original instead of replacing an en-tire masonry feature. Repair work shouldbe done by hand in compliance with Na-tional Park Service Standards.

If cleaning is necessary, test the cleaneron a small, inconspicuous part of the build-ing. Observe the test patch over a sufficientperiod of time in order to determine thegentlest cleaning method.

Compatibility of Materialsand Textures

The relationship of material and textureof the facade of a building, structure or ob-ject shall be visually compatible with thepredominant materials used in the build-ings to which it is visually related. For in-stance, if wood siding is proposed for newconstruction, the dimensions of the sidingshould relate to the surrounding buildings.Stucco on concrete masonry unit construc-tion may be appropriate if other architec-tural details such as window and door trim,door surrounds, and molded cornices areadded to enhance the complexity of thedesign proposal, as is found on Mediterra-nean influence and Mission style buildings.Texture of new exterior walls should be compatible

with existing structure.

Exterior Fabric

Recommended

1. Retain wooden materials and featuressuch as siding, cornices, brackets, sof-fits, fascia, window architrave, anddoorway pediments, wherever possible.These are essential components of abuilding’s appearance and architecturalstyle.

2. Repair or replace, where necessary, de-teriorated material. New constructionshall not destroy historic materials thatcharacterize the property. The new workshall be differentiated from the old andshall be compatible with the massing,size, scale and architectural features toprotect the historic integrity of the prop-erty and its environment.

3. Artificial siding may be permitted if thematerial is shown to be compatible inquality, shape and scale with the historicbuildings.

4. The complexity of architectural articula-tion on surrounding historic buildings(i.e., bay windows, bracketing, beltcourses, window designs) should be re-flected on the new buildings.

5. Wood is preferred siding material whenreplacing asbestos siding.

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6. When repairing stucco, maintain the ex-isting texture as well as the existingdecorative elements or details aroundthe windows, doors or roof lines.

7. Use of pervious sealants is acceptable.

8. Clean unpainted masonry with the gen-tlest effective means possible. The bestmethod is low-pressure water wash(600-1000 pounds per square inch) withdetergents and natural bristle brushes.

Exterior Fabric

Not Recommended

1. The use of T111 vertical siding, diago-nal siding, vinyl and aluminum siding isdiscouraged.

2. Do not cover exposed wood, masonry,stone or other surfaces with stucco un-less historically documented.

3. Replacement wood siding should beconsistent with the original in size, di-rection, materials and lap dimension.Original wall shingles should be main-tained.

4. Synthetic and composition siding isgenerally not appropriate replacementmaterial for historic buildings. On a case-by-case basis, however, such siding maybe an acceptable alternative only if (1)the existing siding is so deteriorated ordamaged that it cannot be repaired; (2)the substitute material can be installedwithout damaging or obscuring the ar-chitectural features of the building; and(3) the substitute material can match thehistoric material in size, profile and fin-ish so that there is no change in the char-acter of the building.

5. The use of Portland cement should beavoided when repointing brick unlesstechnical reasons demand its use.

6. Avoid using cleaners that damage ma-sonry or leave chemical residue. Do notclean marble or limestone with acidcleaners. Do not use abrasive cleaningmethods such as sandblasting.

7. Do not paint unpainted masonry.

8. Avoid using high-pressure water washwhich can damage the brick.

Fieldstone at base of residence.

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Exterior Fabric

Decorative woodwork eave details at gable endof building.


Staff can approve alterations to sidingthat utilizes compatible materials, matchesexisting depth and width and type of lapand approximates textures consistent withthe historic building.

Alterations to non-historic portions ofcontributing buildings can be approved bystaff provided they are compatible in scale,design and materials.


Wood siding for new additions shouldmatch existing materials, if present, in termsof lap width, type and depth.

When matching brick and tile work withnew brick and tile work, care must be takento match the color, texture, composition andsize of the bricks or tile, the width or thejoints between the bricks and tile, the colorand tone of the mortar and the type of jointwith the original.

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Painting, Texture and Color




Paint colors are not reviewed by staffor the Historic Preservation Board. How-ever, removal of lead-based paints and coat-ings used extensively before the 1970’s re-quires special permits.

Paint colors, finishes, and decorativepainting constitute important factors in de-fining the character of a historic building.Under Standard 2, painting a building thathas never been painted, or removing paintfrom a building that has traditionally beenpainted, is never a recommended rehabili-tation treatment. Either of these treatmentscan change a building’s appearance to onethat is at odds with its historic character.Likewise, when repainting a historic build-ing that is already painted, a new colorshould generally be close to the original,as well as historically appropriate to thebuilding and the historic district. UnderStandard 5, decorative painting such as

PAINTING, TEXTURE AND COLOR

stencilling, graining, marbleizing, andtrompe l’oeil are significant treatments andshould be preserved during the course of arehabilitation.

Advisory guidelines are offered in Ap-pendix 3: Historic Materials to propertyowners who are interested in painting theirbuilding historically appropriate colors. Be-cause of frequent painting, few buildings inGainesville exhibit original colors.

The best way to verify original colorsis through paint analysis. A selection ofbooks and articles are included in the bib-liography for further assistance in choos-ing historically appropriate paint colors.

Textured stucco and masonry provide uniquematerial qualities in historic properties whichshould be preserved.

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Choose color appropriate to the period and style ofthe building.

Textured stucco finish.

Recommended

1. Preserve painted and unpainted sur-faces as they traditionally existed on abuilding.

2. Preserve and restore decorative paint-ing such as stencilling, graining, mar-bling, and trompe l’oeil.

3. Choose color appropriate to the periodand style of the building.

4. Inspect painted masonry to determinewhether repainting is necessary.

5. Remove damaged or deteriorated paintonly to the next sound layer using handscraping prior to repainting.

6. Apply compatible paint coating follow-ing proper surface preparation.

7. Follow manufacturer’s product and ap-plication instructions when repaintingmasonry.

8. Repaint with colors that are historicallyappropriate to the building and district.

9. Paint historically unpainted masonryonly if it has been previously painted oras a protective measure to prevent fur-ther deterioration caused by poor qual-ity materials or prior abrasive cleaning.

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Preserve painted, textured and patterned surfaces in original form wherever possible.

Not Recommended

1. Painting a traditionally unpainted sur-face and removing paint from a tradi-tionally painted surface.

2. Damaging, covering or removing deco-rative painting.

3. Bright, gaudy colors or colors withouthistoric basis.

4. Removing paint that is firmly adheredto and thus protecting masonry sur-faces.

5. Removing paint by destructive meanssuch as sandblasting, application ofcaustic solutions or high pressure wa-ter blasting.

6. Creating a new appearance by applyingpaint or other coatings such as stuccoto masonry that has been historicallyunpainted or uncoated.

7. Removing paint from historically paintedmasonry.

8. Radically changing the type of paint orcoatings or its color.


Staff does not review color selections.


Board does not review color selections.

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Auxiliary Structures

Coordinate auxiliary building material with principal building.

Coordinate auxiliary building material withprincipal building.

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Garages, tool sheds, and other struc-tures should be compatible with the de-sign of the major buildings on the site.Newer buildings should take their designclues from other existing (contributing) out-buildings. The use of traditional roof slopeand traditional materials are two importantcriteria.


Garage apartments along mid-block alleywaysin University Heights South District.

Applicable Standards


10.New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the historic property and its environ-ment would be unimpaired.

New Garages, Carport, Accessory andOther Structures

Attaching a new garage to a historichouse or enclosing a historic porte cochereor carport to accommodate the function isdiscouraged.

New garages should not be placed tothe front of a house. The garage should becompatible with the materials, design, andarchitectural features of the principal build-ing.

If proposed, garages should be de-tached, placed at the rear of the property,and accessible from mid-block alleywayswhen possible.

AUXILIARY STRUCTURES

Coordinate auxiliary building design withprincipal building.

Coordinate auxiliary building material withprincipal building.

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Auxilliary structures should use materials similarin size, proportion and detail to the principalstructure.


Recommended

1. Use materials similar in size, proportion,and detail to the original.

2. If additional interior space is needed ordesired, place the addition at the rear ofthe building site.

Not Recommended

1. Obscuring important features of theproperty with new auxiliary structures.

2. Designs that, through their scale, detailand materials detract from the principalbuildings or settings.

Use materials similar in size, proportion, and detailto the principal building.

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Decks that meet all of the following con-ditions can be approved by staff:

Historic building on which deck is tobe built does not front on two or morestreets;

Sited to the rear or rear sideyard ofbuilding (i.e., behind the point midwaybetween front and back of building); and

Utilize simple designs that are mostlyopen;

New garages and carports that meet allof the following conditions can be ap-proved by staff:

Structure does not front on two or morestreets;

Is not attached to the historic build-ing;

Does not exceed 1-story in height and400 sq. ft. in area;

Sited to the rear or rear sideyard ofthe building (i.e., behind the point mid-way between front and back of building);


Auxilliary structures should use materials similar in size, proportion and detail to the principal structure.

Utilize materials and textures consis-tent with the principal building;

Roof type and pitch is similar to prin-cipal building.

Sheds that meet the italicized conditionscan be approved by staff:

Is not to be attached to structure;

Does not exceed 8 feet in wall heightand 200 sq. ft. in area.

Sited behind the rear wall line of theprincipal building; and comprised of ma-terials compatible with main structure.


Auxiliary structures that exceed thestaff approval guidelines can be approvedby the board on a case-by-case basis.

In the University Heights Historic Dis-tricts, the board can approve new auxiliaryor secondary structures that exceed thesize of existing principal structures if theyare compatible in materials, design detailsand scale with the existing contributingstructure.

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Porte Cocheres and Garages

Garage apartment in University Heights North District.

Porte cocheres and detached garages are visibleexpressions of the impact of the automobile onhistoric buildings in Florida.

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6. Deteriorated historic features shall berepaired rather than replaced. Wherethe severity of deterioration requires re-placement of a distinctive feature, thenew feature shall match the old in de-sign, color, texture and other visualqualities and, where possible, materi-als. Replacement of missing featuresshall be substantiated by documentary,physical or pictorial evidence.


compatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protect thehistoric integrity of the property and itsenvironment.

10. New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the historic property and its envi-ronment would be unimpaired.

Porte cocheres and detached garagesare visible expressions of the impact of theautomobile on historic buildings in Florida.Much of Florida developed after mass pro-duction of the automobile. As a result, portecocheres and garages are often an integralpart of the original design of historic build-ings. In some instances, garages wereadded as an afterthought and lack signifi-cant design quality and materials. Wherethey are less than fifty years old or insignifi-cant, they can be selectively removed, ifnecessary.

PORTE COCHERES AND GARAGES

Porte cocheres and garages are often an integralpart of the original design of historic buildings.

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Garage in the University Heights North District.

Porte-cochere in University Heights North District.

Recommended

1. Repair and replace, where necessary,deteriorated architectural features ofwood, terra cotta, tile, brick and otherhistoric materials.

2. Retain garages and porte cocheres. If en-closures of garages and porte cocheresare undertaken, preserve significant fea-tures. Use materials similar in size, pro-portion, and detail to the original.

3. If additional interior space is needed ordesired, place the addition at the rear ofthe building rather than enclosing aporch or porte cochere.

Not Recommended

1. Removing or altering porches and stepsthat are appropriate to the building’s de-velopment and style.

2. Stripping porches and steps of originalmaterial and architectural materials suchas hand rails, balusters, columns, brack-ets, and roof decorations.

3. Enclosing porte cocheres, garages, andsteps in a manner that destroys theirhistorical appearance.

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Carport in the University Heights North District.


Staff can approve porte-cocheres, ga-rages and carports that meet the italicizedconditions:

In the case of contributing garages,porte-cocheres and carports, staff can ap-prove rehabilitations that are compatiblewith the original structure;

Structures do not front on two or morestreets;

Is not attached to the historic build-ing;

Does not exceed 1-story in height and400 sq. ft. in area;

Sited to the rear or rear yard of build-ing (i.e,. behind the point midway betweenfront and back of building);

Utilize materials and textures consis-tent with the principal building;

Roof type and pitch similar to princi-pal building.


Enclosing of carports or porte-cocheresto gain additional space may be approvedon a case-by-case basis provided new addi-tions are not feasible. A proposal for enclo-sure must not detract from the overall de-sign of the structure and use compatiblematerials and design. The enclosure mustbe distinguished from the original structure.

Garages are well-suited for adaptive usebecause they already have most buildingfeatures. The typological integrity of thegarage should be maintained in adaptiveuse projects.

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Landscape Structures

Landscape along NW 3rd Avenue in University Heights North District.

Landscape structure in side yard in the NortheastDistrict.

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Landscape Structures

LANDSCAPE STRUCTURES

Landscaping of rehabilitation project on SW 2ndAvenue in the University Heights South District.




Parks, streetscapes, lawns and gardensare highly significant components of his-toric districts. Built structures such as ga-zebos, pergolas, decks, patios, retainingwalls and pools are often featured as prin-cipal elements in historic landscapes. Brickpaved streets, patterned sidewalks, gran-ite curbing and street trees are importanturban design features.

Recommended

1. The design of landscape featuresshould complement the character of theprincipal structure.

2. Swimming pools should be located atthe rear of a structure and not be visiblefrom the front of the property.

Not Recommended

1. Removing or altering historic landscapestructures.

2. Adding new landscape features thatobscure important architectural featuresof a historic structure.

3. The use of railroad ties as retaining walls.

Greenhouse structures should be located on lessvisible sides of the site.

Landscape barriers should be compatible withprincipal building and site design.

Garden entries should be compatible withprincipal building and site design.

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Landscape structures which meet all ofthe italicized conditions can be approvedby staff:

Can be located in front, side, or rearyard;

Are compatible with the scale, historicmaterials, style and detailing of the prin-cipal building; and

Do not obscure architectural detailswhich are significant in defining the char-acter of the historic structure.

Swimming pools that meet all of the itali-cized conditions can be approved by staff:

Sited behind the rear wall line of theprincipal building; and

The pool enclosure does not impact orobscure significant features of the building.


Landscape structures should be con-structed of materials that are compatiblewith and complement the design of the mainstructure.

A pool enclosure is acceptable providedthat it is set to rear of the house and subor-dinate to the primary building. (See also“Auxiliary Structures.”)Landscape structures should be constructed of

materials that are compatible with andcomplement the design of the main structure.

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Fences and Garden Walls

Picket fencing in University Heights South District.

Utilize materials and textures consistent with theprincipal building for fence design.

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FENCES AND GARDEN WALLS




9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize the property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall becompatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protect thehistoric integrity of the property andits environment.

Brick wall in University Heights North District.

Fences, walls and hedges can definethe private landscape of personal propertyand make the spatial order of the districtvisible. Fences and walls designed in thismanner combine personal expression withcivic order.

The term “fence” generally applies to alightweight construction of wood or metalwhereas “wall” applies to a more substan-tial barrier constructed of stone or masonry.Hedges are lines of enclosure constructedof natural material such as shrubs or flow-ers. Trees may also be used to define spacein the landscape.

Fences and walls that are designed topermit the passage of light and air are pre-ferred over totally solid construction. Rec-ommended fence and wall materials arewood, stone, masonry, and metal used sepa-rately or in combinations. Fences designedwith more than two materials are not rec-ommended. Owner designed solutions arerecommended over pre-manufacturedfences such as “stockade” fencing due toits ubiquitous use and lack of detailing. Vi-nyl and recycled prefabricated fence mate-rials are also discouraged for the same rea-son. The board may approve selected useof these materials on a case-by-case basis.Finish, appropriate detail and compatibil-ity with existing architecture are significantfactors to be considered.

Grid wire fencing supported by metal,wood or masonry piers is acceptable if usedas a support for plant materials.

Fences should be coordinated withlandscaping elements. Taller fences shouldbe placed adjacent to taller landscape ele-ments.

Applicants who live on corner lots mustdesign fences to comply with the City’sintersection visibility requirements. TheState of Florida’s Department of Transpor-tation and the City of Gainesville haveadopted The American Association of StateHighway and Transportation Officials(AAASHTO) guidelines for determiningvisibility at intersections. If you have anyquestions concerning the requirements, callthe City of Gainesville’s Public Works.

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Fence depicting same slat width and spacing.

Fence depicting variety of slat widths and spacing.Walls designed to permit the passage of light andair are preferred.


Recommended

1. Utilize custom-design fences or wallsover pre-fabricated constructions.

2. Use design, scale and materials compat-ible with the context.

3. Design features such as vertical accentelements or tapering picket heights tooffset repetition of fences.

Not Recommended

1. Use of stockade style fencing.

2. Use of chain link fencing.

3. Use of vinyl fencing.

Coordinate landscape elements with fence design.

Solidity of fence/walls shall be limited.

Retain historic fence materials when possible.

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Brick wall in a historic district.


Fences and walls extending in to thefront yard beyond the front wall of thehouse or with a highly-visible side or rearyard must meet the following conditions:

Constructed of wrought iron, masonry,wood or stucco;

No greater than 48 inches tall if mostlyopen (i.e., 50% or more transparent);

No greater than 36 inches tall if mostlyclosed (i.e., 50% or more opaque);

Where the lot is higher than the side-walk or street, the fence height should bereduced, where practical, by the differencebetween the height of the lot and the side-walk;

Align with adjacent fences, if appro-priate, in terms of height (where permis-sible) and materials;

Vertical elements which break up therepetition of the picket fence should beintroduced for every ten feet of picket fence.This can be accomplished by tapering theheight of the pickets or interjecting deco-rative posts at rhythmic intervals.

Comply with the AASHTO Standards.

New construction should includefence-lines/walls when adjacent to historicproperties with fence-lines and walls.

Fences in backyards shall be no morethan six feet in height and constructed ofwood or masonry; and

Picket designs should draw inspira-tion from architectural elements of the his-toric structure.


None required if all conditions are met.

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Existing sidewalks should be maintained.

Sidewalks and Walkways

Sidewalk and continuous picket fence form a clearedge linking 19th century bungalows in SoutheastDistrict.

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SIDEWALKS AND WALKWAYS





Sidewalks and WalkwaysRetain historic walkways, sidewalks,

and historically significant features of theexisting property.

Sidewalks are important elements indefining street character, facilitating pedes-trian movement and establishing a transi-tional space between private properties andpublic space. Sidewalks should be pre-served and maintained in districts wherethey are predominate such as the North-east, Southeast, and University HeightsHistoric Districts. In the Pleasant Street Dis-trict, the use of sidewalks was used prima-rily on streets such as 1st Street (PleasantStreet) when it functioned as the principlecommercial spine for the community beforedesegregation. The use of sidewalks ismore intermittent along other streets dueto the number of buildings built and themore informal relationship between indi-vidual property and the public space of thestreet.

Existing sidewalks within the district should bemaintained.

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Recommended

1. Maintain existing sidewalks.

2. Minimize new curb cuts where possible.

3. Add sidewalks where appropriate dur-ing rehabilitation or new construction.

4. Allow sidewalks to accommodate exist-ing landscape elements such as maturetrees by “bending” around features.

Not Recommended

1. Allowing landscape materials to blocksidewalks.

2. Decoration of sidewalks where no his-torical precedents exist.

3. Excessive curb cuts.


Staff can approve alterations or side-walk additions if they meet all the aboverecommendations.


Board can approve sidewalk additionsthat are shown to be compatible with his-toric patterns of private-public spatial rela-tionships and construction practices of thedistrict, street or block.

Sidewalks should accommodate mature trees.

Landscape bordering sidewalks within the districtshould maintain existing edge conditions.

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1. A property shall be used for its historicpurpose or be placed in a new use thatrequires minimal change to the defin-ing characteristics of the building andits site and environment.



6. Deteriorated historic features shall berepaired rather than replaced. Wherethe severity of deterioration requires re-placement of a distinctive feature, thenew feature shall match the old in de-sign, color, texture and other visualqualities and, where possible, materi-als. Replacement of missing featuresshall be substantiated by documentary,physical or pictorial evidence.


compatible with the massing, size, scale,and architectural features to protectthe historic integrity of the propertyand its environment.

Interior spaces are not reviewed bystaff or the board unless a tax exemptionhas been applied for in conjunction with arehabilitation. The historic preservationplanner should be consulted before anywork is undertaken to insure the appropri-ateness of the rehabilitation project.

An interior floor plan, the arrangementof spaces, built-in features, and applied fin-ishes may be individually or collectivelyimportant in defining the historic charac-ter of a building. The identification, reten-tion, protection, and repair of these char-acteristics should be given prime consid-eration in every rehabilitation project. Cau-tion should be exercised in pursuing anyplan that would radically change charac-ter-defining spaces or obscure, damage ordestroy interior features or finishes.

Under Standard 1, consideration shouldbe given to how to best integrate a newfunction into an existing historic structurewithout destroying its character. A new usewill have its own set of requirements, andsome may not be compatible with the exist-ing character of a building. For example, ahistoric building with many small roomswould be ill-suited for adaptive use as anart gallery which requires a few large rooms.Similarly, single purpose facilities such as

jails, industrial buildings, or social clubsoften prove difficult to adapt to other useswithout destroying their historic character.

Under Standard 2, interior spaces whichdefine the historic use of a building shouldbe respected. Church sanctuaries, theatreauditoriums, and hotel lobbies and ball-rooms should remain intact both for theirdetailing and their relationship to thebuilding’s original use. Obscuring or de-stroying such significant interior spacesshould be avoided.

During the course of a rehabilitation,the significant spatial qualities of a historicinterior should be preserved under Stan-dard 9. Spatial qualities are defined by ceil-ing, wall dimensions, size, number of open-ings between rooms, and arrangement ofrooms that link spaces on a particular floor.Interior alterations should be compatiblewith these historic spatial qualities. Newpartitions, floor, or ceiling cuts, and othertreatments which adversely alter or destroysignificant interior spaces should beavoided.

INTERIOR SPACE, FEATURES & FINISHES

Interior Spaces, Features & Finishes

Detail of ceiling on porch of the Medlin House,Southeast District.

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REHABILITATION GUIDELINESInterior Spaces, Features & Finishes

-

Recommended

1. Identify, retain, and preserve interior fea-tures and finishes that are important indefining the overall historic characterof the building, including columns, cor-nices, baseboards, fireplaces and man-tels, paneling, light fixtures, hardware,and flooring; and wallpaper, plaster,paint, and finishes such as stenciling,marbling, and graining; and other deco-rative materials that accent interior fea-tures and provide color, texture, andpatterning to walls, floors, and ceilings.

2. Protect and maintain masonry, wood,and architectural metals which compriseinterior features through appropriatesurface treatments such as cleaning,rust removal, limited paint removal, andreapplication of protective coatings.

3. Protect interior features and finishesagainst arson and vandalism beforeproject work begins, erecting protectivefencing, boarding-up windows, and in-stalling fire alarms systems that arekeyed to local protection agencies.

4. Protect interior features such as stair-case, mantel, or decorative finishes andwall coverings against damage duringproject work by covering them withheavy canvas or plastic sheets.

5. Install protective covering in areas ofheavy pedestrian traffic to protect his-toric features such as wall covering, par-quet flooring and panelling.

6. Remove damaged or deteriorated paintsand finishes to the next sound layer su-ing the gentlest method possible, thenrepainting or refinishing using compat-ible paint or other coating systems.

7. Repaint with colors that are appropri-ate to the historic building.

8. Limit abrasive cleaning methods to cer-tain industrial or warehouse buildingswhere the interior masonry or plasterfeatures do not have distinguishing de-sign, detailing, tooling, or finishes; andwhere wood features are not finished,molded, beaded, or worked by hand.Abrasive cleaning methods should onlybe considered after other, gentler meth-ods have been proven ineffective.

9. Evaluate the overall condition of mate-rials to determine whether more thanprotection and maintenance are re-quired, that is, if repairs to interior fea-tures and finishes will be necessary.

10. Repair interior features and finishes byreinforcing the historic materials. Repairwill also generally include the limitedreplacement in kind or with compatiblesubstitute materials of those extensivelydeteriorated or missing parts of re-peated features when there are surviv-ing prototypes such as stairs, balus-trades, wood panelling, columns; ordecorative wall coverings or ornamen-tal tin or plaster ceilings.

11. Replace in kind an entire interior fea-ture or finish that is too deteriorated torepair, if the overall form and detailingis still evident, using the physical evi-dence to guide the new work. Examplescould include wainscoting, a tin ceil-ing, or interior stairs. If using the samekind of material is not technically fea-sible, then a compatible substitute ma-terial may be considered.

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12. Design and install a new interior fea-ture or finish if the historic feature orfinish is completely missing. This couldinclude missing partitions, stairs, eleva-tors, lighting fixtures, and wall cover-ings; or even entire rooms if all historicspaces, features, and finishes are miss-ing or have been destroyed by inap-propriate “renovations.” The designmay be a restoration based on histori-cal, pictorial, and physical documenta-tion; or be a new design that is compat-ible with the historic character of thebuilding, district, or neighborhood.

13. Accommodate service functions suchas bathrooms, mechanical equipment,and office machines required by thebuilding’s new use in secondary spacessuch as first floor service areas or onupper floors.

14. Reuse decorative material or featuresthat have had to be removed during therehabilitation work, including wall andbaseboard trim, door molding, panelleddoors, and simple wainscoting. Relo-cate such material or features in areasappropriate to their historic placement.

15. Install permanent partitions in second-ary spaces; removable partitions thatdo not destroy the sense of spaceshould be installed when the new userequires the subdivision of character-defining interior spaces.

16. Enclose an interior stairway where re-quired by code so that its character isretained. In many cases, glazed fire-ratedwalls may be used.

17. Place new code-required stairways orelevators in secondary and service ar-eas of the historic building.

18. Create an atrium or a light well to pro-vide natural light when required for thenew use in a manner that preserves char-acter-defining interior spaces, features,and finishes as well as the structuralsystem.

19. Add a new floor, if required, for the newuse in a manner that preserves charac-ter-defining structural features, and in-terior spaces, features, and finishes.

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20. Discarding historic material when it canbe reused within the rehabilitationproject or relocating it in historically ap-propriate areas.

21. Installing permanent partitions thatdamage or obscure character-definingspaces, features, or finishes.

22. Enclosing an interior stairway with fire-rated construction so that the stairwellspace or any character-defining featuresare destroyed.

23. Creating a false historical appearancebecause the replaced feature is basedon insufficient physical, historical, andpictorial documentation or on informa-tion derived from another building.

24. Introducing a new interior feature or fin-ish that is incompatible with the scale,design, materials, color, and texture ofsurviving interior features and finishes.

Not Recommended

1. Removing or radically changing featuresand finishes which are important in de-fining the overall historic character ofthe building so that the character is di-minished.

2. Installing new decorative material thatobscures or damages character-defin-ing interior finishes or features.

3. Removing paint, plaster, or other fin-ishes from historic surfaces to create anew appearance such as removing plas-ter to expose surfaces such as brickwalls or a chimney piece.

4. Applying paint, plaster or other finishesto surfaces that have been historicallyunfinished to create a new appearance.

5. Stripping historically painted wood sur-faces to bare wood, then applying clearfinishes or stains to create a “naturallook.”

6. Stripping paint to bare wood rather thanrepairing or reapplying grained ormarble finishes to features such asdoors and paneling.

7. Radically changing the type of finish orits color, such as painting a previouslyvarnished wood feature.

8. Failing to provide adequate protectionto materials on a cyclical basis so thatdeterioration of interior features results.

9. Permitting entry into historic buildingsthrough unsecured or broken windowsand doors so that interior features andfinishes are damaged by exposure toweather or through vandalism.

10. Stripping interiors of features such aswoodwork, doors, windows, light fea-tures, copper piping, radiators, or deco-rative materials.

11. Failing to provide proper protection ofinterior features and finishes duringwork so that they are gouged, scratched,dented or otherwise damaged.

12. Failing to take new use patterns intoconsideration so that interior featuresand finishes are damaged.

13. Using destructive methods such as pro-pane or butane torches or sandblastingto remove paint or other coatings. Thesemethods can irreversibly damage thehistoric materials that comprise interiorfeatures.

14. Using new paint colors that are inap-propriate to the historic building.

15. Changing the texture and patina of char-acter-defining features through sand-blasting or use of other abrasive meth-ods to remove paint, discoloration orplaster. This includes both exposedwood, including structural members,and masonry.

16. Failing to undertake adequate measuresto assure the preservation of interiorfeatures and finishes.

17. Replacing an entire feature such as astaircase, panelled wall, parquet floor,or cornice; or finish such as a decora-tive wall covering or ceiling when re-pair of materials and limited replacementof such parts are appropriate.

18. Using a substitute material for the re-placement part that does not conveythe visual appearance of the survivingparts or portions of the interior featureor finish or that is physically or chemi-cally incompatible.

19. Removing a character-defining featureor finish that is not repairable and notreplacing it; or replacing it with a newfeature or finish that does not conveythe same visual appearance.

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Staff does not review interior spacesunless owner applies for tax exemption.


Board does not review interior spacesunless owner applies for tax exemption.

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Mechanical Systems

Mechanical systems should be screened from view.

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MECHANICAL SYSTEMS: HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, FIRE PROTECTION

Mechanical Systems

Protection and Maintenance ofExisting Systems

In some instances, features of historicheating, lighting, ventilating, and plumb-ing systems are themselves significant.They may be significant in the history ofbuilding technology or have some aestheticimportance. Identification of radiators,vents, lighting features, fans, grilles, cer-tain plumbing fixtures, elevator housing,switchplates, and lights should be under-taken early in project planning. Those de-tails and features which express the his-toric character of a building should be re-tained and repaired whenever possibleunder Standard 5.

In most instances, systems such asboilers, compressors, generators, and as-sociated ductwork, wiring, and pipes arefunctionally obsolete. They will need tobe upgraded, augmented, or replaced to ac-commodate contemporary building stan-dards and satisfy code requirements.

Raised foundations, generous atticspaces, and existing chases and duct workfound in many historic buildings provideample space for new duct work, plumb-ing, and electrical lines. Landscaping orfencing can screen exterior mechanical sys-tems such as heat pumps and transformersfrom view.

Mechanical SystemsAir conditioning units should be in-

stalled in a manner that preserves historicmaterials and features of the building. In-troducing air conditioning units on the fa-cade is discouraged.

Other contemporary devices such assatellite dishes, pool filtration systems andsolar collectors should be located in sucha manner that they do not detract from thehistoric character of the property. It is pre-ferred that central air conditioning unitsshould be concealed by landscaping andplaced in the rear of a lot so as not to beseen from the street.

Upgrades or additions to mechanicalsystems are frequently a necessary part ofrehabilitating a historic building. Carefulplanning should precede installation ofmodern heating, ventilating, and air-condi-tioning (HVAC) and other mechanical sys-tems. Insensitive installation of mechani-cal systems can cause significant damageto historic fabric and alter the visual quali-ties of a building in violation of Standard 9.Installation should be accomplished in theleast obtrusive manner possible and in themost inconspicuous location. In particular,protruding, through-the-wall or window air-conditioning units should be avoided un-der Standard 2.

Raised foundations, generous atticspaces, and existing chases and duct workfound in many historic buildings provideample space for new duct work, plumbing,and electrical lines. Landscaping or fenc-ing can screen exterior mechanical systemssuch as heat pumps and transformers fromview.

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Recommended

1. Identify, retain, and preserve visible fea-tures of early mechanical systems thatare important in defining the overallcharacter of a building, such as radia-tors, vents, fans, grilles, plumbing fix-tures, switchplates, and lights.

2. Protect and maintain mechanical, plumb-ing, and electrical systems and their fea-tures through cyclical cleaning andother appropriate measures.

3. Prevent accelerated deterioration of me-chanical systems by providing ventila-tion of attics, crawl spaces, and ceil-ings so moisture problems are avoided.

4. Repair mechanical systems by augment-ing or upgrading system parts, such asinstalling new pipes and ducts; rewiring;or adding new compressors or boilers.

5. Replacing in kind or with compatiblesubstitute materials those visible fea-tures that are either extensively dete-riorated or are missing when there aresurviving prototypes such as ceilingfans, switchplates, radiators, grilles, orplumbing fixtures.

6. Install a completely new mechanicalsystem if required for the new use sothat it causes the least alteration pos-sible to the building’s floor plan, theexterior elevations, and the least dam-age to historic building material.

7. Install the vertical runs of ducts, pipes,and cables in closets, service rooms,chases, and wall cavities.

8. Install air-conditioning units if requiredby the new use in such a manner thatthe historic materials and features arenot damaged or obscured.

9. Install heating/air-conditioning units inthe window frames in such a mannerthat the sash and frames are protected.Window installations should be con-sidered only when all other viable heat-ing/cooling systems would result in sig-nificant damage to historic materials.

Not Recommended

1. Removing or radically changing featuresof mechanical systems that are impor-tant in defining the overall historic char-acter of the building so that, as a result,the character is diminished.

2. Failing to provide adequate protectionof materials on a cyclical basis so thatdeterioration of mechanical systemsand their visible features results.

3. Enclosing mechanical systems in areasthat are not adequately ventilated sothat deterioration of the system results.

4. Replacing a mechanical system or itsfunctional parts when it could be up-graded and retained.

5. Installing a replacement feature thatdoes not convey the same visual ap-pearance.

6. Installing a new mechanical system sothat character-defining structural or in-terior features are radically changed,damaged, or destroyed.

7. Installing vertical runs of ducts, pipes,and cables in places where they will ob-scure character-defining features.

Mechanical Systems

Avoid radically changing the appearance of ahistoric building with mechanical units.

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8. Installing dropped acoustical ceilingsto hide mechanical equipment when thisdestroys the proportions of characterdefining interior spaces.

9. Cutting through features such as ma-sonry walls in order to install air-condi-tioning units.

10. Radically changing the appearance of ahistoric building or damaging or de-stroying windows by installing heatingor air-conditioning units in historic win-dow frames.

Mechanical Systems

Mechanical systems should not be placed in frontyards.

Mechanical equipment should be screened fromview.


Air-conditioning units that meet all ofthe italicized conditions can be approvedby staff:

Wall air-conditioning units are not lo-cated on street facade and work does notinvolve enlarging or creating an opening;

Central air-conditioning units are notlocated in front yard and are screenedwith vegetation if located on side yard;and

Solar collectors and satellite dishesthat do not obscure or damage significantfeatures of the structure or setting.


Central heat and air systems are encour-aged to replace window units.

Location of new units should followrehabilitation recommendations.

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The items that should be preserved includesignificant materials, the form and style of theproperty, the principal elevations, majorarchitectural and landscape features, and theprincipal public spaces.

Handicap Accessibility

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9. New additions, exterior alterations orrelated new construction shall not de-stroy historic materials that character-ize a property. The new work shall bedifferentiated from the old and shall becompatible with the massing, size, scaleand architectural features to protect thehistoric integrity of the property and itsenvironment.

10. New additions and adjacent or relatednew construction shall be undertakenin such a manner that if removed in thefuture, the essential form and integrityof the property and its environmentwould be unimpaired.

Handicap AccessibilityThe Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA) extends comprehensive civil rightsto individuals with disabilities. Historicproperties, including buildings, sites, andlandscapes, are not exempt from the ADAand must comply with its regulations. How-ever, as with other alterations, historic prop-erties can generally be made accessible

while preserving their architectural charac-ter through careful planning and sensitivedesign.

Standard 2 addresses the need to pre-serve the historic character of a propertywhen making it handicap accessible. As inany aspect of rehabilitation, the characterdefining features, materials, and spaces ofa property should be thoroughly inspectedand evaluated before upgrading it forhandicap accessibility. The items thatshould be preserved include significantmaterials, the form and style of the prop-erty, the principal elevations, major archi-tectural and landscape features, and theprincipal public spaces.

During the course of inspecting a prop-erty, features, materials, and spaces of lesssignificance to the historic character of aproperty should also be identified. UnderStandard 2, nonsignificant spaces, second-ary pathways, later non-historic additions,previously altered areas, utilitarian spaces,and service areas can usually be modifiedwithout threatening or destroying aproperty’s historical significance.

Modifications for handicap accessibil-ity should be compatible with the propertyunder Standard 9 and reversible underStandard 10. They should be in scale withthe property, visually compatible in termsof their design and materials, but be dif-ferentiated from the original. They shouldbe reversible so that if removed in the fu-

ture, the essential form and integrity of theproperty would be unimpaired.

When it enacted the Americans withDisabilities Act, Congress recognized thenational interest in preserving significanthistoric properties. It established alterna-tive minimum requirements for qualifiedhistoric properties that cannot be madephysically accessible without threateningor destroying their significance.

Qualified historic properties includeproperties listed in or eligible for listing inthe National Register of Historic Places,and those designated under state or locallaw. Owners of qualified properties mustfirst consult with the State Historic Preser-vation Officer (SHPO) before using the al-ternative minimum requirements.

If it is determined by the SHPO thatcompliance with the full accessibility re-quirements would threaten or destroy thesignificance of a building or facility, thefollowing alternative minimum require-ments may be used:

1. One accessible route must be providedfrom a site access point to an accessibleentrance. Using a ramp with a 1:6 slopeis permissible for a run of up to 2 feet.

2. One accessible entrance must be pro-vided. If it is not possible to make thepublic entrance accessible, then an alter-


Utilize materials and textures consistent with theprincipal building for ramp addition to a building.

HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY

Utilize materials and textures consistent with theprinciple building for ramp addition to a building.

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native, unlocked entrance is acceptable.Directional signage at the primary en-trance and a notification system at theaccessible entrance must be provided.

3. If toilets are provided, only one must beaccessible, and it may be unisex.

4. Public spaces on the level of the acces-sible entrance must be accessible, andother public levels should be accessiblewhenever practical.

5. Displays and written information shouldbe located where they can be seen by aseated person. Horizontal signageshould be no higher then 44 inchesabove the floor.

In limited circumstances, if it is deter-mined in consultation with the SHPO thatcompliance with the alternative minimumrequirements would also threaten or de-stroy the significance of a historic build-ing, alternative methods of access may beused. The alternative methods of accessi-bility that may be used to make a building’sprogram and activities accessible include:

1. Using audiovisual materials and devicesto show inaccessible areas of a historicproperty.

2. Assigning persons to guide individu-als with disabilities into or through in-accessible areas of a historic property.

3. Adopting other innovative methods.

During the conversion of the ThomasCenter from a private to a public facility,compliance with the Americans with Dis-abilities Act (ADA) was required. The ad-dition of a handicap access ramp at theThomas Center complied with Standards 9and 10. The ramp was distinguished fromthe historic portion of the building by itsform. Access ramps were clearly not his-toric features. At the same time the designof the ramp was well integrated with thebuilding through the use of appropriatematerials (cmu rendered with stucco) andmatching paint colors. The ramp was lo-cated at the rear of the building and wasnot visible from the major street elevations.No significant historic feature was im-pacted. The size and scale of the ramp wasappropriate to the building and clearly sub-ordinate to it. Under Standard 10, the rampcould be removed in the future without al-tering the form of the building or any sig-nificant feature.

RampsRamps, where required, should be con-

cealed with landscaping materials as muchas possible and should harmonize withscale, materials and architectural features ofthe historic building. Wooden balustersand rails are the preferred materials. Decora-tive ironwork may be used on a case by casebasis provided it is appropriate to the styleand period of the building. Wherever pos-sible, ramps should be positioned so as tonot obscure the principal elevations andminimize the visual impact by integratingthe ramp design with porch balustrade.


Ramps should not destroy character-definingqualities of the architecture.

Ramp design should not be limited to the rear ofthe principal building.

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Recommended

1. Review the historical significance of aproperty and identify character-defin-ing features.

2. Assess the property’s existing and re-quired level of accessibility.

3. Evaluate accessibility options within apreservation context.

4. Comply with barrier-free access require-ments in such a manner that character-defining spaces, features, and finishesare preserved.

5. Provide barrier-free access through re-movable or portable, rather than perma-nent, ramps.

6. If providing barrier-free access threat-ens the integrity of a historic property,consult the SHPO about using the alter-native minimum requirements.

Not Recommended

1. Altering, damaging, or destroying char-acter-defining spaces, features, and fin-ishes while making modifications to abuilding or site to comply with barrierfree access.

2. Install permanent ramps that damage ordiminish character-defining spaces.

3. Providing barriers free access which de-stroys significant features of a historicproperty without first consulting theSHPO.


Ramps should not be limited to the rear of buildings.


Staff can approve additions of rampsthat meet the following conditions:

Ramps that do not obscure or destroysignificant historic features;

Ramps that are located on secondaryfacades not facing principal streets.


The board encourages the introductionof innovative solutions to handicap accesssuch as vertical travel lifts that become partof the landscape when not in use, or rampdesigns that minimize the impact on the his-toric character of the architecture.

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Moving a historic residence should be consideredprior to demolition.

Relocating Buildings

155




Relocating a building is a last resort toavoid demolition. From a preservation per-spective, relocating a building has manynegative consequences. First, the contextof the building is lost. The association withthe surrounding natural and built environ-ment is destroyed. Left behind are side-walks, retaining walls, and landscape fea-tures that make each building unique.

Moreover, many of the character-defin-ing features that contribute to the architec-tural significance of a building have to beremoved or are seriously damaged as a re-sult of relocation. These include founda-tions, porches, chimneys, and interior fin-ishes, particularly plaster. Structural dam-age can also result. The loss of a building’shistoric context and many of its featuresconflicts with Standard 2.

Furthermore, an improperly relocatedbuilding can have a negative impact on thesetting of existing buildings in a new loca-tion. Side and front setback, orientation,scale, mass, and individual features of ex-isting buildings should be consideredwhen choosing an appropriate site. It isalso important to establish a clear plan ofuse, especially if the historical function isto be changed. Buildings that are movedand left to deteriorate create a negative forthe concept of adaptive use and preserva-tion in general.

Despite the negatives, relocation is pref-erable to demolition. This is particularlytrue with regard to buildings whose sig-nificance is primarily architectural. Thereare several criteria to be considered whenreviewing a proposal to move a buildingto a new site. They are essentially the sameas those for compatible infill. The builtenvironment for the new site should besimilar to the old one in terms of the age ofthe surrounding buildings, their height, ma-terials, setback, and architectural detail. Ifnot properly planned and executed, a relo-cated building can be just as incompatibleas a poorly designed infill structure.

In an effort to avoid demolition of his-toric structures, several buildings inGainesville have been relocated. TheMcCreary House, originally built in the cen-tral business district, was moved to 815University Avenue in 1977. The HodgesHouse originally located at 116 N.E. 1stStreet was moved to 717 S.E. 2nd Avenuein 1978.

The demolition delay ordinance,adopted in 1988, provides that permitsto demolish structures which have aFlorida Site File and are 45 years of age orolder, not be issued until 90 days from thedate of the permit application.


RELOCATING BUILDINGS

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Recommended

1. Retain the historic relationship betweenbuildings and streetscape and land-scape features.

2. Move a building only when there is noalternative to its preservation. Providedocumentation that there is no feasiblealternative for preserving a building atits historic location.

3. To mitigate the impact of the relocation,move the building to an existing vacantlot within the historic district in which itis located.

4. In choosing a new site for a moved build-ing, select a setting compatible with theoriginal. Consider the age of surround-ing buildings, their height, mass, mate-rials, setback, and architectural details.

5. Properly locate the moved building onits new site. Place the building so thatthe orientation of its principal facadeand front and side setbacks are compat-ible with surrounding buildings.

6. Provide a new foundation whose design,height, and facing materials match thoseof the original. Salvage original founda-tion materials where possible for reuseas veneer on new foundation.

Not Recommended

1. Relocating a historic building thus de-stroying the historic relationship be-tween buildings, features and openspace.

2. Relocating a building not threatened bydemolition.

3. Relocating a building outside a historicdistrict.

4. Relocating a building to a site where thesurrounding buildings date from a dif-ferent period or are architecturally in-compatible due to their height, materi-als, setback, and detailing.

5. Destruction or alteration of significantfeatures, structures, or archaeologicalsites at new location.

6. Improperly locating a building on its newsite so that its orientation and front andside setbacks are incompatible with sur-rounding buildings.

7. Placing the building on a new founda-tion whose design and materials are in-compatible with the original. Examplesinclude slab foundations or unfinishedconcrete blocks.

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Staff can approve relocation projectsthat meet the following conditions:

Relocations of structures within thesame district;

The placement, scale, and style of therelocated structure are compatible withthe new context.


Relocating structures from one district toanother can be approved by the board if thebuilding is compatible with its new setting.

Relocation projects that involve mov-ing a related group of structures or morethan one structure on a street or block arerequired to demonstrate documentationthat feasible alternatives for rehabilitationand adaptive use are not possible.

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Many historic and contributing structures have faceddemolition due to fire damage and deterioration.

Demolition

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Demolition is an important issue in his-toric districts. The main reasons for demo-lition are institutional and commercial ex-pansion, and condemnation by cities, prin-cipally due to fire damage and deteriora-tion.

Demolition exerts a negative impact onhistoric districts. In many historic districts,zoning, land-use regulations, and marketconditions, compatible new construction isoften not feasible. Furthermore, eliminatinga building from a streetscape leaves a con-spicuous void, or the replacement is usuallyinsensitive to the existing historic context.

Demolition of significant buildings, out-buildings, and individual features conflictswith Standards 2 and 4. Demolition altersthe essential character and integrity of abuilding and the district in which it is lo-cated in violation of Standard 2. Standard 4recommends the retention of significantlater additions to historic buildings.

In some instances demolition may beappropriate and may even enhance a his-toric district, building, or site. Non-historicbuildings whose designs are not in charac-ter with its surroundings can be removedwith no negative impact. Likewise, undercertain circumstances, non-historic or non-significant components of a building com-plex can be removed. There are severalfactors to consider in the removal of suchcomponents. These include whether thecomponents are secondary structures; lackhistorical, engineering, or architectural sig-nificance; do not comprise a major portionof a historical site; or the absence of per-suasive evidence to show that retention ofthe components is not technically or eco-nomically feasible.

Demolition of nonsignificant additionsmay also be appropriate. Demolition maybe undertaken if the addition is less thanfifty years old, does not exhibit stylisticdetails or fine workmanship or materials,was added after the period of significanceof the building or district; is so deterio-rated it would require reconstruction; orobscures earlier significant features.

Avoid demolition of significant out-buildings and additions. Carriage housesand garages can be significant componentsof building complexes. Many buildings ina district have had additions, new orna-ments, storefronts, porches, windows,wings, and additional stories. Thesechanges might have gained significance intheir own right and should be retained un-der Standard 4. Assessing significance oflater additions requires careful professionalreview and should be done on a case-bycase-basis.

Demolition

DEMOLITION

Eliminating a building from a streetscape leaves aconspicuous void, or the replacement is usuallyinsensitive to existing historic context.

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Recommended

1. Identify, retain, and preserve buildingswhich are important in defining the over-all historic character of a historic dis-trict or neighborhood.

2. Retain the historic relationship betweenbuildings and landscape andstreetscape features.

3. Remove nonsignificant buildings, addi-tions, or site features which detract fromthe historic character of a site or the sur-rounding district or neighborhood.

Not Recommended

1. Removing buildings which are impor-tant in defining the overall historic char-acter of a district or neighborhood sothat the character is diminished.

2. Removing historic buildings thus de-stroying the historic relationship be-tween buildings, features and openspace.

3. Removing a historic building in a com-plex, a building feature, or significantlater addition which is important in defin-ing the historic character of a site or thesurrounding district or neighborhood.

Demolition

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Demolition


Staff can approve demolition requestsmeeting the following conditions:

Selective removal on non-contributingadditions, features, or materials that haveobscured historic elements;

The structures are shown to be non-contributing axillary structures, garagesor carports.


Historic or contributing structures in anadvanced state of deterioration can be de-molished if evidence is presented showingthat rehabilitation is unfeasible.

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DESIGN GUIDELINES FORNEW CONSTRUCTIONNortheast, Southeast, & Pleasant StreetHistoric Districts

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New infill construction in Northeast District.

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New construction should complementhistoric architecture. Through sound plan-ning and design, it can respect and rein-force the existing patterns of a historic dis-trict. Good infill design does not have toimitate demolished or extant buildings tobe successful. Rather, it utilizes significantpatterns, such as height, materials, roofform, massing, setbacks and the rhythm ofopenings and materials to insure that a newbuilding fits with the context.

While the Secretary of the Interior’sStandards are oriented toward rehabilita-tion of existing historic buildings, Stan-dards 2, 3, and 9 apply to new constructionin historic districts and near individual land-marks. Under Standard 2, the setting of his-toric buildings should be preserved whennew construction is undertaken. The rela-tionship of new construction to adjacentbuildings, landscape and streetscape fea-tures, and open spaces should also be con-sidered. New construction adjacent to his-toric buildings can dramatically alter thehistoric setting of neighboring buildings orthe district. Such construction should notcreate a false sense of historical develop-ment through the use of conjectural featuresor stylistic elements drawn from otherbuildings under Standard 3. Under Stan-dard 9, new construction is appropriate aslong as it does not destroy significant his-toric features, including designed land-scapes, and complements the size, color,

material, and character of adjacent build-ings and their historic setting. This allowsfor considerable interpretation in the de-sign of new structures.

The architectural character of buildingsoften varies considerably from one streetor block to another, even within the samedistrict. This diversity makes the design ofcompatible new structures a challenge fordesigners, builders, staff and the reviewboard. Since almost every street in the threedistricts has a different pattern of building,it is impossible to show every design sce-nario. The guidelines illustrate the Stan-dards of Visual Compatibility establishedto preserve the historic districts as a strat-egy of thinking about compatibility ratherthan a set of stylistic recipes.

MAINTAINING THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF THE DISTRICTS

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Bungalows along S.E.7th Street show existingrhythm of streets and blocks. New constructionshould add to the existing rhythm.

DEFINING THE CRITERIA

Without careful attention to overall de-sign, materials, scale, massing, and set-backs, contemporary construction in anHistoric District can threaten the coherenceof the historic context. As often the case,context has been sacrificed through igno-rance, indifference, and in the effort to makenew projects absolutely cost efficient.

The following criteria are used to evalu-ate the compatibility of new constructionproposed for the historic districts. Thesecriteria should be considered during thedesign process to ensure compatibility andto avoid unnecessary conflicts in the re-view process. The terms are adapted fromthe eleven standards of visual compatibil-ity found in the City’s Land DevelopmentCode.

Please note, however, that “Scale” isbroken up into to two parts, Scale of theStreet and Building Scale emphasizing theimportance of these two related but verydifferent issues of scale.

Each criteria is explained in a text andillustrated with an analytical drawing ofselected buildings, streets and lots foundthroughout the three districts.

1. Rhythm of the Street. The relationshipof the buildings, structures and openspaces along a street that creates a dis-cernible visual and spatial pattern.

2. Setbacks. The size of buildings, struc-tures and open spaces and their place-ment on a lot relative to the street andblock.

3. Height. The overall height of buildingsand structures related to those sharingthe same street or block.

4. Roof Forms. The shape of a building orits roof system in relationship to itsneighbors.

5. Rhythm of Entrances and Porches. Therelationship of entrance elements andporch projections to the street.

6. Walls of Continuity. Appurtenances ofa building or structure such as walls,fences, landscape elements that formlinked walls of enclosure along a streetand serve to make a street into a cohe-sive whole.

7. Scale of Building. Relative size andcomposition of openings, roof forms anddetails to the building mass and its con-figuration.

8. Directional Expression. The major ori-entation of the principle facade of abuilding or structure to the street.

9. Proportion of the Front Facade. Thewidth of the building, structure, or ob-ject to the height of the front elevationin relationship to its immediate context.

10.Proportion of Openings. The width andheight relationship of the windows anddoors in a building or structure to theprinciple facade.

11.Rhythm of Solids to Voids. The patternand overall composition of openingssuch as windows and doors in the frontfacade.

12.Details and Materials. The relationshipof details, materials, texture and color ofbuilding facades, structures, objects andlandscaped areas to the existing con-text.

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Recommended

1. Keep new construction to a minimumthrough rehabilitation and adaptive useof existing structures and landscapes.

2. Design new buildings to be compatiblein scale, size, materials, color, and tex-ture with the surrounding buildings.

3. Employ contemporary design that iscompatible with the character and feelof the historic district.

Not Recommended

1. Designing new buildings whose mass-ing and scale is inappropriate and whosematerials and texture are not compatiblewith the character of the district.

2. Imitating an earlier style or period of ar-chitecture in new construction, exceptin rare cases where a contemporary de-sign would detract from the architecturalunity of an ensemble or group.

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RHYTHM OF THE STREET

New construction should add to the ex-isting rhythm of streets and blocks. Thisrhythm is a complex layering of many fea-tures that add up to what is described gen-erally as “character.” Spacing betweenbuildings, divisions between upper andlower floors, porch heights, and alignmentof windows and windowsills are examplesof such rhythms. New construction in his-toric districts should maintain or extendthese shared streetscape characteristics inblocks where they appear.

Southeast DistrictSE 7th Street

Northeast DistrictNE 6th Street

Northeast DistrictNE 6th Street

Pleasant Street DistrictPleasant Street

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SETBACKS

The careful placement of buildings onlots is essential to maintaining the buildingpatterns of each district. The distance abuilding is located from its property linesis referred to as “setbacks.” Buildings inhistoric districts often share a common frontand side setback although these setbacksvary from block to block and street to street,even within the same district. In locatingnew buildings, the front side and rear set-backs should be maintained and be con-sistent with the facades of surrounding his-toric buildings.

No new structure can be placed closerto or further from the street, sidewalk, oralley than that distance which has beenpredetermined by existing historic struc-tures with a one-block proximity of the pro-posed structure. The distance is measuredfrom the principal mass of the building (ex-cluding the porch and other projections).New buildings should reflect the existingspacing or rhythm of buildings of an entireblock.

NW 3rd Street

NE 6th Street

Two sample street plans, Pleasant Street District(above) and Northeast District (below), show verydifferent historic building patterns. Structures onNW 3rd Street are built closer to the street andoften fall outside of current setback requirementswhich are shown in dotted lines.

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HEIGHT

The height and width of new construc-tion should be compatible with surround-ing historic buildings: Design proposalsshould consider the width to height rela-tionships as well as the depth of setback toheight relationship.

Pleasant Street District, NW 3rd Street

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ROOF FORMS

Similar roof form and pitch are charac-teristics of buildings in many historic dis-tricts. Most residential buildings in the dis-tricts have pitched roofs with the gable orhip roof as the predominate type. Gambrel,pyramidal, and clipped gable (jerkinhead)are also found in abundance. A significantnumber of Mediterranean influenced struc-tures having flat roofs concealed behindparapets are found in all districts. A fewstructures of merit have flat planar roofforms dating from the 1940’s and 50s. Thesestructures trace their influence to theSarasota School in Florida and are begin-ning to come of age for historic recogni-tion. Commercial buildings found within thePleasant Street District generally have flatroofs with parapets. In general, roof de-signs should be compatible with surround-ing buildings.

Southeast District, SE 7th Street

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RHYTHM OF ENTRANCES & PORCHES

The relationship of entrances and pro-jections to sidewalks of a building, struc-ture, object or parking lot shall be visuallycompatible to the buildings and places towhich it is visually related. New porches,entrances, and other projections should re-flect the size, height, and materials orporches of existing historic buildings foundalong the street and contribute to a conti-nuity of features.

Porches are strongly encouraged andshould have sufficient size to accommo-date outdoor furniture and easy accessi-bility. Their widths and depths should re-flect that which can be found on other his-toric buildings in the district.

Repetitive porches on these bungalows set up anunmistakable rhythm along SE 7th Street. Thepattern of this rhythm varies considerably alongthe entire length of the street.

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WALLS OF CONTINUITY

Appurtenances of a building or struc-ture such as walls, fences, landscape ele-ments that form linked walls of enclosurealong a street and serve to make a streetinto a cohesive whole are defined as “wallsof continuity.” These conditions are by nomeans uniform along streets and illustratethe importance of relating individual prop-erties to their context. The drawing on thispage shows how walls, fences, and land-scape elements create the impression of asurface along the street edge.

Southeast District, corner of SE 7th Street and SE4th Street.

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SCALE OF BUILDING

Scale is defined as relative size and com-position of openings, roof forms and de-tails to the building mass and its configu-ration. The examples shown are buildingsselected at random from the three districts.

The overall order of the building elevation relativeto the side lot setbacks and maximum allowableheight (dashed lines).

Size, configuration and detail of the porch relativeto the mass of the building.

Placement and proportion of openings in the frontfacade.

Location of the front steps orients people to thebuilding and helps show the size of the buildingrelative to the size of the human body.

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DIRECTIONAL EXPRESSION

New buildings should visually relate toadjacent buildings in the directional char-acter of its facade. The directional expres-sion may be vertical, horizontal, or non-directional, and it encompasses structuralshape, placement of openings, and archi-tectural details.

The drawing below shows a plan viewof a group of buildings along S.E. 7th Streetwith axis lines indicating the directionalexpression of each structure towards thestreet.

Southeast District, SE 7th Street

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PROPORTION OF THE FRONT FACADE

In the examples below from N.E. 6thStreet in the Northeast district, the height towidth ratios establish a pattern of propor-tions that follow closely from building tobuilding despite differences in height andstyle. This ratio test can be applied to thefacade of any building to check its relation-ship to structures along the street and block.

Northeast District, NE 6th Street

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PROPORTION & RHYTHM OF OPENINGS

The relationship of the width of thewindows in a building, structure or objectshall be visually compatible with buildingsand places to which the building, structureor object is visually related.

Window designs and mutin configura-tions should reflect that found on historicwindows on surrounding contributingstructures. Contemporary windows includ-ing those in which the meeting rail is notequidistant from window head and sill arediscouraged.

New doors should relate to historicdoor styles found on historic buildingsthroughout the district.

Pleasant Street District Northeast District Southeast District

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RHYTHM OF SOLIDS TO VOIDS

The relationship of the width of thewindows in a building, structure or objectshould be visually compatible with the con-text of the district block and street. Therhythm and ratio of solids (walls) and voids(windows and doors) of new constructionbuildings should relate to and be compat-ible with facades (i.e., expressed in terms ofproportion of wall area to void area) on ad-jacent historic buildings.

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DETAIL & MATERIALS

Materials that are compatible in qual-ity, color, texture, finish, and dimension tothose common to the district should beused in new construction. Buildings in thePleasant Street, Northeast and SoutheastDistricts exhibit a superb library of materialjuxtapositions, detailing, and craft.

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DESIGN GUIDELINES FORNEW CONSTRUCTIONUniversity Heights North & UniversityHeights South Historic Districts

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New infill construction juxtaposed against anexisting contributing structure in UniversityHeights South District.

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Part of the delight of the Gainesville his-toric districts is their diversity, which canvary considerably along streets and blocks.This diversity makes the design of newstructures a challenge for designers, build-ers, staff and the review board. Since al-most every street in the University HeightsHistoric Districts has a different pattern ofbuilding, it is impossible to have a singlestandard for new construction that will ap-ply the same way in every location. To en-courage diversity, the design guidelines setup a way of thinking about compatibilityrather than a set of stylistic recipes.

Special Area PlanThe University Heights Special Area

Plan overlay encompasses the area of theUniversity Heights Historic Districts. Aswas discussed under HISTORIC CON-TEXT, the goal is to encourage new de-velopment in University Heights and tocreate a pedestrian friendly public realm,goals that will clearly impact the historiccharacter of the neighborhoods that makeup the historic districts. New infill con-struction and some new patterns of landuse are expected in this area as marketforces spur new development.

MAINTAINING THE CHARACTER OF THE UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS—NORTH & SOUTH

The Special Area Plan, which encour-ages historically compatible new design,has established specific design require-ments for landscape design, building place-ment, parking, signage, and architecturaldesign criteria for a number of buildingtypes. The Historic Preservation DesignGuidelines for New Construction do notseek to supplant the existing regulations.Rather, they attempt to work with the exist-ing regulatory structure to ameliorate theimpact of new construction on existing his-toric properties, and through the Rehabili-tation Guidelines to protect the identifiedhistoric resources of the districts.

Building additions are regulated by theSpecial Area Plan. Contributing structuresin the historic districts also must complywith the Rehabilitation Guidelines, whichaddress similar issues but are more spe-cific concerning the various strategies forplacing and designing additions.

The Design Guidelines for New Con-struction provide specific recommenda-tions for design compatibility, and use ame-lioration strategies to reduce the impact ofnew larger-scale development on historicstructures.

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Materials, detail, massing, roof forms, proportionof openings, entry orientation and scale all need tobe considered in compatible design.


Without careful attention to overall de-sign, materials, scale, massing, and set-backs, contemporary construction in anHistoric District can threaten the coherenceof the historic context. As often the case,context has been sacrificed through igno-rance, indifference, and the effort to makenew projects absolutely cost efficient.

The following criteria are used to evalu-ate the compatibility of new constructionproposed for the historic districts. Thesecriteria should be considered during thedesign process to ensure compatibility andavoid unnecessary conflicts in the reviewprocess. The terms are adapted from theeleven standards of visual compatibilityfound in the City’s Land DevelopmentCode. Note that “Scale” is broken up intotwo parts, Scale of the Street and Scale ofBuildings, emphasizing the importance ofthese two related but very different scale.




4. Roof Forms. The shape of a building orstructure roof system in relationship toits neighbors.








12.Details and Materials. The relationshipof details, materials, texture and color ofbuilding facades, structures, objects andlandscaped areas to the existing context.

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Recommended

1. Encourage rehabilitation and adaptiveuse of existing structures and land-scapes.



4. Employ amelioration strategies with newlarger scale infill construction to pro-tect adjacent historic structures.

5. Employ design strategies that use pro-portional relationships of facades,shapes of openings, solid/void ratiosand the directional typology of historicstructures to link new buildings with thehistoric context.

6. Use of fences, walls or landscape mate-rials to reinforce the continuity of thestreet edge in a neighborhood.

Not Recommended



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New construction should add to the ex-isting rhythm of streets and blocks. Thisrhythm is a complex layering of many fea-tures that add up to what is described gen-erally as “character.” Spacing betweenbuildings, divisions between upper andlower floors, porch heights, and alignmentof windows and windowsills are examplesof such rhythms. New construction in his-toric districts should try to maintain or ex-tend these shared streetscape characteris-tics in blocks where they appear.

Where new building types such as rowhouses or apartment buildings are intro-duced that are not in scale with the tradi-tional single-family housing that histori-cally occupied the area, new rhythms ofbuilding and open space along the streetwill evolve.

To help ameliorate the impact of thesenew more massive building forms, specialattention should be paid to the articulationand massing of the new building street fa-cades, avoiding the introduction of largeunbroken masses of building.

Finding the street rhythm in wall fenes-tration, eave heights, building details, andlandscape features such as fences or wallscan help ameliorate the larger buildingmasses and “connect” the new building toits neighborhood and street.

SETBACKS

The careful placement of buildings onlots is essential to maintaining the buildingpatterns of each district. The distance abuilding is located from its property linesis referred to as “setbacks” or, more recently,“build-to” lines. Buildings in historic dis-tricts often share a common front and sidesetback although these setbacks vary fromblock to block and street to street, evenwithin the same district. In locating newbuildings, the front side setbacks shouldbe maintained and be consistent with thefacades of surrounding historic buildings.

Where the Special Area Plan encour-ages placement of buildings closer to thestreet than the historic uniform front yardsetbacks along a block, adjustments arerecommended to ameliorate the impact ofthe new building setbacks on adjacent con-tributing buildings in the historic districts.This adjustment strategy is desirable to helpcreate a cohesion among the neighborhoodbuildings as a whole, and to avoid fractur-ing the neighborhood fabric by changingabruptly the building-street relationships.

Front yard build-to/setback lines wouldstay within the ranges set forth in the Spe-cial Area Plan requirements. When newconstruction abuts a contributing buildinglocated within 20 feet of a shared side yardboundary, the new construction must “stepback” from the build-to line.

The “step back” is a compromise halfway between the minimum build-to line al-lowed by the Special Area Plan, and thesetback of the existing contributing struc-ture, and in no case to step back furtherthan the maximum build-to line establishedby the Special Area Plan.

In the event that the new constructionis a multi-family row house or apartmentbuilding, only the first bay, adjacent to thecontributing structure should be requiredto “step back.”

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HEIGHT

The height of new construction shouldideally be compatible with surrounding his-toric buildings. Building height has a sig-nificant impact on the scale and characterof a neighborhood.

The Special Area Plan allows new build-ings to be significantly taller than the 1-story and 2-story single-family residentialbuildings that occupy the historic districts.To avoid abrupt scale juxtapositions thatfragment a neighborhood and adverselyimpact historic structures, a “step down”amelioration strategy would be applied tonew construction that is adjacent to a con-tributing structure located within 20 feet ofa shared side yard boundary.

The new construction should not bemore than 1 1/2 stories taller than the con-tributing structure. A half story is definedas an attic space within the roof utilizingdormer windows or gable-end windows.

In the event the new construction is amulti-family row house, apartment build-ing, or a larger scale structure, only the firstbay or set of spaces on the end of the build-ing adjacent to the contributing structureshould be required to “step down.”

ROOF FORMS

Similar roof form and pitch are charac-teristics of buildings in many historic dis-tricts. Most residential buildings in the dis-tricts have pitched roofs with the gable orhip roof as the predominate type. Gambrel,pyramidal, and clipped gable (jerkinhead)are also found in the districts. A small num-ber of Mediterranean influenced structureswith flat roofs concealed behind parapetsexist.

Repetition of historic roof forms is astrategy that new construction can employto achieve compatibility with older struc-tures, particularly when there is a widelyused roof convention in a neighborhood.

RHYTHM: ENTRANCES & PORCHES

The relationship of entrances and pro-jections to sidewalks of a building, struc-ture, object or parking lot shall be visuallycompatible to the buildings and places towhich it is visually related. New porches,entrances, and other projections should re-flect the size, height, and materials ofporches of existing historic buildings foundalong the street and contribute to a conti-nuity of features.


WALLS OF CONTINUITY

Appurtenances of a building or struc-ture such as walls, fences or landscapeelements that form linked walls of enclo-sure along a street serve to make a streetinto a cohesive whole.

New infill construction should be en-couraged to align walls, fences or landscapeelements (hedges) with adjacent propertyowners to create uniform street walls. Par-tially open edges are preferred to promotesocial connection from street (public do-main) to porch (semi-private domain).

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SCALE OF THE BUILDING

Scale, although related to objective di-mensions, is more open to interpretationand is ultimately a more important measureof a good building. Proper scale is a criticalissue in determining the compatibility ofbuildings within an historic context. It hastwo general meanings: its scale to contextand its scale relative to ourselves. Intu-itively, we judge the fit of a building at dif-ferent scales of measurement in order toassess its relative size or proper scale in agiven context. Many issues affect the per-ception of scale such as placement on thesite, overall massing, building type, style,combinations of materials and detailing toname but a few. Every building in the Uni-versity Heights Historic Districts is alsomeasured against its neighbors for degreesof similarity and difference. The result or“fitness” of a building is a delicate balancebetween these seemingly contradictoryaspects of context. From far away, we notethe profile of a structure on the skyline. Onthe streetscape: its distance from the roadand its neighbors. Up close, we look forfamiliar things that tell us its relationshipdirectly to our body, i.e., stairs, railings,doors and windows, and modular materialssuch as brick, blocks or wood. Most im-portantly, we sense that all these individualelements must have an overall order toachieve proper scale. Scale changes areevident from district to district and fromstreet to street.

Scale for new construction speaks toboth the relationship of the building to itsneighbors, and the scale of the building tothe person, which is influenced by themassing (large unbroken masses vs. smallercollection of masses), materials, the size andproportion of openings, the articulation ofsurfaces, the ratio of void to solid, and de-tails like handrails, doors and windows.

New infill may be larger in size (not inphysical scale with its neighbors) and yetstill feel compatible in scale if the buildingform has been articulated with a number ofscaling strategies.


New buildings should relate to adjacentbuildings in the directional character (ori-entation) of its facade. In a historic districtthere is usually a typology of entry andconnection to street shared by the neigh-borhood buildings that helps create a con-sistent fabric.

University Heights buildings almostwithout exception have primary entries thatface the principal street. The facade facingthe principal street is clearly recognized asthe building “front,” and porches or stoopscreate a transition from street to interior.

New construction should recognizethese shared conventions and enhancecompatibility by becoming part of the neigh-borhood fabric.

PROPORTION OF FRONT FACADE

All buildings have a proportional rela-tionship between the width and height ofthe front facade which is independent ofphysical size. In a district as complex asUniversity Heights with many differentbuilding styles, there can be a number offacade proportions. New constructionshould consider the facade proportions ofthe historic structures in the immediateneighborhood to determine if a commonproportion can be found in nearby struc-tures. Compatibility can be enhanced ifneighborhood proportions can be inte-grated into the design of new buildings,even if they are of a larger physical scale.

189


PROPORTION & RHYTHMOF OPENINGS

In many historical styles, the height towidth proportion of windows is an impor-tant element of the design, along with theway windows are configured by muntins.New construction should consider the pro-portion and rhythm of fenestration innearby historic structures to enhance com-patibility.

In University Heights, vertically propor-tioned windows predominate with many ex-amples of group windows, especially in thenumerous Craftsman/Bungalow style build-ings. Consistent use of muntins is anotherrecognizable fenestration characteristic.

Similarly, many historic structures havehighly detailed doors and entryways, evenwhen facades are simple and undetailed.


Like the proportioning of openings, therelative ratio of openings to solid wall areais also a characteristic of architecture thatcan be exploited to seek compatibility withnearby historic structures. Architecturalstyle in historic buildings is a factor whichinfluences the solid to void ratio. The ratiocan also vary between primary and sec-ondary elevations as windows have oftenbeen a status symbol and used on frontfacades to express wealth or social status.

DETAILS AND MATERIALS

Due to the varied architectural styles inUniversity Heights, there is a broad rangeof materials used on historic buildings, in-cluding brick, wood siding, wood shingles,stucco, cut stone and the unique use oflocal field stone and brick in the buildingslocally known as “Chert Houses.” Roofsalso use a range of materials including as-phalt shingles, asbestos shingles, crimpedand standing seam metal, tiles and stone.

New construction should considerlooking at the pallet of materials used onnearby historic structures to pursue com-patibility at the neighborhood level.

180


181


DESIGN GUIDELINES FORNEW CONSTRUCTIONUniversity Heights North & UniversityHeights South Historic Districts

182


New infill construction juxtaposed against anexisting contributing structure in UniversityHeights South District.

183





Part of the delight of the Gainesville his-toric districts is their diversity, which canvary considerably along streets and blocks.This diversity makes the design of newstructures a challenge for designers, build-ers, staff and the review board. Since al-most every street in the University HeightsHistoric Districts has a different pattern ofbuilding, it is impossible to have a singlestandard for new construction that will ap-ply the same way in every location. To en-courage diversity, the design guidelines setup a way of thinking about compatibilityrather than a set of stylistic recipes.

Special Area PlanThe University Heights Special Area

Plan overlay encompasses the area of theUniversity Heights Historic Districts. Aswas discussed under HISTORIC CON-TEXT, the goal is to encourage new de-velopment in University Heights and tocreate a pedestrian friendly public realm,goals that will clearly impact the historiccharacter of the neighborhoods that makeup the historic districts. New infill con-struction and some new patterns of landuse are expected in this area as marketforces spur new development.

MAINTAINING THE CHARACTER OF THE UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS—NORTH & SOUTH

The Special Area Plan, which encour-ages historically compatible new design,has established specific design require-ments for landscape design, building place-ment, parking, signage, and architecturaldesign criteria for a number of buildingtypes. The Historic Preservation DesignGuidelines for New Construction do notseek to supplant the existing regulations.Rather, they attempt to work with the exist-ing regulatory structure to ameliorate theimpact of new construction on existing his-toric properties, and through the Rehabili-tation Guidelines to protect the identifiedhistoric resources of the districts.

Building additions are regulated by theSpecial Area Plan. Contributing structuresin the historic districts also must complywith the Rehabilitation Guidelines, whichaddress similar issues but are more spe-cific concerning the various strategies forplacing and designing additions.

The Design Guidelines for New Con-struction provide specific recommenda-tions for design compatibility, and use ame-lioration strategies to reduce the impact ofnew larger-scale development on historicstructures.

184


Materials, detail, massing, roof forms, proportionof openings, entry orientation and scale all need tobe considered in compatible design.


Without careful attention to overall de-sign, materials, scale, massing, and set-backs, contemporary construction in anHistoric District can threaten the coherenceof the historic context. As often the case,context has been sacrificed through igno-rance, indifference, and the effort to makenew projects absolutely cost efficient.

The following criteria are used to evalu-ate the compatibility of new constructionproposed for the historic districts. Thesecriteria should be considered during thedesign process to ensure compatibility andavoid unnecessary conflicts in the reviewprocess. The terms are adapted from theeleven standards of visual compatibilityfound in the City’s Land DevelopmentCode. Note that “Scale” is broken up intotwo parts, Scale of the Street and Scale ofBuildings, emphasizing the importance ofthese two related but very different scale.




4. Roof Forms. The shape of a building orstructure roof system in relationship toits neighbors.








12.Details and Materials. The relationshipof details, materials, texture and color ofbuilding facades, structures, objects andlandscaped areas to the existing context.

185


Recommended

1. Encourage rehabilitation and adaptiveuse of existing structures and land-scapes.



4. Employ amelioration strategies with newlarger scale infill construction to pro-tect adjacent historic structures.

5. Employ design strategies that use pro-portional relationships of facades,shapes of openings, solid/void ratiosand the directional typology of historicstructures to link new buildings with thehistoric context.

6. Use of fences, walls or landscape mate-rials to reinforce the continuity of thestreet edge in a neighborhood.

Not Recommended



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New construction should add to the ex-isting rhythm of streets and blocks. Thisrhythm is a complex layering of many fea-tures that add up to what is described gen-erally as “character.” Spacing betweenbuildings, divisions between upper andlower floors, porch heights, and alignmentof windows and windowsills are examplesof such rhythms. New construction in his-toric districts should try to maintain or ex-tend these shared streetscape characteris-tics in blocks where they appear.

Where new building types such as rowhouses or apartment buildings are intro-duced that are not in scale with the tradi-tional single-family housing that histori-cally occupied the area, new rhythms ofbuilding and open space along the streetwill evolve.

To help ameliorate the impact of thesenew more massive building forms, specialattention should be paid to the articulationand massing of the new building street fa-cades, avoiding the introduction of largeunbroken masses of building.

Finding the street rhythm in wall fenes-tration, eave heights, building details, andlandscape features such as fences or wallscan help ameliorate the larger buildingmasses and “connect” the new building toits neighborhood and street.

SETBACKS

The careful placement of buildings onlots is essential to maintaining the buildingpatterns of each district. The distance abuilding is located from its property linesis referred to as “setbacks” or, more recently,“build-to” lines. Buildings in historic dis-tricts often share a common front and sidesetback although these setbacks vary fromblock to block and street to street, evenwithin the same district. In locating newbuildings, the front side setbacks shouldbe maintained and be consistent with thefacades of surrounding historic buildings.

Where the Special Area Plan encour-ages placement of buildings closer to thestreet than the historic uniform front yardsetbacks along a block, adjustments arerecommended to ameliorate the impact ofthe new building setbacks on adjacent con-tributing buildings in the historic districts.This adjustment strategy is desirable to helpcreate a cohesion among the neighborhoodbuildings as a whole, and to avoid fractur-ing the neighborhood fabric by changingabruptly the building-street relationships.

Front yard build-to/setback lines wouldstay within the ranges set forth in the Spe-cial Area Plan requirements. When newconstruction abuts a contributing buildinglocated within 20 feet of a shared side yardboundary, the new construction must “stepback” from the build-to line.

The “step back” is a compromise halfway between the minimum build-to line al-lowed by the Special Area Plan, and thesetback of the existing contributing struc-ture, and in no case to step back furtherthan the maximum build-to line establishedby the Special Area Plan.

In the event that the new constructionis a multi-family row house or apartmentbuilding, only the first bay, adjacent to thecontributing structure should be requiredto “step back.”

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HEIGHT

The height of new construction shouldideally be compatible with surrounding his-toric buildings. Building height has a sig-nificant impact on the scale and characterof a neighborhood.

The Special Area Plan allows new build-ings to be significantly taller than the 1-story and 2-story single-family residentialbuildings that occupy the historic districts.To avoid abrupt scale juxtapositions thatfragment a neighborhood and adverselyimpact historic structures, a “step down”amelioration strategy would be applied tonew construction that is adjacent to a con-tributing structure located within 20 feet ofa shared side yard boundary.

The new construction should not bemore than 1 1/2 stories taller than the con-tributing structure. A half story is definedas an attic space within the roof utilizingdormer windows or gable-end windows.

In the event the new construction is amulti-family row house, apartment build-ing, or a larger scale structure, only the firstbay or set of spaces on the end of the build-ing adjacent to the contributing structureshould be required to “step down.”

ROOF FORMS

Similar roof form and pitch are charac-teristics of buildings in many historic dis-tricts. Most residential buildings in the dis-tricts have pitched roofs with the gable orhip roof as the predominate type. Gambrel,pyramidal, and clipped gable (jerkinhead)are also found in the districts. A small num-ber of Mediterranean influenced structureswith flat roofs concealed behind parapetsexist.

Repetition of historic roof forms is astrategy that new construction can employto achieve compatibility with older struc-tures, particularly when there is a widelyused roof convention in a neighborhood.

RHYTHM: ENTRANCES & PORCHES

The relationship of entrances and pro-jections to sidewalks of a building, struc-ture, object or parking lot shall be visuallycompatible to the buildings and places towhich it is visually related. New porches,entrances, and other projections should re-flect the size, height, and materials ofporches of existing historic buildings foundalong the street and contribute to a conti-nuity of features.


WALLS OF CONTINUITY

Appurtenances of a building or struc-ture such as walls, fences or landscapeelements that form linked walls of enclo-sure along a street serve to make a streetinto a cohesive whole.

New infill construction should be en-couraged to align walls, fences or landscapeelements (hedges) with adjacent propertyowners to create uniform street walls. Par-tially open edges are preferred to promotesocial connection from street (public do-main) to porch (semi-private domain).

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SCALE OF THE BUILDING

Scale, although related to objective di-mensions, is more open to interpretationand is ultimately a more important measureof a good building. Proper scale is a criticalissue in determining the compatibility ofbuildings within an historic context. It hastwo general meanings: its scale to contextand its scale relative to ourselves. Intu-itively, we judge the fit of a building at dif-ferent scales of measurement in order toassess its relative size or proper scale in agiven context. Many issues affect the per-ception of scale such as placement on thesite, overall massing, building type, style,combinations of materials and detailing toname but a few. Every building in the Uni-versity Heights Historic Districts is alsomeasured against its neighbors for degreesof similarity and difference. The result or“fitness” of a building is a delicate balancebetween these seemingly contradictoryaspects of context. From far away, we notethe profile of a structure on the skyline. Onthe streetscape: its distance from the roadand its neighbors. Up close, we look forfamiliar things that tell us its relationshipdirectly to our body, i.e., stairs, railings,doors and windows, and modular materialssuch as brick, blocks or wood. Most im-portantly, we sense that all these individualelements must have an overall order toachieve proper scale. Scale changes areevident from district to district and fromstreet to street.

Scale for new construction speaks toboth the relationship of the building to itsneighbors, and the scale of the building tothe person, which is influenced by themassing (large unbroken masses vs. smallercollection of masses), materials, the size andproportion of openings, the articulation ofsurfaces, the ratio of void to solid, and de-tails like handrails, doors and windows.

New infill may be larger in size (not inphysical scale with its neighbors) and yetstill feel compatible in scale if the buildingform has been articulated with a number ofscaling strategies.


New buildings should relate to adjacentbuildings in the directional character (ori-entation) of its facade. In a historic districtthere is usually a typology of entry andconnection to street shared by the neigh-borhood buildings that helps create a con-sistent fabric.

University Heights buildings almostwithout exception have primary entries thatface the principal street. The facade facingthe principal street is clearly recognized asthe building “front,” and porches or stoopscreate a transition from street to interior.

New construction should recognizethese shared conventions and enhancecompatibility by becoming part of the neigh-borhood fabric.

PROPORTION OF FRONT FACADE

All buildings have a proportional rela-tionship between the width and height ofthe front facade which is independent ofphysical size. In a district as complex asUniversity Heights with many differentbuilding styles, there can be a number offacade proportions. New constructionshould consider the facade proportions ofthe historic structures in the immediateneighborhood to determine if a commonproportion can be found in nearby struc-tures. Compatibility can be enhanced ifneighborhood proportions can be inte-grated into the design of new buildings,even if they are of a larger physical scale.

189


PROPORTION & RHYTHMOF OPENINGS

In many historical styles, the height towidth proportion of windows is an impor-tant element of the design, along with theway windows are configured by muntins.New construction should consider the pro-portion and rhythm of fenestration innearby historic structures to enhance com-patibility.

In University Heights, vertically propor-tioned windows predominate with many ex-amples of group windows, especially in thenumerous Craftsman/Bungalow style build-ings. Consistent use of muntins is anotherrecognizable fenestration characteristic.

Similarly, many historic structures havehighly detailed doors and entryways, evenwhen facades are simple and undetailed.


Like the proportioning of openings, therelative ratio of openings to solid wall areais also a characteristic of architecture thatcan be exploited to seek compatibility withnearby historic structures. Architecturalstyle in historic buildings is a factor whichinfluences the solid to void ratio. The ratiocan also vary between primary and sec-ondary elevations as windows have oftenbeen a status symbol and used on frontfacades to express wealth or social status.

DETAILS AND MATERIALS

Due to the varied architectural styles inUniversity Heights, there is a broad rangeof materials used on historic buildings, in-cluding brick, wood siding, wood shingles,stucco, cut stone and the unique use oflocal field stone and brick in the buildingslocally known as “Chert Houses.” Roofsalso use a range of materials including as-phalt shingles, asbestos shingles, crimpedand standing seam metal, tiles and stone.

New construction should considerlooking at the pallet of materials used onnearby historic structures to pursue com-patibility at the neighborhood level.

190

GLOSSARY

191

GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY

192

GLOSSARY

Abacus The uppermost member of a capi-tal of a column.

Acanthus An architectural ornament, usu-ally found on the lower portion of thecapitals of Corinthian and or compos-ite order columns, that resemble thelarge, spiny leaves of the acanthus plant.

Arcade A series of arches supported onpiers or columns and attached or de-tached from the wall.

Architectural Review Board An appointedboard of professionals and laymen au-thorized under local ordinance to reviewmodifications to historic buildings anddistricts.

Balloon Framing A method of wood-frameconstruction, referring to the skeletalframework of a building. Studs or up-rights run from sills to eaves, and hori-zontal bracing members are nailed tothem.

Balustrade A series of balusters with a topand bottom rail.

Bargeboard A decorative board coveringthe projection portion of a gable roof.

Bracket A decorative support feature lo-cated under eaves or overhangs.

Bay The division of a facade of a building,defined by window and door openings.

Beltcourse A flat, horizontal member of rela-tively slight projection, marking the di-vision in a wall plane.

Belvedere A rooftop pavilion.

Braced Frame A wooden structural sys-tem, consisting of heavy corner postsand heavy horizontal timbers and light,closely spaced studs, nailed between thehorizontal timbers.

Canales A Spanish term for a water spoutused to drain water from roof. A fea-ture of Spanish Colonial and SpanishColonial Revival style buildings.

Canopy An ornamental roof-like structureused on commercial buildings whichprovides advertisement space, shade,and protection for the storefront andpedestrian traffic.

Capital The upper portion of a column orpilaster.

Casement Window A hinged windowwhich opens out from a building.

Chamfer A 90 degree corner cut to reduceit to two 45 degree edges.

Chevron A zigzag or V-shaped decorationusually used in series.

Cladding An outer veneer of materials ap-plied to the exterior walls of a building.

Coffer A sunken panel in a ceiling, vault,or dome.

Colonnade A series of columns support-ing an entablature.

Column A vertical support consisting of abase, shaft, and capital.

Composition Shingles A modern roofingmaterial composed of asphalt, fiber-glass, or asbestos.

Coping A protective cap, top, or cover ofa wall, chimney, or pilaster.

Coquina A material formed from donaxshells found along the east coast ofFlorida.

Cornice The upper portion of an entabla-ture.

Crenelation A decorative feature that rep-licates the pattern of openings of a de-fensive parapet. Frequently associatedwith the Moorish and Gothic Revivalstyles.

Cresting The decorative railing along theridge of a roof.

Cupola A small, vaulted structure attachedto the roof of a building and supportedby either solid walls or four arches.

Dentil A tooth-like ornament occurringoriginally in Ionic and Corinthian or-ders, usually at the cornice line.

Dog-Trot A double pen house with a cen-ter passage or breezeway.

Dormer A secondary feature of a buildinghousing a window or vent, which is setupon the slope of a roof surface. Pro-vides ventilation, lighting, or auxiliaryliving space.

Drop Siding A siding in which the upperportion of each board has a concavecurve. Also known as novelty, rustic,and German siding.

Eaves The projecting edges of a roof over-hanging the walls.

Elevation A two dimensional representa-tion or drawing of an exterior face of abuilding.

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GLOSSARY

Entablature Beam member carried by col-umns containing an architrave, frieze,and cornice, supported by a colonnade.

Facade The elevation or face of a building.

Fanlight Semicircular window over a dooror window with a radiating glazing barsystem.

Fenestration The arrangement of win-dows, doors, and other exterior open-ings in a building.

Finial An ornament that caps a gable, hip,pinnacle or other architectural feature.

Fluting The vertical channeling on theshaft of a column.

Footprint The outline of a building’sground plan from a top view.

Frieze molding Decorative wooden mold-ing located at the point where the eavemeets the exterior wall.

Gable roof A triangular section at the endof a pitched roof.

Gallery An upper story porch or walkwayrunning along the facade of a building.

Gambrel Roof A double-sloped gable roof,allows additional living or storage space.

Garland An ornament in the form of a band,wreath, or festoon of leaves, fruit, flow-ers or oats.

Half-timbering A method of constructionin which vertical structural memberswere infilled with brickwork or plaster.

Hip roof A roof with sloping sides andends.

Historic Preservation Commission (HPC)A board of professionals and local resi-dents who exercise defined historicpreservation responsibilities.

I-House A two-story house, two roomswide and one story deep.

Jalousie A type of window comprised of aseries of horizontal slats connected to amechanical device operated by a crank.

Jerkinhead A roof form characterized bya clipped gable.

Knee Brace A wooden triangular bracethat supports the eaves of a building.Frequently utilized in the constructionof Bungalow style residences.

Lattice A panel of criss-crossed, diagonalor perpendicular slats often utilized asdecorative infill between masonry foun-dation piers.

Light A single pane of glass.

Lintel A horizontal beam located above awindow or door.

Loggia A gallery open on one or moresides, sometimes pillared.

Louver A small opening comprised of over-lapping, downward-sloping slats, whichshed rain while admitting light and air.

Mansard Roof A roof having two slopeson all four sides.

Masonry Brick, block, or stone which issecured with mortar.

Massing The arrangement of the variousgeometric forms of a building into awhole.

Medallion A circular tablet, ornamentedwith embossed or carved figures or pat-terns.

Modillion An ornamental block or bracketunder the cornice in the Corinthian andother orders.

Molding A continuous decorative strip ofmaterial applied to a surface.

Mullion A division between multiple win-dows or screens.

Muntin The small members that divideglass in a window frame; vertical sepa-rators between panels in a panel door.

Newel The post in which a handrail isframed.

Niche A cavity in a wall, to receive a statueor other ornament.

Order In classical architecture, the specificconfiguration and proportions of a col-umn, including the base, shaft, capitaland entablature.

Palladian Window A window composedof a central arched sash flanked on ei-ther side by smaller side lights.

Parapet A solid protective or decorativewall located along the outside edge of aroof.

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GLOSSARY

Pavilion A tower-like projecting elementon an exterior wall, usually at the centeror at each end of a building.

Pedestal A support for a column, pilaster,status or urn.

Pediment A triangular piece of wall abovethe entablature, which fills in and sup-ports the sloping roof.

Pent roof A sloping roof structure locatedabove a window line, which serves assecondary protection or ornamentation.

Piers A masonry structure, usually madeof brick or concrete block, which el-evates and supports a building or partof a building.

Pilaster A rectangular or round pillar pro-jection from the wall with the same pro-portions and details as the order inwhich it is used.

Pitch The steepness of roof slope.

Pivot window A hinged window whichopens out with the aid of a mechanicalcrank.

Platform Framing Framing in which studsonly extend one floor at a time and thefloor joints of each floor rest on the topplate of the story below.

Porch A covered, visually open space, pro-jecting from the facade of a building,which serves as a transition betweeninside and outside.

Porte Cochere A covered entrance pro-jecting so automobiles, carriages, orother wheeled vehicles may easily passthrough.

Portico The space enclosed within col-umns and forming a covered ambula-tory.

Quatrefoil A four lobe or leaf-shapedcurve.

Quoins Large stones or other materialsused to decorate and accentuate the cor-ners of a building, laid vertically, usu-ally with alternating large and smallblocks.

Rafter A wooden member of a roof framewhich slopes downward from the ridgeline.

Rehabilitation The process of returninga building to a state of usefulnessthrough repair or alteration which pre-serves those features that are histori-cally or architecturally significant.

Rejas Projecting wooden grillwork pro-tecting exterior windows.

Relocation Any change in the location ofa building from its present setting toanother setting.

Restoration The process of accuratelyrecovering the form and details of abuilding as it may have appeared at anearlier time.

Return Usually a cornice return, where thecornice is carried a short distance ontothe gable end of a building.

Ridge The highest part of a roof.

Rustication A method of forming stone-work with recessed joints and smoothor roughly textured block faces.

Sash A frame that encloses the panes of awindow.

Scale The proportions of a building in re-lation to its surroundings, particularlyother buildings in the surrounding con-text.

Setback The distance a building is locatedfrom a street or sidewalk.

Shaft The part of a column between thebase and the capital.

Shed roof A roof with a single sloping pitch.

Sidelight A glass window pane located atthe side of a main entrance way.

Story Story height is often used to de-scribe the height of buildings. This isnot an absolute measure. Generally de-fined as the “occupiable space betweenany two floors or between the floor androof of a building,” actual dimensionsof a story are dependent on buildingtype, style, and method of construction.Since absolute uniformity is absent fromthe five districts, the best way to man-age story heights is by considering size,proportion and massing relative to thesurrounding context.

Stucco A masonry material applied as ex-terior wall fabric.

Structural Glass Glass building blocks,reinforced plate glass, or pigmentedstructural glass.

Tabby A primitive form of concrete, madeby mixing equal parts of sand, lime,water, and oyster shell.

195

GLOSSARY

Terra cotta Earth colored baked clay prod-ucts formed into molds and used as or-naments.

Transom window A glass pane, usuallyrectangular, which is located above awindow or door.

Valley A depressed angle formed by themeeting at the bottom of two inclinedsides of a roof, as a gutter.

Verandah In Florida, a porch extendingalong more than one elevation of abuilding.

Vigas A projecting rounded roof beamfound in Colonial and Spanish Colonialrevival style buildings.

Wainscot The lower three or four feet ofan interior wall when finished differ-ently from the remainder of the wall.

Weatherboard A type of cladding charac-terized by beveled overlapping boardswith either tongue and groove or rab-beted top and bottom edges.

196

BIBLIOGRAPHY

197

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

198

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following bibliography includessources consulted in preparing these guide-lines as well as additional sources and stan-dard references which might prove usefulas references for design review boards andtheir staffs in the future.

Architectural History

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Hammett, Ralph W. Architecture in theUnited States: A Survey of Archi-tectural Styles Since 1776. NewYork: John Wiley, 1976.

Jennings, Jan and Herbert Gottfried.American Vernacular Design,1870-1940 . New York: VanNostrand Reinhold, 1985.

Jennings, Jan and Herbert Gottfried.American Vernacular Interior Ar-chitecture, 1870-1940. New York:Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988.

McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A FieldGuide to American Houses. NewYork: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.

Maddex, Diane. Built in the U.S.A.;American Buildings from Airportsto Zoos. Washington, D.C.: ThePreservation Press, 1985.

Pevsner, Nikolaus. A History of Build-ing Types. Princeton: PrincetonUniversity Press, 1976.

Phillip, Steven J. Old House Dictio-nary. An Illustrated Guide to Ameri-can Domestic Architecture 1600-1940. Lakewood, Colorado: Ameri-can Source Books, 1989.

Poppeliers, John, S. Allen Chambers,and Nancy B. Schwartz. What StyleIs It? A Guide to American Ar-chitecture. Washington, D.C.: Pres-ervation Press, 1983.

Rifkind, Carole. A Field Guide toAmerican Architecture. New York:New American Library, 1980.

Whiffen, Marcus. American Architec-ture Since 1780: A Guide to theStyles. Cambridge, Mass: MITPress, 1992.

Gainesville

Comprehensive Plan 1991-2001.City ofGainesville Department of Commu-nity Development ComprehensivePlanning Section, November 1991.

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National Register of Historic Places SiteFile, Pleasant Street Historic District,United States Department of the Inte-rior, National Park Service, 1991.

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National Register of Historic Places SiteFile, Northeast Residential District,United States Department of the Inte-rior, National Park Service, 1991.

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Florida Architectural History

Adams, William R. Historic Lake Wales.St. Augustine: Southern HeritagePress, 1992.

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Broward, Robert C. The Architecture ofHenry John Klutho: The PrairieSchool in Jacksonville . Jackson-ville: University of North FloridaPress, 1983.

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Cerwinske, Laura. Tropical Deco: TheArchitecture and Design of Old Mi-ami Beach. New York: Rizzoli, 1981.

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Rodriguez, Ivan A. and MargotAmmidown. From Wilderness toMetropolis: The History and Archi-tecture of Dade County (1825-1940). Miami: Dade County Officeof Community and Economic Devel-opment, Historic Preservation Divi-sion, 1982.

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Architectural GuidelinesGeneral Works

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Additions

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Masonry

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London, Mark. Masonry: How to Carefor Old and Historic Brick andStone. Washington, D.C.: ThePreservation Press, 1988.

Mack, Robert C., AIA. PreservationBriefs 1: The Cleaning and Water-proof Coating of Historic Build-ings. Washington, D.C.: U.S. De-partment of the Interior, TechnicalPreservation Services, 1975.

Mack, Robert C., AIA, de Teel PatersonTiller and James S. Askins. Preser-vation Briefs 2: Repointing MortarJoints in Historic Brick Buildings.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departmentof the Interior, Technical Preserva-tion Services, 1980.

Park, Sharon C. Preservation Briefs 16:The Use of Substitute Materials onHistoric Building Exteriors. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department ofthe Interior, Technical PreservationServices, 1988.

Smith, Baird M, AIA. Mosture Prob-lems in Historic Masonry Walls:Diagnosis and Treatment. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department ofthe Interior, Technical PreservationServices, 1988.

Tiller, de Teel Paterson. PreservationBriefs 7: The Preservation of His-toric Glazed Architectural Terra-Cotta. Washington, D.C.: U.S. De-partment of the Interior, TechnicalPreservation Services, 1979.

Mechanical Systems

Park, Sharon C. Preservation Briefs 24:Heating, Ventilating, and CoolingHistoric Buildings: Problems andRecommended Approaches. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department of theInterior, Technical Preservation Ser-vices, 1988.

Metals

Waite, John G. Preservation Briefs 27:The Maintenance and Repair of Ar-chitectural Cast Iron. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Department of the In-terior, Technical Preservation Ser-vices, n.d.

Painting

Athenaeum Library of Nineteenth Cen-tury America. Exterior Decoration:A Treatise on the Artistic Use ofColors in the Ornamentation ofBuildings, and a Series of DesignsIllustrating Different Combinationsof Colors in ConnectionwithVarious Styles of Architecture.Philadelphia: The Athenaeum ofPhiladelphia, reprinted in 1976.

Chase, Sara B. Preservation Briefs 28:Painting Historic Interiors. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the

Interior, Technical Preservation Ser-vices, 1982.

Freeman, John Crosby. “Anything Goes:An Approach to Exterior Paint ColorFor Early 20th Century Houses.”Old House Journal. (May/June1991), 37-40.

Moss, Roger. Century of Color: Exte-rior Decoration for American Build-ings, 1820-1920. Watkins Glen,New York: American Life Founda-tion, 1981.

Schwin, Lawrence. Old House Colors.New York: Sterling Publishing Com-pany, Inc., 1990.

Weeks, Kay D. and David W. Look,AIA. Preservation Briefs 10: Ex-terior Paint Problems on HistoricWoodwork. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of the Interior, Techni-cal Preservation Services, 1982.

Porches

Bock, Gordon. “Reviving Railings.” OldHouse Journal. (July/August, 1990),45-46.

Trescott, Jerry. “Restoring a PeriodPorch.” Old House Journal. (July/August, 1990), 41-44.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wilkinson, Jeff. “The Story of Porches:An American Tradition.” Old HouseJournal. (July/August, 1990), 30-40.

Roofs

Bock, Gordon. “Composition Shinglesof the 1920’s and 1930’s.” Old HouseJournal. (May/June 1990), 28-31.

Park, Sharon C. Preservation Briefs 19:The Repair and Replacement ofHistoric Wooden Shingle Roofs.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior, Technical Pres-ervation Services, 1989.

Sweetser, Sarah M. Preservation Briefs4: Roofing for Historic Buildings.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior, Technical Pres-ervation Services, 1978.

Favretti, Rudy J. Landscapes and Gar-dens for Historic Buildings. Nash-ville: American Association forState and Local History, 1978.

Signs

Auer, Michael J. Preservation Briefs 25:The Preservation of Historic Signs.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departmentof the Interior, Technical Preserva-tion Services, 1991.

Storefronts

H. Ward Jandl. Preservation Briefs 11:Rehabilitating Historic Storefronts.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior, Technical Pres-ervation Services, 1982.

Windows and Doors

Bock, Gordon. “The Sash Window Bal-ancing Act: Sash Weight and Tape-Balance Systems.” Old House Jour-nal. (September/October 1989), 31-34.

Bock, Gordon. “Stripping Paint FromWindows Without Breaking Glass.”Old House Journal. (September/October 1989), 39-40.

New York Landmarks Conservancy.Repairing Old and Historic Win-dows: A Manual for Architects andHomeowners. Washington, D.C.:The Preservation Press, 1991.

Park, Sharon C. Preservation Briefs 13:The Repair and Thermal Upgrad-ing of Historic Steel Windows .Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departmentof the Interior, Technical Preserva-tion Services, 1984.

Poore, Jonathan. “How to Fix OldDoors.” Old House Journal. (June,1986), 222-227.

U.S. Department of the Interior, NationalPark Service, and Center for Architec-tural Conservancy, Georgia Institute ofTechnology. The Window Handbook:Successful Strategies for RehabilitatingWindows in Historic Buildings. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department of theInterior, National Park Services, n.d..

Wood

Bock, Gordon. “Painting Exterior Wood.”Old House Journal. (May/June 1989)32-41.

Briscoe, Frank. “Wood Destroying In-sects.” Old House Journal. (May/June 1989) 32-41.

Myers, John H., revised by Gary H.Hume. Preservation Briefs 8: Alu-minum and Vinyl Siding on HistoricBuildings: The Appropriateness ofSubstitute Materials for Resurfac-ing Historic Wood Frame Buildings.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Departmentof the Interior, Technical Preserva-tion Services, 1984.

O’Bright, Alan. Preservation TechnicalNotes: Paint Removal from WoodSiding. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of the Interior, Preser-vation Assistance Division, 1986.

Phillips, Morgan W. and Dr. Judith E.Selwyn. Epoxies for Wood Repairsin Historic Buildings. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Department of Com-merce, National Technical Informa-tion Service, 1978.

Interiors

Fisher, Charles E. Ed. Interiors Handbookfor Historic Buildings. Washington,D.C.: National Park Service, 1988.

Flaharty, David. Preservation Briefs23: Preserving Historic Ornamen-tal Plaster. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of the Interior, Tech-nical Preservation Services, 1990.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jandl, H. Ward. Preservation Briefs 18:Rehabilitating Interiors in HistoricBuildings-Identifying Character-Defining Elements. Washington,D.C.: U.S. Department of the Inte-rior, Technical Preservation Ser-vices, 1988.

MacDonald, Marylee. PreservationBriefs 21: Repairing Historic FlatPlaster-Walls and Ceilings. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department of theInterior, Technical Preservation Ser-vices, 1989.

Moss, Roger W. Lighting for HistoricBuildings. Washington, D.C.: ThePreservation Press, 1988.

Nylander, Jane C. Fabrics for HistoricBuildings. Washington, D.C.: ThePreservation Press, 1990.

Nylander, Richard C. Wallpapers forHistoric Buildings. Rev. ed. Wash-ington, D.C.: The PreservationPress, 1992.

Schwin, Lawrence. Decorating Old HouseInteriors, American Classics, 1650-1960. New York: Sterling PublishingCompany, Inc., 1994.

Seale, William. Recreating the HistoricHouse Interior. Nashville: Ameri-can Assosciation for State and Lo-cal History, 1979.

Seale, William. The Tasteful Interlude:American Interiors Through theCamera’s Eye, 1860-1917. NewYork: Praeger Publishers, 1975.

Shivers, Natalie. Walls and Molding:How to Care for Old and HistoricWood and Plaster. Washington,D.C.: The Preservation Press, 1990.

Von Rosensteil, Helene and Gail CaskeyWinkler. Floor Coverings. Wash-ington, D.C.: The PreservationPress, 1988.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Na-tional Park Service, and HistoricPreservation Education Founda-tion. Interiors Handbook for His-toric Buildings. Washington, D.C.:Historic Preservation EducationFoundation, n.d..

Winkler, Gail Caskey and Roger W.Moss. Victorian Interior Decora-tion: American Interiors 1830-1900. New York: Henry Holt andCompany, 1986.

Handicap Asscessibility

Ballantyne, Duncan. Accomodation ofDisabled Visitors at Historic Sitesin the National Park System. Wash-ington, D.C.: U.S. Department ofInterior, National Park Service, n.d.

Parrot, Charles. Access to HistoricBuildings for the Disabled: Sug-gestions for Planning and Imple-mentation. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of Commerce, NationalTechnical Information Service, 1980.

Smith, William D. and Tara GoodwinFrier. Access to History: A Guideto Providing Access to HistoricBuildings for Persons with Dis-abilities. Boston, Massachusetts:Massachusetts Historical Commis-sion, 1989.

New Construction

Brolin, Brent C. Architecture in Context,Fitting New Buildings with Old. NewYork: Van Nostrand Reinhold Com-pany, 1980.

Moving Historic Buildings

Curtis, John Obed. Moving HistoricBuildings. Elbridge, N.Y.: Interna-tional Society of Structural Mov-ers, 1991.

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ARCHITECTURAL PERIODS

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APPENDIX 1:ARCHITECTURAL PERIODS

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The Division of Historical Resourceshas developed periods for categorizing ar-chitectural resources in Florida. They de-scribe expanses within which important de-velopments in Florida history occurred.The periods create a framework for under-standing local architectural resources andfor organizing and developing an architec-tural description of a specific area or dis-trict.

FLORIDA’S ARCHITECTURAL PERIODS

Colonial Period (1565-1821)The Colonial Period began with the Span-ish settlement of St. Augustine in 1565. TheFirst Spanish Period was highlighted bythe construction of the Castillo de SanMarcos, beginning in 1672. In 1763, Spainrelinquished Florida to Great Britain, whichruled the colony until 1784, a period en-compassing the American Revolution. Asa result of Spain’s alliance with the UnitedStates and its military occupation of Floridawest of the Suwannee River, Britain re-turned Florida to Spain in 1784, at the closeof the Revolutionary War. Spain’s subse-quent inability to populate and defend itscolony resulted in a decision to transferFlorida to the United States, which formallytook control of the new territory in 1821.

The colonial architecture of Florida re-flected the ethnic and racial diversity ofpeninsular inhabitants. It encompassedthree distinct historic periods: the FirstSpanish Period (1565-1763); the British Pe-riod (1763-1784); and the Second SpanishPeriod (1784-1821). The surviving colonialbuildings embody primarily Spanish, En-glish, and French building traditions, oftenin combination. With few exceptions, ex-tant colonial buildings are concentrated inSt. Augustine.

Searching for ways to protect them-selves from the elements and to secure re-lief from Florida’s harsh climate, colonialinhabitants experimented with indigenous

materials, methods of construction, andbuilding features. Many of the accommo-dations they made to the local environmentbecame part of the state’s architectural tra-dition.

Domestic architecture, the most com-mon type of building in colonial Florida,was functional rather than ornate. Colonialbuildings were generally constructed atstreet line with walled courtyards and doorson the south side entering from a court-yard or loggia. With the exception of hard-ware, all building materials were locally pro-duced. Wood, including heart pine, red ce-dar, and cypress, constituted the principalconstruction material in St. Augustinethroughout most of its history. Followingthe destruction of the city in 1702, use ofmasonry materials for wall construction,particularly coquina and tabby, becameprevalent.

The architectural legacy of the succeed-ing British Period can also be found in St.Augustine. The British added extra roomsor upper stories to Spanish buildings. Onnew and existing buildings, they placeddoors directly on the street, used windowglass, and constructed chimneys. Duringthe Second Spanish Period, the influenceof British building traditions remainedstrong. The reasons for the British influ-ences on the architecture of St. Augustineand East Florida were several. Buildingmaterials were imported from the United

States, the Bahamas, and other existing orformer British dominions, and the popula-tion of East Florida contained a number offormer British subjects.

Only two examples of Second SpanishPeriod architecture exist outside of St. Au-gustine. The Kingsley Plantation, locatedat the north tip of Ft. George Island in DuvalCounty, is the only example of a plantationcomplex remaining in Florida from the pe-riod. The Lavalle House, constructed c.1803 in Pensacola, is the second standingstructure remaining from the period and theonly one yet documented in West Florida.It is a wood-frame, raised Creole cottageand an excellent example of the early GulfCoast vernacular tradition.

Territorial Period (1821-1845)At the beginning of the Territorial Pe-

riod, the population of Florida was largelyconcentrated at St. Augustine andPensacola. Tallahassee, midway betweenthe two populated centers, was selected asthe territorial capital in 1823. Typical of therural South, Florida’s cash economy reliedlargely on a plantation system and accom-panying slave labor. Florida planters culti-vated cash crops such as cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco, and indigo. Most settlers,however, relied on subsistence farming.Difficulties with Indians culminated in anoutbreak of hostilities in 1835. The SecondSeminole War endured until 1842, halting

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development for a time and resulting ingreat destruction in some eastern and cen-tral parts of the Territory. Slavery came todominate national politics during the pe-riod. In 1845, the United States Congress,in order to maintain a balance between slaveand free states, admitted Florida to theUnion.

The architecture of the Territorial Pe-riod essentially expressed the building tra-ditions of settlers arriving from the Tide-water South, a coastal region stretchingfrom Virginia to Georgia. With the excep-tion of Key West, the majority of buildingsand structures associated with the periodwere located in the tier of North Floridacounties stretching from St. Johns County(St. Augustine) on the east coast throughLeon County (Tallahassee) across toEscambia County (Pensacola). Extant build-ings dating from the period include ruraland urban residences, churches, and com-mercial buildings.

Settlers from the Tidewater Southbrought with them English vernacular build-ing traditions. The most common buildingtype, the wooden dwelling house, used alog or braced frame structural system. Build-ings one-room or one-pen deep were mostcommon. These rooms could be built in amodular fashion and resulted in a numberof different types of vernacular dwellinghouses. These included the single-pen, hall

and parlor, dog-trot, and I-house. All ofthese buildings shared similar features andmethods of construction. Many featureswere adaptations to the hot, moist climateof Florida.

Another distinct vernacular dwellinghouse found in Territorial Florida, particu-larly in the coastal panhandle, was the Cre-ole Cottage. The Creole Cottage was de-veloped in Louisiana by French Canadianimmigrants with an understanding of long-span roofing techniques. These buildingshad an incised or inset porch under themain roofline, with the front wall set back.The Creole Cottage was a common dwell-ing house in West Florida during the Terri-torial and Statehood periods.

Nationally, the Greek Revival styleemerged as the major architectural style ofthe era. Carpenters, pattern books, and ar-chitects of the time popularized the design,applying it to residences, churches, banks,courthouses and other public buildings.The full-colonnaded plantation home pro-vided a common example of the style in theSouth. Even vernacular buildings incorpo-rated features of the style. Florida’s remotelocation, lack of sophisticated building ma-terials, and its relatively limited scale of ur-ban and rural architectural development re-sulted in less elaborate and ornate expres-sions of the style than appeared elsewhere.

Although not prevalent, brick came intouse in Florida during the Territorial Period.A few substantial dwelling houses and com-mercial buildings were constructed of thematerial, although it was predominatelyused on federal construction projects suchas fortifications and lighthouses.

Statehood Period (1845-1861)The Statehood Period extended from

1845, when Florida entered the Union, until1861, when it seceded from it. The popula-tion remained concentrated in the northerntier of counties. During the peaceful yearsbetween two wars, however, the construc-tion of the Florida Railroad from Fernandinato Cedar Key permitted significant settle-ment of the central peninsula. Like the restof the South, the Florida economy remainedbased on the plantation system and slavelabor. Slavery dominated national and statepolitics during the period. The period endedwith the disruption of the Union and thecommencement of the Civil War.

The architecture of the Statehood Pe-riod in many ways resembled that of theTerritorial Period. The settled areas of north,middle, and west Florida and Key West stillcontained the majority of buildings. Settle-ments reached Central Florida, particularlyMarion and Alachua counties. Extant build-ings dating from the Statehood Period wereoriginally private residences and for edu-cational, religious, transportation, commer-cial and political uses.

The Greek Revival remained the stylis-tic model for the design of many privateresidences, commercial buildings, and otherproperty types, including the state capitolin Tallahassee. The Carpenter Gothic firstappeared in Florida during the period. Itwas popularized nationally in writings andplan-books published from the 1830sthrough the 1850s by Andrew JacksonDowning, Alexander Jackson Davis, andRichard Upjohn. Characteristic of the stylewas the extensive use of sawn wood orna-mentation on the bargeboards and eavesof the roof, made possible by the inventionof the jigsaw. Upjohn’s plans were used inthe construction of Episcopal churchesfrom the Statehood Period through the restof the nineteenth century. EpiscopalChurches found in towns throughoutFlorida offer excellent examples of the style.

Wood remained the prevalent buildingmaterial and log or braced frame walls theprincipal method of constructing woodenbuildings. Commercial saw mills operatedin populated areas of Florida. They pro-duced lumber, characterized by vertical sawmarks, cut by steam or water powered re-ciprocating saws.

The construction of the Florida Rail-road from Fernandina to Cedar Key re-sulted in the development of new townsand settlements in the peninsula. The rail-road provided an efficient means of trans-porting building materials to previously in-accessible areas. Products of the industrial

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revolution, such as corrugated metal andcast iron, appeared in Florida for the firsttime as did commercially milled wood win-dows, doors, frames, shutters, and orna-ment.

New building types expressed the earlystages of a maturing state. Hotels andboarding houses were constructed in sig-nificant numbers for the first time andserved the state’s infant tourist industry.The first schools were designed and builtto educate the state’s youth. Railroad de-pots arose beside tracks in settled commu-nities. The settlement of new areas and agrowing population resulted in the needfor governmental services. The growth ofgovernment was symbolized by the con-struction of the state capitol and the firstcounty courthouses designed as such.

Civil War and Reconstruction Period(1861-1877)

In 1861 Florida seceded from the Unionand became one of eleven Confederatestates. Florida’s cattle and salt industriessupplied important provisions for thesouthern cause. The Union victory meantthe abolition of slavery and, with it, theplantation system. Although little fightingoccurred within the state, Florida’seconomy was in ruins at the end of the war.During the Reconstruction era (1865-1877),Florida’s experience mirrored that of othersouthern states. Former slaves and north-ern immigrants wielded powerful influence

over local and state politics. Production ofcotton and other plantation crops declined,eventually supplanted by citrus cultivationas the principal agricultural activity. Settle-ment of the peninsula quickened, thoughthe absence of good transportation facili-ties limited its pace. For the first time, tour-ists, seasonal residents, and invalids seek-ing relief from northern winters began ar-riving in significant numbers.

The disruptions of the Civil War pre-vented any serious or permanent construc-tion in Florida. With the exception of scat-tered fortifications, little of consequencewas built. Architecturally, the Reconstruc-tion Period that followed the war was a tran-sitional era. New methods of construction,types of buildings, and styles of architec-ture were introduced to Florida. Circularsawn-lumber became common as steampowered mills began to replace manual andreciprocating saw operations. The balloon-frame structural system was first used. Withit came standardization of board size, whichenabled relatively unskilled workers to erectframe buildings both quickly and soundly.Transportation improvements, principallysteamboating and some limited rail facili-ties, led to a wider distribution of materialssuch as brick and milled wood products inFlorida. However, much of the Florida pen-insula remained unaccessible and undevel-oped. North, middle, and west Florida con-stituted the principal settled areas.

Extant building types indicate the ini-tial stages of a maturing state. Commercialbuildings with cast-iron storefronts madetheir appearance in the 1870s. The first hos-pitals were constructed.

Buildings constructed during the pe-riod contained influences of the previousperiod and foreshadowed styles that ap-peared in the subsequent era. Elements ofthe Greek Revival style persisted. The Car-penter Gothic and the Gothic Revival in par-ticular continued to exert a significant in-fluence, especially on ecclesiastical archi-tecture, notably Episcopal churches exhib-iting the Carpenter Gothic style.

The Reconstruction Period witnessedthe early flowering of a variety of materials,methods of construction, types, and stylesof architecture in Florida that blossomed inthe succeeding era. Greek and Roman in-fluenced architecture began giving way toVictorian period designs. The Italianate ap-peared particularly on buildings con-structed of cast iron.

Post-Reconstruction Period(1877-1898)

Reconstruction ended in Florida in 1877with the withdrawal of federal armies. Fouryears later, in 1881, the State of Florida soldfour million acres of public lands to a Phila-delphia investor, Hamilton Disston, permit-ting it to resolve its internal debt problemand distribute land grants in order to pro-mote railroad development. Rail networkssoon reached all parts of the state. The railinfrastructure allowed substantial settle-ment and development of the southern por-tion of the peninsula for the first time. Rail-road development stimulated the state’seconomy, particularly tourism and citruscultivation. It was closely linked to hotelconstruction and the growth of resort com-munities throughout the peninsula. Thefirst significant industrial development oc-curred, highlighted by cigar manufacturing.

During the Post-Reconstruction pe-riod, Florida began rapidly changing froma largely undeveloped frontier to a maturestate. Florida architecture began to reflectnational trends in materials, methods ofconstruction, types of buildings and stylesof architecture. Professionally trained ar-chitects practiced in the state for the firsttime. Brick and machine-milled lumber,whose shipment was facilitated by the rap-idly expanding rail transportation network,became widely distributed. Products of theindustrial north such as sheet metal andcast iron were readily available.

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Buildings dating from the Post-Recon-struction period reflect a broad range oftypes, materials, sizes, and designs. Theyindicate a varied, diversified, and increas-ingly sophisticated society. Locatedthroughout the peninsula, their numbersparalleled the course of rail constructionalong the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Theyembody nationally popular styles, includ-ing the Italianate, Queen Anne, and Sec-ond Empire.

Transportation, particularly railroads,which lengthened across the Florida penin-sula and along the Atlantic coast, keyed thestate’s overall development. Upon comple-tion of the Florida East Coast Railway to Mi-ami in 1896, a whole new region of the stateopened to development. Railroad depotsand stations housing passengers andfreight services dotted the lines. Hotels soonfollowed. The design, materials, and con-struction techniques employed in construct-ing the hotels exceeded those used for otherbuilding types in Florida and, in the case ofthe Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotels in St.Augustine and the Tampa Bay Hotel inTampa, set new national standards. Formallytrained architects, such as John M. Carrere,Bernard Maybeck, James Renwick, and Tho-mas Hastings, were employed by hotel own-ers and wealthy northern winter residents todesign their buildings.

Industrial expansion constituted an-other key development of the Post-Recon-struction era. In Tampa, Key West, Jack-sonville, and St. Augustine cigar manufac-turing emerged as a significant industry.Cigar factories in Tampa and other Floridacities symbolized the period.

Educational facilities appeared in un-precedented numbers. With the develop-ment of rail transportation and economicand population growth, the need for gov-ernment services expanded. New countieswere created to serve the need and newcourthouses and jails followed.

Domestic architecture, particularly thatassociated with urban areas and wealthyNortherners was characterized by flamboy-ant use of decoration, irregular form, mul-tiple roof types, and a variety of materialsand colors.

Turn-of-the-Century Period/WW I(1898-1918)

The Turn-of-the-Century Period beganwith the outbreak of the Spanish-AmericanWar in 1898. Florida benefitted from the warthrough improved harbors and the billetingof large numbers of troops in many of thecoastal communities. Railroad developmentcontinued throughout the state. Introduc-tion of the automobile stimulated the begin-ning of a state road system. Improved trans-portation facilitated agricultural and indus-trial expansion and led to dramatic increasesin population and tourism. The entry of the

United States into World War I signaled theend of the period. Immigration and housingdevelopment slowed during the war, buttourism rose when the war in Europe forcedAmericans to seek vacation destinations inthis country.

Florida architecture underwent substan-tial change during the Turn-of-the-Centuryperiod. The flamboyant architecture of theVictorian era gave way to more traditional,conservative influences represented by theBeaux Arts, Colonial Revival, and ClassicalRevival styles. Also present were early ex-amples of Mediterranean influenced styles,including the Spanish Colonial Revival andItalian Renaissance, which were to comeinto full bloom during the 1920s. Contrast-ing with more traditional styles of architec-ture were the first examples of the late nine-teenth and early twentieth century Ameri-can movements, such as the Prairie School,the Commercial style, and the Bungalow.Masonry materials became commonplace,particularly in commercial areas.

Improved construction techniques, par-ticularly the use of reinforced concrete andsteel frame structural elements, resulted inthe first Florida skyscrapers in cities suchas Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa. Archi-tecture as a profession became institution-alized during the period with the foundingof the Florida Chapter of the American In-stitute of Architects in 1915.

The extant buildings in Florida identi-fied with the period occupy a wide spec-

trum of uses and styles. Social clubs, edu-cational buildings, government facilities,retail and wholesale establishments, andtransportation buildings, among others,date from the period. The development ofthe state’s southeastern counties and thesteady progress of railroad constructionalong the coastlines during the period arealso reflected in the geographic distribu-tion of buildings.

Transportation remained a key to thestate’s development. Railroad depots andstations were constructed throughoutFlorida, particularly in previously undevel-oped areas. The railroad, because of itsspeed and accessibility, supplanted ship-ping as the principal transportation sys-tem in Florida.

Industrial expansion continued duringthe Turn-of-the-Century Period. Cigarmanufacturing and citrus processing wereimportant activities. In Key West and Tar-pon Springs, sponge harvesting developedon a significant scale. Cigar factories,sponge warehouses, sponge boats, and cit-rus packing houses were significant prop-erty types associated with the period.

Educational institutions continued toexpand. The State of Florida made a signifi-cant commitment to higher education byadopting the Buckman Act, which createdthe University of Florida, Florida Agricul-tural and Mechanical University, and theFlorida State School for Women. Many ofthe original buildings of these three univer-

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sities remain. Public and private schools ofprimary, secondary, and higher educationwere constructed in unprecedented num-bers for the period. Public libraries, many ofthem funded by the Carnegie Endowment orother charitable organizations, were erectedin communities throughout the state.

Social institutions, a reflection of a ma-turing society and an improving quality oflife, proliferated. Examples of properties re-flecting the trend include fraternal organiza-tions, mutual aid societies, and women’sclubs.

With the continued development of railtransportation and economic and popula-tion growth, local government expanded.Construction of courthouses and othermunicipal and county buildings revealedthe expansion of local government duringthe period.

Domestic architecture grew more con-servative, reflecting the influence of clas-sical precedents. The Colonial Revival pro-vided a major influence, even on vernacu-lar architecture. The Bungalow dominatedresidential architecture. It represented aclear break from the preceding periodthrough its size, massing, and interior de-sign. Together with the Prairie School, itsymbolized the introduction of the EarlyModern Movement in Florida.

Mediterranean-based architecturegained popularity. Various included Span-ish, Spanish Colonial, Moorish, and ItalianRenaissance. Mediterranean-based archi-

tecture was introduced to Florida throughSt. Augustine in the Spanish RenaissanceRevival Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotelsand the Venetian Revival Flagler MemorialChurch. Spanish Colonial architecture waspopularized nationally at San Diego’sPanama-California International Expositionin 1915. In Florida, the outstanding exampleof Mediterranean architecture from the pe-riod was Villa Vizcaya, located in Miami anddesigned in the Italian Renaissance Revivalstyle. Not long after, flamboyant architectAddison Mizner began designing buildingsin an eclectic Spanish style in southeastFlorida. The first examples of the style wereapplied to large and ornate residences.However, not until the 1920s did the stylebecome widely popular.

Commercial architecture proliferatedand changed in character during the Turn-of-the Century Period. A trend toward ma-sonry building materials and innovativeconstruction techniques were major mani-festations of the change. Brick and con-crete business blocks replaced woodenstructures in communities throughoutFlorida. One of the principal reasons forthe trend toward masonry building materi-als was the actual or potential hazard offire. As was true in virtually every commu-nity in Florida, the first commercial build-ings were nearly always wood-frame, con-structed of extremely flammable pine. As aresult, fires were common, particularly incommercial areas where buildings were

close to one another. During the late nine-teenth and early twentieth centuries thebusiness districts of a number of Floridacities burned. The hazard of fire spurredthe use of masonry materials in downtownareas throughout Florida during the earlytwentieth century.

Florida Boom Period (1919-1929)Florida experienced an unprecedented

period of growth during the post WorldWar One period, known as the Florida LandBoom. Immediately upon the war’s end realestate activity quickened, soon rising to afrenzied pitch. Property values rose dra-matically. In virtually every city and townnew subdivisions were platted and lotssold and resold for quick profits. Bank de-posits swelled and droves of real estatecompanies set up shop in many towns andcities. State and county road systems ex-panded rapidly. Southeast Florida, particu-larly Miami and Palm Beach, entertainedthe most anxious activity, but few commu-nities in the state escaped the fever. The airbegan to seep out of the speculative landbubble in 1925. In August of that year theFlorida East Coast Railway announced anembargo on freight shipments to southFlorida, where ports and rail terminals wereclogged with unused building materials.Devastating hurricanes that hit southeastFlorida in 1926 and 1928 killed thousandsof people and provided a sad, closing chap-ter to an era of wild excesses, plunging the

state into economic depression. Adding tothe economic misery, an infestation of theMediterranean fruit fly devastated grovesthroughout the state in 1928.

The Florida Land Boom of the 1920swas a period of unprecedented populationgrowth, economic expansion, and buildingconstruction. The Boom was concentratedin South Florida, but few communities inthe peninsula were exempted from thespeculative fever.

Building design was strongly influ-enced by Mediterranean architecture. De-velopers and architects attempted to capi-talize upon Florida’s Spanish heritage, as itoffered a different element than English tra-ditions. Buildings large and small were de-signed in a variety of “Mediterranean Re-vival” Styles. Mediterranean Revival hasbecome a catch-all term employed in Floridato describe a building displaying featuresobviously derived from some part of theMediterranean basin. Most designs wereeclectic, and many incorporated only mini-mal features associated with Mediterra-nean architecture.

Commercial buildings in Florida con-structed at the time reflected a variety ofinfluences. Many, of course, displayed theinfluence of Mediterranean styles in de-tailing. Commercial architecture in Floridacontinued in general to employ the charac-teristics of one and two-zone compositiondeveloped at the turn of the century.

212


Materials used in construction turnedincreasingly to brick, concrete, and steel,although numerous vernacular dwellinghouses continued to employ wood frameconstruction techniques. Structural clay tilebecame common in the construction of ex-terior walls. Many buildings were con-structed of reinforced concrete. Concreteblock, often stamped with a decorative face,also came into common usage.

Before the 1920s, virtually all residen-tial development in Florida had developedorganically, largely on the basis of a grid-iron subdivision lay-out. During the 1920s,planned residential areas, which containedinnovative layouts, designated parks, set-back requirements, deed restrictions, anddesign guidelines appeared for the first time.

Depression and New Deal Period(1929-1940)

The economic decline that first struckFlorida fell within three years upon the na-tion at large, descending in full measureafter the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Between1929 and 1933, 148 state and national banksin Florida collapsed. By 1933, approximatelyone out of four Floridians was receivingsome type of public relief and assistance.As the decade wore on, relief measures ex-panded, mostly inspired by the New Dealadministration of President Franklin DelanoRoosevelt. The Works Progress Adminis-tration (WPA) provided jobs for profes-sional workers and laborers alike, oftenemploying them to construct roads andbuildings. As a result, the nation, the state,and communities by the thousands ob-tained infrastructural improvements theymight otherwise never have attempted.

Little building activity occurred duringthe initial years of the Depression decadeof the 1930s. The construction that did takeplace was largely limited to two types ofactivities: tourism and public worksprojects funded by federal programs, suchas the Works Progress Administration.Building types of the Depression and NewDeal Period context include tourist related

facilities, commercial buildings, and federal,state, and local government buildings.

Private sector development was largelyconcentrated in a few tourist oriented ar-eas, such as Miami Beach, Daytona Beachand several other coastal areas. The ArtDeco and Art Moderne began to appear inquantity and were mainly concentrated inMiami Beach.

Public works projects, particularly thosefunded by the federal government stimu-lated building construction. Numerous postoffices, courthouses, auditoriums, armor-ies, and municipal offices were constructedunder federal auspices.

As the Depression wore on, innovativemechanisms for financing housing con-struction, including federally guaranteedhome loans, were introduced. This stimu-lated home building, generally confined torelatively small houses designed for middleclass incomes. The Bungalow, Mediterra-nean Revival, and Moderne styles weremajor influences.

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214

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

215


APPENDIX 2:ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

216


217


FRAME VERNACULAR (1855-1927)

Vernacular architecture predominated inGainesville from the Territorial Period untilthe late 1920s. Vernacular buildings wereseldom designed by architects, but insteadwere produced by builders who learnedtheir trade from other carpenters havinglittle or no formal training in architecture.

Frame vernacular architecture inGainesville exhibited common features andadaptations to Florida’s warm climate. Theground plan of buildings was generallyregular and rectangular and their overallshape, boxlike, either one or two roomsdeep and two rooms wide. Frame vernacu-lar buildings generally rose only one to two-and-one-half stories.

Typical wood-frame buildings rested ona raised pier foundation, which facilitatedair flow. Exterior cladding generally con-sisted of horizontal wood boards, thoughboard and batten was not uncommon.Gable, hip, and pyramidal roofs typicallycapped frame vernacular buildings. Mostcontained generous attic spaces, which fa-cilitated interior cooling. Wooden shinglescovered the roofs of the earliest buildings.Metal surfacing appeared in the latter ofthe nineteenth century. Sash windows andpanel doors were nearly universal. En-trances were unadorned. One-story, full-facade width entrance porches and veran-das, a concession to Florida’s climate, of-ten surrounded one or more elevations.

Some porches included upper galleries andfrequently contained decorative featuressuch as jig-sawn brackets, spindles, andother woodwork.

Many frame vernacular buildings exhib-ited stylistic influences, commonly draw-ing from Colonial and Gothic Revivals, theBungalow, and the Queen Anne. Structuralsystems ranged from braced frame beforethe Civil War, balloon frame in the late Vic-torian era, to platform frame after about1910.

The following buildings typify the va-riety of form possible in the wood framevernacular house type in Gainesville.

Characteristics

• Plan: regular, rectangular; ell and irregu-lar; also common.

• Foundation: Pier: wood or tabby priorto Civil War; brick post-Civil War; con-crete block during 1920s.

• Height: one to two-and-one-half stories.

• Primary exterior material: horizontalwood siding; less common woodshingles, board and batten.

• Roof type: gable, less common hip, py-ramidal.

• Roof surfacing: wood shingles during19th century; metal during late 19th cen-tury; composition and asbestos shinglesbeginning in 1920s.

• Detailing: simple; usually jig-sawnwoodwork on porches or around eaves;corbeling on chimneys.

LOUVRED

VENTSIDE GABLE

ROOF

CROSS-GABLE

EXTENSION

VERANDA

SIMPLE

COLUMNS

BRICK PIER

FOUNDATIONOFFSET

ENTRANCE

2/2 DOUBLE-

HUNG SASH

CLAPBOARD

SIDING

Elevation drawing of the Frame Vernacular stylebuilding.

Frame Vernacular style building.

218


BRICK OR

CONCRETE PIER

FOUNDTATION

DOUBLE-HUNG

SASH WINDOWS

OFFSET ENTRANCE

DROP OR

CLAPBOARD

SIDING

Floor plan of the Shotgun style house.Typical Shotgun style house in Pleasant StreetDistrict.

Perspective drawing of the Shotgun style house.

SHOTGUN (1866-1940)

The Shotgun House in the United Statesdates to the early nineteenth century, whenblacks from Haiti introduced the style toNew Orleans and other parts of Louisiana.The Shotgun drew its name from its long,rectangular shape. Supposedly a shotgunblast would travel through the buildingwithout striking a wall. Typically one roomwide, a Shotgun might be accommodatedon a small lot or half-lot at minimal cost.Although initially concentrated in theSouth, the Shotgun House, because of itsutility and modest construction cost, be-came a common dwelling for working classblacks and whites in urban areas and inagricultural and industrial communitiesthroughout the United States.

Shotgun houses first became commonin Florida after the Civil War, when newlyfreed slaves began to establish their owncommunities and neighborhoods. The styleappeared throughout Florida in a varietyof rural and urban settings.

Freestanding and one room wide, theShotgun offers a front facade containing adoorway on one side and a window on an-other. Generally austere, many ShotgunHouses, nonetheless, feature decorativewoodwork on doors and porches and un-der eaves. Windows are often over-sizedto allow the generous play of light and air.The interior has a common plan. On the

street side is a living room. Behind the liv-ing room is a kitchen with a bedroom andbathroom at the rear. There are no interiorhallways. Each room opens to the next tomaximize living space and to keep construc-tion costs low.

Shotgun houses can be seen through-out the Pleasant Street Historic District.These houses reflect the typical details ofwood frame structures with weather boardor drop siding, set on brick or concretepiers. The houses are often two bays wideand typically three rooms deep with a doorand one window on the front facade as rep-resented by the examples at 213 N.W. 4thPlace and 113 N.W. 7th Avenue. Thesehouses have gable roof forms and wereconstructed with either asphalt shingles orv-crimp metal sheets with a shed roof ex-tending the width of the main facade. Theporches are supported by simple and mod-est wood posts. There is also an example inthe district of the “double shotgun” wheretwo shotgun houses were built together toform a two-family dwelling. These examplescan be seen at 212A-212B N.W. 7th Laneand 716-718 N.W. 2nd Street.

Characteristics

• Plan: regular, rectangular.

• Foundation: brick or block piers.

• Height: one story.

• Primary exterior material: wood: weath-erboard or drop-siding; less common,board and batten.

• Roof type: typically gable; shed roofover porch.

• Roof surfacing: wood shingles; metal,V-crimp; composition shingles.

• Detailing: simple; jig-sawn woodworkon porches, doors, or under eaves.

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Hall and Parlor style house.

HALL AND PARLOR

The hall and parlor houses representthe same period of construction as the shot-gun house. This type of house was oncecommon in both the urban and rural South.Thousands of them were found through-out the countryside and were occupied bywhite and black tenement farmers whomade a bare living from “share cropping,”delivering the land owner a certain portionof the annual crop in lieu of cash paymentfor rent. The majority of these tenementshave vanished, yet there are a few of thesehistoric structures which continue to beutilized.

The basic form of the house is typicalof the southern hall and parlor house. Thebasic structure is two rooms wide and oneroom deep. Exterior side chimneys flank thestructure and mark the ridge of the sidegable roof which is covered with v-crimpmetal sheathing. The house stands on brickpiers and has a shed roof at the porch whichextends the width of the main facade. Theporch roof is supported by simple woodposts. The exterior siding is weatherboard,and the windows are 2/2 light- double hungsashes.

This type of house could be easily ex-panded by constructing rear additions.These side gabled houses in the PleasantStreet Historic District, like the one at 406N.W. 4th Avenue and 702 N.W. 3rd Streetprobably started out as simple two-roomdwellings that were eventually enlarged asadditional space became needed. Suchstructures were often originally constructedwith a small shed or gable roof “kitchen”ell, but more substantial enlargements ofthe house were usually made at a later date.

Characteristics

• Plan: rectangular, two rooms wide andone room deep.

• Foundation: brick or block piers.

• Height: one story.

• Primary exterior material: wood: weath-erboard or drop-siding; less common,board and batten.

• Roof type: typically side gable; shedroof over porch.

• Roof surfacing: wood shingles; metal,V-crimp; composition shingles.

• Detailing: simple on porches, doors, orunder eaves

220


Elevation drawing of the Greek Revival stylebuilding.

GREEK REVIVAL (1855-1880)

Greek Revival was the dominant styleof architecture in the United States from1830 until 1860. For many Americans, it sym-bolized the United States as the spiritualsuccessor to the democratic traditions ofancient Greece. The Greek Revival was anadaptation of the classic Greek temple front,employing details from Doric, Ionic, andCorinthian orders. The Greek Revival stylewas popularized by carpenters, patternbooks, and architects. It was applied to resi-dential design and churches, banks, court-houses and other public buildings. The full-colonnaded plantation home provided acommon example of the style in the South.

Just before the Civil War, the Greek Re-vival style became an important influenceon the architecture of Gainesville. Featuresassociated with the Greek Revival stylewere frequently incorporated into the build-ings constructed in the town during the1850s. Moreover, a Greek Revival influenceis apparent in buildings constructed as lateas 1880.

These buildings were rectangular inplan with a gabled roof placed on the shorterside of the building. The gable paralleledthe street. Thus, the longer side of thebuilding faced the street and formed themain facade.

These buildings display a two-story,columned porch extending the length of afive bay facade and a centrally placed, en-trance with sidelights and transom. Win-dows are double hung-sash with a six-over-six light pattern and have a regular, sym-metrical fenestration pattern.

Lot size resulted in a second variant ofthe Greek Revival style. City lots were laid-out in various dimensions ranging fromlong, narrow lots with a narrow street front-age to larger, square lots with additionalstreet frontage. Narrow lots were commonin densely developed urban areas duringthe nineteenth century. They could not ac-commodate the length of a side-gabledbuilding without the purchase of additionallots. As a result “temple front” houses,those with a pedimented gable facing thestreet, were also popular.

They often have two-story porches, fullpediments and entrances with transom andsidelights. Their entrances are offset in athree-bay facade. The offset entrance is avariation of a style that typically empha-sized symmetry.

Characteristics

• Plan: regular, rectangular or nearlysquare.

• Foundation: brick or other masonrypiers.

• Height: one to two-and-one-half stories.

• Primary exterior material: horizontalwood siding.

• Roof type: hip or gable.

• Roof surfacing: wooden shingles (origi-nal); sheet metal or shingles; composi-tion, shingles.

• Detailing: classically derived columns,balustrades, modillions, dentils. En-trance detailing—transom, sidelights,fanlights—common. Entry porch or full-width porch supported by square orround columns. Cornice line emphasizedwith wide band of trim.

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DECORATIVE

VERGEBOARD

TOWER

TURNED

POSTS

MULTIPLE

ROOF PANES

MULTI-PANED

UPPER SASH

MULTIPLE

WALL

FABRICSSPNDLE-

WORK

Elevation drawing of the Queen Anne style building.

Queen Anne style building in Southeast District.

QUEEN ANNE (1880-1910)

Another style found in Gainesville isthe Queen Anne. The Queen Anne style,arguably the most picturesque of late nine-teenth American domestic styles, exhibiteda variety of forms, textures, colors, and ma-terials. Steep gables, towers, dormers, bal-conies, and verandahs further enrich thestyle.

Popularized in England by architect Ri-chard Norman Shaw, the style appeared firstin England, but developed a distinctivecharacter in the United States. The namegiven to the style was inappropriate, forthe precedents they used had little to dowith the formal Renaissance architecturalforms dominant during the reign of QueenAnne (1707-1714). The style was introducedto the American public at the 1876 Centen-nial Exposition in Philadelphia and gainedwide publicity in illustrations, press reports,pattern books, and popular magazines suchas Architecture and Building News. Ameri-can architects and builders took a fancy tothe style, which reached its apogee in the1880s and 1890s.

The Queen Anne in Florida was exclu-sively applied to residential buildings. Itspread rapidly throughout the state duringthe 1880s and 1890s following the con-struction of rail lines, which facilitated thetransportation of ornamental millwork andother elements of the style. The style ex-erted great influence on vernacular build-ings. Although it declined in popularity af-ter 1900, examples can be found as late as1910.

The Queen Anne style was popularfrom the mid-1880s until 1910. The stylebecame fashionable to the point that manyhomeowners incorporated its identifyingfeatures into existing structures. Turrets,porches, and bay windows were attachedto residences, totally changing their size,plan, massing and materials.

The best example of the Queen Annestyle in Gainesville is seen in the Northeastand Southeast Historic Districts.

Characteristics

• Plan: irregular.

• Foundation: piers, brick.

• Height: two to two-and-one-half stories.

• Primary exterior material: various: hori-zontal wood siding, shingles.

• Roof type: multi-planed, gable most com-mon; towers, gables, turrets commonsecondary roof structures.

• Roof surfacing: sheet metal, embossed;composition, asbestos shingles.

• Detailing: A variety of woodwork, in-cluding finial, pendants, brackets, scroll-work, trusses, verge boards, panels; avariety of textures, fish scale, othershingles; and variety of color.

222


WOOD SHINGLE

SIDING

VERANDA

POLYGONAL

BAY

ASYMMETRICAL FACADE

DIAMOND PANE

WINDOWS

Elevation drawing of the Shingle style building.

Elevation of the Shingle style building in NortheastDistrict.

SHINGLE (1880-1900)

The Shingle style found its widestpopularity in the Northeastern United Statesbetween 1880 and 1900. The first exampleswere designed by some of the most promi-nent architects of the late nineteenth cen-tury, including Henry Hobson Richardsonand the firm of McKim, Mead, and White,as summer residences for wealthy clients.From this fashionable base, well publicizedin contemporary architectural magazines,the style spread throughout the country.Shingle style designs drew heavily uponQueen Anne, Colonial Revival, andRichardsonian Romanesque precedents.From the Queen Anne it borrowed wideporches, shingle surfaces, and asymmetri-cal forms. From the Colonial Revival stylecame the often used gambrel roofs, classi-cal columns, and Palladian windows.Adapted from the Richardsonian Ro-manesque was the emphasis on irregular,sculpted shapes, Romanesque arches, and,in some examples, stone lower stories.

There are relatively few surviving ex-amples of Shingle style residences inFlorida. The examples that have survivedwere generally built by wealthy winter resi-dents from the Northeast where the stylewas most prevalent.

Identifying features of the shingle styleare irregular roof planes most often brokenby a series of dormers; cross-gable andcross-hip roof extensions; polygonal bays;unpainted wood shingle exterior fabric;palladian and double-hung sash windowswith multi-pane upper sashes and singlepane lower sashes; and wide verandahs.

Characteristics


• Foundation: piers, brick.

• Height: two-and-one-half stories.

• Primary exterior material: shingles.

• Roof type: multi-planed gable most com-mon, with secondary roof structuressuch as dormers and cross gables.

• Roof surfacing: wood shingles (origi-nal); pressed metal; compositionshingles.

• Detailing: unpainted wood shingle ex-terior finish; full facade width porch of-ten wrapping around the sides of thebuilding; irregular plan and massing;palladian and double-hung sash win-dows with multi-pane upper sashes andsingle pane lower sashes.

223


STEEPLY-PITCHED

SIDE GABLE ROOFCENTER GABLE

EXTENSION

DECORATIVE

BRACKETSORNAMENTAL

SPINDLEWORK

DOUBLE-HUNG

SASH WINDOWS

DOUBLE-DOOR

WITH TRANSOM

Elevation drawing of the Gothic Revival stylebuilding.

Elevation of the Gothic Revival style building.

GOTHIC REVIVAL (1880-1920)

The Gothic Revival style achievedpopularity in the United States between 1840and 1870. Nonetheless, it remained a fa-vored building style for religious and edu-cational buildings, including those inFlorida, well into the twentieth century.Several variations, including the CarpenterGothic and the Collegiate Gothic, material-ized. Architect Andrew Jackson Downing,said to have built the first example inAmerica in 1832, later produced severalpattern books in which he illustrated thestyle’s appropriateness for modest domes-tic designs. Downing’s efforts to popular-ize the Gothic helped to make it one of thedominant building styles of the day. Car-penter Gothic, a peculiarly American ver-sion of the Gothic Revival, was popular-ized nationally in the writings and architec-tural pattern books of Downing, AlexanderJackson Davis, and Richard Upjohn, pub-lished in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s.

During the post-Civil War era, from the1870s until the early 1890s, the Gothic Re-vival was a significant influence on the resi-dential and ecclesiastical architecture ofGainesville. Gothic Revival features can beseen on a number of residential buildings.

Two residences in the Northeast Dis-trict have steeply pitched roofs with a cen-tered gable, small gable crowns, and rem-nants of crossbracing under their eaves.At one time their designs mirrored eachother.

A residence within the Southeast Dis-trict has Gothic Revival features, includingdecorative vergeboards and flattenedarches spanning the distance between itsporch supports. A number of houses havesuch elements as a steeply pitched roof.

The Gothic Revival was also frequentlyassociated with ecclesiastical architecture,a carry-over from the Middle Ages whenthe Gothic was the stylistic model forchurches.

Characteristics

• Plan: rectangular or ell.

• Foundation: brick piers.

• Height: one-and-one-half to two-and-one-half stories.

• Primary exterior material: wood: boardand batten, shingles, weatherboard; lessfrequently stone.

• Roof type: steep-pitched gable.

• Roof surfacing: wooden shingles (origi-nal); ornamental metal; compositionshingles.

• Detailing: prominent gables, oriel win-dows, massive chimneys, pointed ellip-tical arch, towers and battlements,crenelation, jig-sawn trim on eaves,gable end, leaded stain glass.

224


Elevation drawing of the Colonial Revival stylebuilding.

DOUBLE-

HUNG SASH

FANLIGHT AND

SIDELIGHT

SPLAYED ARCH

AND KEYSTONE

DOOR SURROUND

LINTEL

WINDOW

WORKING

SHUTTERS

OCTAGONAL

WINDOW

SYMMETRICAL

FACADE

CORNER

BOARD

COLONIAL REVIVAL (1900-1927)

The Colonial Revival style traces its ori-gins to the 1876 Philadelphia CentennialExposition, where many of the exhibit build-ings sought to revive and interpret histori-cal “colonial” types. Publicity surround-ing appeals for the preservation of OldSouth Church in Boston and Mount Vernonappeared simultaneously in periodicals ofthe day. About the same time, a series ofarticles about eighteenth century Ameri-can architecture were published in periodi-cals such as American Architect, New YorkSketchbook of Architecture, and Harper’sMonthly Magazine.

Colonial Revival buildings, rich in bor-rowed details, reflected the classical tradi-tion that produced designs now known as“Georgian,” “Federal,” and “Jeffersonian.”Interiors were often integrated with exteri-ors through the application of Colonial de-tails to major rooms and addition of fea-tures such as staircases and fireplaces.

The Colonial Revival style becamepopular at the turn of the century. In Floridait exerted a strong influence on vernaculararchitecture. Colonial Revival style build-ings, generally residences, rose two to two-and-one-half stories in height. They dis-played symmetrical massing, exhibited a tallhip roof and hip dormers, and usually con-tained a one-story full facade entranceporch or verandah.

The Colonial Revival style in Gaines-ville is seen throughout the Northeast andSoutheast Historic Districts. Residences inthis style are based mainly on Georgian andAdam precedents but lack the extensiveand distinctive articulation of form typicalof the better examples of Colonial Revivalhouses. The houses in the district are gen-erally two stories in height and have ahipped or pyramidal roof and a large hippeddormer facing the street. The overall boxlike appearance of the structure may be re-lieved by a hipped porch or verandah sup-ported by columns.

Little ornament was used on ColonialRevival houses in the district. Straight-headed, 1/1 light windows were common.The hipped roof usually has a wide soffit,and the employment of columns, particu-larly Tuscan and Ionic, is common. Occa-sionally, one also encounters faceted bays.The 2/2 light windows with broken pedi-ments, however, derive from Italianate andClassical Revival precedents rather thanColonial Revival.

Characteristics


• Foundation: brick piers or continuousbrick.


• Primary exterior material: horizontalwood siding, shingles.

• Roof type: hip; hip dormers frequent sec-ondary roof type.

• Roof surfacing: embossed sheet metalor shingles; composition, asbestosshingles.

• Detailing: classically derived—columns,balustrades, modillions, dentils. En-trance detailing—transom, sidelights,fanlights, ornamental woodwork—com-mon.

225


Elevation drawing of the Classical Revival stylebuilding.

FULL-HEIGHT

PEDIMENTED PORTICO

MODILLIONS

6/9 DOUBLE-

HUNG SASH

BROKEN PEDIMENT

WITH URN FINIAL

END

CHIMNEY

SPLAYED

ARCH

LINTEL

BRICK

SILL

CASEMENT

WINDOW

OVAL

WINDOW

CLASSICAL REVIVAL (1920S)

Classical Revival, also known as Neo-classical, resulted from an adaptation of theGreek temple front and other details to avariety of structures. The Classical Revivalprovided a more subdued alternative to theBeaux Arts, which featured ostentatious,sculptured ornament and highly decoratedmoldings. Classical Revival was frequentlyassociated with major public buildings andprivate residences designed by formallytrained architects.

In Florida the Classical Revival wasfound on a variety of building types. Al-though scattered examples of the style inFlorida date to the 1890s, it did not becomecommon until the following decade. Manyof the earliest examples consisted of largeprivate residences and estates. Whitehall,in Palm Beach, designed in 1901 by the NewYork firm of Carrere and Hastings as a win-ter home for Henry Flagler, provides a mostnotable example. Over the next several de-cades the Classical Revival exerted a majorinfluence on the design of public buildingssuch as courthouses and commercial build-ings, particularly banks. Only occasionallydid the style appear in middle and upperclass residential neighborhoods.

Characteristics


• Foundation: piers or continuous, brickor concrete.


• Primary exterior material: horizontalwood siding; smooth masonry.

• Roof type: low-pitched hip or flat with abalustrade.

• Roof surfacing: embossed sheet metalor metal shingles; composition, asbes-tos shingles; built-up on flat roofs.

• Detailing: classically derived; full-facadeheight ionic columns, balustrades, me-dallions, dentulous. Entrance detail-ing—transom, sidelights, ornamentalwoodwork—common. Interiors: moldedplaster cornices, urns, swags, wainscot-ting, French doors.

226


PARAPETCOPING

BARREL TILE

PENT ROOF

STUCCO

EXTERIOR

FABRIC

ARCHED

ENTRANCE

CASEMENT

WINDOWS

BLIND

ARCH

ARCHED

WING WALL

Elevation drawing of the Mediterranean stylebuilding.

Mediterranean style building in Northeast District.

MEDITERRANEAN INFLUENCE(1910-1927)

Spanish and other Mediterranean-influ-enced styles were most common in Califor-nia, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, andFlorida, states with a tradition of Spanishcolonial architecture. The principal Medi-terranean-derived styles were Italian Re-naissance, Mission, and Spanish ColonialRevival. These revival styles date to the1880s. Spanish Revival architecture, popu-larized at the 1915 Panama-California Inter-national Exposition in San Diego, sweptthrough California, the southwest, andFlorida within a few years.

Florida’s Spanish heritage and semi-tropical climate favored use of Mediterra-nean designs. The roots of Mediterranean-influenced architecture in Florida can betraced to the Spanish, Italian Renaissance,and Moorish Revival hotels and churchesin St. Augustine developed by HenryFlagler and others during the 1880s. Themost important early twentieth centuryMediterranean building in Florida was VillaVizcaya in Miami, drawn from Italian prece-dents. One of the most significant archi-tects associated with Mediterranean-influ-enced architecture was Addison Mizner,who used the design to create a distinctiveurban look in cities like Palm Beach andBoca Raton.

During the great Florida land boom ofthe 1920s, architects and builders appliedSpanish, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mis-sion, and other Mediterranean-influenceddesigns to a wide spectrum of buildings.Developers attached Spanish and Italiannames to towns, subdivisions and streetsand created whole communities aroundMediterranean themes. Although the term“Mediterranean Revival” is indiscrimi-nately applied to all buildings with featuresderived from Mediterranean architecture,many, particularly those designed by ar-chitects, were consciously modeled on for-mal styles.

Gainesville has only a limited numberof buildings constructed in these styles.

Characteristics


• Foundation: continuous.

• Height: two stories.

• Primary exterior material: stucco.

• Roof type: hip roof; flat with curvilinearparapet (Mission).

• Roof surfacing: barrel, French interlock-ing tile.

• Detailing: plaster and terra cotta detail-ing highlighting arches, columns, win-dow surrounds, cornices, and parapets;wrought iron grilles, balconies, andbalconets.

227


CURVILINEAR

PARAPET

PORTE COCHERE

STUCCO

EXTERIOR

FABRIC

CURVILINEAR

PARAPETTED

WALL DORMER

BARREL TILE

ROOF SURFACING

FLAT ROOF

ENTRANCE PORCH

Elevation drawing of the Mission style building.

Elevation of a Mission style building in NortheastDistrict.

MISSION (1910-1927)

The Mission style originated in Cali-fornia during the 1880s and 1890s in re-sponse to increased interest in that state’scolonial Spanish heritage, particularly theecclesiastical architecture of the Franciscanmissions. The style was widely popular-ized when the Santa Fe and Southern Pa-cific railroads applied it to railroad stationsand hotels throughout their systems. Whileauthentic reproductions were scarce, mostMission buildings incorporate such dis-tinctive elements of the style as a shapedparapet, quatrefoil window, and bell tower.

The Mission style became popular inFlorida during the Land Boom of the 1920s.It is associated with a wide variety of build-ings in Florida, including churches, trainstations, government buildings and privateresidences. Elements of the style, particu-larly the shaped parapet and the quatrefoilwindow, are frequently found on less for-mally designed buildings

Characteristics





• Roof type: flat with shaped parapet;towers.

• Roof surfacing: barrel tile.

• Detailing: plaster and terra cotta detail-ing; quatrefoil windows.

228


CERAMIC TILE

ROOF SURFACING

PAIRED

BRACKETS

RECESSED

ENTRANCE

BALCONETTE

SUN

PORCH

FANLIGHT

PORTE COCHERE

Elevation drawing of the Italian Renaissance stylebuilding.

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE (1910)

The Italian Renaissance or RenaissanceRevival style remained in vogue through-out the United States from the 1880sthrough the 1920s. It drew its inspirationfrom the Italian Renaissance palaces andestates of Florence, Venice, and Rome. Thestyle was applied to a variety of buildingtypes, including private residences andcommercial buildings. Initially restricted tohigh quality buildings designed by promi-nent architects, the Italian Renaissancebecame more widespread after the turn ofthe century with the improvement of simu-lated masonry exterior materials. Its usecontinued until the Great Depression.

Characteristics


• Foundation: continuous, concrete.

• Height: two to four stories.

• Primary exterior material: buff brick;stone; stucco.

• Roof type: low pitched, hip-type witheaves.

• Roof surfacing: interlocking tile.

• Detailing: broad overhanging roof withboxed eaves supported by decorativebrackets; roof surfaced by terra cottatile; arched doors, windows, or porches;upper story windows smaller and lessdetailed than windows below; entranceaccented by small classical columns orpilasters; quoins; pedimented windows;classical door surrounds; belt courses;rusticated first story.

Although Florida contains fine ex-amples of the Italian Renaissance style, itdid not match the popularity of contempo-rary Spanish styles. Most of the state’s Ital-ian Renaissance style buildings were builtin the decade preceding the collapse of theFlorida Land Boom in 1926. The prototypeof the style in Florida was Vizcaya, theJames Deering Estate, built between 1914and 1916. Designed as a replica of a Renais-sance palace, Vizcaya embodied a fully inte-grated application of the style, including in-teriors and extensive formal gardens.

229


DECORATIVE

HALF-TIMBERING

DIAMOND

WINDOW

STUCCO

WALL FABRIC

ARCHED

CASEMENT

WINDOW

FRONT END

CHIMNEY

RECESSED ARCHED

ENTRANCE

STEEPLY-

PITCHED

GABLE

ROOF

Elevation drawing of the Tudor style building.

Elevation of the Tudor style building in NortheastDistrict.

TUDOR (1920S)

The Tudor style was loosely based ona variety of late Medieval English proto-types. The American expression of the Tu-dor emphasized steeply pitched, front-fac-ing gables, which were almost universallypresent as a dominant facade element.Many Tudor style buildings feature orna-mental half-timbering, executed in stucco,masonry, or masonry veneered walls. Un-common before World War I, the Tudor latergained favor when masonry veneering tech-niques allowed even the most modest ex-amples to mimic closely the brick and stoneexteriors seen on English prototypes. Thestyle was confined almost exclusively toprivate residences. They ranged from largeestates, designed by professionally trainedarchitects, to modest dwellings that prolif-erated in middle class subdivisions duringthe 1920s.

The application of the Tudor style inFlorida followed national trends. Nearly allexamples of the style were found on pri-vate residences. Most date from the 1920s,when middle and upper class residential

suburbs proliferated. Many of the earliestand best examples were professionally de-signed and reasonably accurate expressionsof the features and materials of the style.Subsequent examples tended to be smaller,more modest, and less detailed as the stylewas applied to middle-class houses duringthe mid-to-late twenties.

The best examples of the Tudor Revivalin Gainesville are in the Northeast District.Characteristic of the style, the buildingsfeature steeply-pitched roofs with a domi-nating cross gable, tall, narrow casementwindows, and massive chimneys.

Characteristics


• Foundation: continuous brick.


• Primary exterior material: brick, firststory; stucco and wood, second story(half-timbering).

• Roof type: gable.

• Roof surfacing: composition shingles.

• Detailing: half-timbering; prominentgables, oriel windows, massive chim-neys, pointed elliptical arch.

230


MASONRY

COPING

CORNER

PIVOT

WINDOWS

ROUNDED

CORNER

CANTILEVERED

OVERHANG

STUCCO

SIDING

Elevation drawing of the Art Moderne style building.

Elevation of the Art Moderne style building on MainStreet.

ART MODERNE (1935)

The Art Moderne style, like the ArtDeco and International styles, broke fromthe past. The style gained favor in theUnited States shortly after 1930, when in-dustrial designs began to exhibit stream-lined shapes. The idea of rounded cornersto make automobiles and airplanes moreaerodynamic was applied to kitchen appli-ances, jewelry, and many other productswhere function was less important thanform.

Characteristics



• Height: one to three stories.


• Roof type: flat, with parapet.

• Roof surfacing: built-up.

• Ornamentation/significant features:Asymmetrical facade; rounded corners;horizontal grooves or lines in walls; hori-zontal balustrade elements; parapet,usually with coping at the roof line.

Like Art Deco, Art Moderne buildingsin Florida were located in coastal commu-nities where tourism remained popular dur-ing the Great Depression. Art Moderne wasusually applied to commercial and apart-ment buildings. Private residences exhibit-ing the Art Moderne style were less com-mon.

Art Moderne styling is expressedthrough a flat roof, glass block windows,horizontal grooves, and cantilevered over-hangs with rounded corners to emphasizethe streamline effect.

231


PARAPET

COPINGTRANSOM

SILL

CORNICE

DISPLAY WINDOW KICK PANELS

Elevation drawing of the Commercial style building.

Commercial style building in Pleasant StreetResidential District.

COMMERCIAL (1873-1927)

Design of commercial buildings inGainesville mirrored national trends. Na-tionally, commercial buildings as a distinctproperty type developed during the mid-nineteenth century. They housed a varietyof uses, such as offices, banks, hotels, andtheatres, but most commonly functionedas retail stores.

To exploit land value, commercial build-ings were attached and designed to covermost of the lot. The side walls of one com-mercial building often formed party wallswith adjacent buildings. Most commercialbuildings were rectangular in plan. A nar-row elevation, facing the street, became thefocal point, providing the building’s iden-tifying features. Facades were organizedinto distinct zones, commonly containingone or two parts.

The one-part facade generally was one-story in height. It was formed by a struc-tural framework consisting of columns,bulkheads or kick-panels, and a cornicetopped by a parapet. Large, show windowswere generally placed within this frameworkto display merchandise and light the inte-rior. The wall area between windows andcornice provided a place for advertising andmade the facade appear taller. This frame-work formed a basic compositional arrange-ment. Materials, doors and windows, anddecorative and stylistic details constitutedsecondary characteristics that could be or-ganized in a variety of ways.

The two-part commercial block was amulti-story building, organized into upperand lower zones. The design of the lowerzone was essentially the same as the one-part facade. The upper zone often providedspace for private uses, including apart-ments, offices, hotel rooms, and meetinghalls.

One and two-zone commercial build-ings employed a variety of materials andstyles. The application of cast iron onstorefronts, architectural features, and de-tails began in the 1870s. Ornamental metalwas often applied to ceilings and side-wallsand on exterior walls, providing decorationand sheathing.

Following the Civil War, brick becamereadily available in Gainesville. Brick foundrising use in constructing commercial build-ings because of its resistance to fire. Orna-mentation was simple, usually decorativebrick work, such as corbeling. Roofs wereusually flat built-up types with parapet. Themajority of commercial buildings downtownexhibit some stylistic features.

Characteristics


• Foundation: continuous or slab (com-mercial) brick or concrete.

• Height: one-three stories.

• Primary exterior material: brick, commonor running bond; stucco, rough texture.

• Roof type: flat with parapet.


• Details: simple; usually cast-concrete orornamental brick such as corbeling; cast-iron; architectural metal.

232


Elevation drawing of the Masonry Vernacular stylebuilding.

Elevation of the Masonry Vernacular style buildingin Pleasant Street District.

MASONRY VERNACULAR (1821-1940)

Before the Civil War masonry construc-tion was far less common in Florida thanwood framing. Brick, the most commonmasonry material in the United States, wasnot readily available because of a sparsityof clay in the state and poor transportationfacilities. Contractors for federal structuresin Florida, including fortifications, light-houses, and arsenals, imported brick fromother states for their works. Most privatelyowned brick buildings were residences.Brick construction usually consisted offired brick in an English or common bondpattern. The most common wall dimensionswere eight or twelve inches. Coquina wasused as a construction material in St. Au-gustine and scattered to east coast loca-tions.

Following the Civil War, brick becamemore readily available, particularly in the1880s, as rail networks began to penetratethe Florida peninsula. Because of its fire-resistant qualities, brick was often em-ployed in constructing commercial build-ings. Many commercial areas were rebuiltin brick after fires destroyed the originalframe structures. Such commercial build-ings generally rose one or two stories inheight and exhibited fixed glass storefronts.Ornamentation consisted of simple detail-ing, usually cast concrete applications or

decorative brick work, such as corbeling.Roofs were usually flat, built-up types withparapet. Poured concrete buildings firstappeared in St. Augustine during the 1880s.

After 1900 new colors and textures ofbrick were introduced. In addition to com-mercial buildings, brick was increasinglyused on a variety of buildings, includingprivate residences, apartments, schools,and governmental buildings. Beginning inthe 1920s, two new masonry materials, hol-low tile and concrete block, became widelyused. These new materials were as strongas fired brick, but were lighter and cheaper.In later years, concrete block almost exclu-sively replaced brick as a structural mate-rial. During the 1920s, brick was frequentlyused as a veneer in combination with ma-sonry or frame interior walls on a variety ofbuildings.

Characteristics


• Foundation: continuous or slab (com-mercial), brick or concrete.

• Height: one-two stories (apartments);one-two stories (commercial).

• Primary exterior material: brick, commonor running bond; stucco, rough texture;concrete block, rusticated rock-faced.

• Roof type: hip; flat with parapet (com-mercial).

• Roof surfacing: composition shingles;built-up, commercial.

• Ornamentation: simple; usually cast-concrete or ornamental brick such ascorbeling.

233


Elevation drawing of the Second Empire stylebuilding.

Second Empire style building in Southeast District.

SECOND EMPIRE (1870-1907)

French in origin, the Second Empire de-rived its name from the Second Empire ofNapoleon III (1852-1870), rising to popularityin the United States during the immediatepost-Civil War period. It is often referred toas the “General Grant Style” because of itsassociation with the presidency of PresidentUlysses S. Grant (1869-1877).

Few examples of the Second Empirestyle exist in Florida. They are generallylimited to residential buildings. By the late1880s, the popularity of the style had de-clined, although examples can be found inthe state as late as 1907.

The defining feature of the Second Em-pire style is the Mansard roof, double-pitched and four-sided, with dormers pro-jecting from the lower, steeply-pitched sec-tion. This type of roof was functional be-

cause it permitted an attic story of usablespace without the mass of a full upper story.Because of their utility, mansard roofs werefrequently applied to existing as well as tonew buildings. Other features frequently as-sociated with the Second Empire style areprominent projecting and receding surfaces,paired columns, a projecting central bay,classical pediments and balustrades, win-dows flanked by columns or pilasters,arched windows with pediments and moldedsurrounds, and tall first-floor windows.

Characteristics

• Plan: rectangular or ell.

• Foundation: brick piers.


• Primary exterior material: wood: weath-erboard; less frequently stone.

• Roof type: Mansard.

• Roof surfacing: wooden shingles (origi-nally); metal; composition shingles.

• Detailing: eaves with decorative brack-ets; classical pediments and balustrades;arched windows with pediments andmolded surrounds; cast-iron cresting.

234


ELABORATE

CORNICE

EXTENSIVE

APPLIED

ORNAMENT

GROUPED

WINDOWS

RAISED

FOUNDATION

RECESSED

PANELS

CENTRAL

BAY ESTENSION

BALCONY

Elevation drawing of the Beaux Arts style building.

Elevation of the Beaux Arts style building.

BEAUX ARTS (1900-1930)

The Beaux Arts (fine art) style emergedas a popular choice of wealthy Americansfor grand residences during the late nine-teenth and early twentieth centuries. Basedon classical precedents, the style drew fromall of the classical revivals. The high costof executing the highly decorative BeauxArts design relegated it almost exclusivelyto people of wealth, until scaled down ver-sions with less ornamentation appeared atthe turn of the century. American architectswho studied at the Ecole de Beaux Arts inParis during the latter half of the nineteenthcentury introduced the style to the UnitedStates. Their number included RichardMorris Hunt, Louis Sullivan, H. H.Richardson, John Mervin Carrere, andThomas Hastings. Confined essentially tomajor urban centers, the style eventuallybecame popular as a commercial design.

Florida contains few domestic examplesof the Beaux Arts style. It was, however,often applied to banks, government build-ings, and social clubs during the decadebefore the collapse of the Florida land boomin 1926. Many of the best examples arefound in Tampa and Hillsborough County,where the Centro Asturiano, the CirculoCubano de Tampa, Tampa City Hall, andthe Hillsborough State Bank at Plant Cityembody the style.

Identifying features of the style includeflat roofs; elaborate cornices; symmetricalfacade with bays divided by pilasters withclassical capitals; masonry walls adornedwith decorative garlands, floral patterns,or shields; rusticated stonework; andquoins.

Characteristics



• Height: two to two-and-one-half stories

• Primary exterior material: smooth ma-sonry.

• Roof type: flat or low-pitched hip; man-sard.

• Roof surfacing: composition, asbestosshingles, built-up.

• Detailing: rusticated stonework at firstfloor level; wall surfaces with decorativegarlands, floral patterns or shields;quoins, pilasters or columns, usuallypaired with Ionic or Corinthian columns.

235


Elevation drawing of the Monterey style building.

Monterey style building in Northeast District.

MONTEREY (1925-1940)

The Monterey style was derived fromthe Spanish Colonial and American territo-rial period architecture of northern Califor-nia. The resulting buildings combinedstucco exterior finishes with traditionalEnglish massed plan forms brought to Cali-fornia by settlers from the United States.Scattered examples of the style were con-structed in suburbs throughout the UnitedStates during the second quarter of thetwentieth century.

In Florida, the Monterey style nevergained wide popularity. The style was ap-plied principally to residential housing inmiddle class subdivisions.

Distinctive features of the Montereystyle included a low-pitched gable roof, across gable, and a second story balcony,usually cantilevered and covered by theprincipal roof. Exterior materials includedwood shingles, tile, stucco, and weather-board. The first and second stories fre-quently had different materials such aswood above brick, the most common appli-cation. Door and window surrounds oftenreflected Territorial examples of SpanishColonial antecedents.

Characteristics

• Plan: ell.

• Foundation: continuous, masonry.


• Primary exterior material: stucco; wood,weatherboard .

• Roof type: low-pitched gable roof cov-ering cantilevered, second story bal-cony.

• Roof surfacing: wood shingles or claytile.

• Detailing: wood or stucco exterior fin-ish, frequently in combination; secondstory porch, usually cantilevered andcovered by principal roof; door and win-dow surrounds absent or of simple Co-lonial form; full length windows open-ing onto balcony.

236


HIP DORMER

COLU

CONTINUOUS

BRICK FOUNDAT

EMENT

DOWS

MASO

Elevation drawing of the Prairie style building.

Elevation of the Prairie style building in NortheastDistrict.

PRAIRIE (1909-1920)

The Prairie style, which emerged in theAmerican Midwest at the beginning of thetwentieth century, borrowed largely fromJapanese design and the English Arts andCrafts movement. It grew from the inspira-tion of Frank Lloyd Wright in reactionagainst the formalism and historicism of theBeaux Arts and other classical styles thatdominated American architecture at theturn-of-the-century. The Prairie Schoolemphasized horizontal lines, low-pitchedroofs, bands of windows, and unity be-tween house and landscape. Because ofits horizontal emphasis, the style waslargely applied to residential architecture,although examples can be found on a vari-ety of other building types.

In Florida, the Prairie style was almostexclusively a residential design. The archi-tect most closely associated with the Prai-rie style in Florida was Henry John Klutho,a native of Illinois, who moved to Jackson-ville after a great fire in 1901 to lead thecity’s architectural rebirth. Other Floridaarchitects soon adopted the style and ap-plied it well into the 1920s. Less formal ex-amples were popularized by builders, maga-zines, and pattern books. Jacksonville maycontain more Prairie style-influenced archi-tecture than any city outside the Midwest,but fine examples can also be found in Or-lando, Tampa, and other Florida towns andcities.

The Prairie style was characterized by alow pitched hipped roof, with wide over-hanging eaves. Eaves, cornices, and facadedetailing emphasized horizontal lines. Tallcasement windows that revealed geomet-ric patterns of small-pane glazing providedlight. Decorative detail included floral, cir-cular, and angular geometric patterns ap-plied to capitals, cornices, and door sur-rounds.

Characteristics





• Roof type: low-pitched hip roof withwide, projecting eaves; also swept-backgable with peak projecting farther thanlower edges.


• Detailing: geometric detailing: leadedpanes or lights in windows; wrought-iron railings, grills; column capitals andcornices; pediments; fascia; cast-metalbrackets; Florid, Sullivanesque orna-ment.

237


GABLE-OVER

GABLE ROOF

WOOD SHINGLES

TRUNCATED

COLUMNS

BATTERED

BRICK PIERS

EXPOSED

BEAMS

KNEE WALL

END

CHIMNEY

CHIMNEY

CAP

VERTICAL PANE

DOUBLE-HUNG

SASH WINDOW

BRICK PIER

FOUNDATION

LATTICE

INFILL

Elevation drawing of the Bungalow style building.

Bungalow style house in Pleasant Street District.

BUNGALOW (1910-1940)

The Bungalow arrived in the UnitedStates as an import from East Asia. A lowhouse with generous porches, it originatedas a wayside shelter for British travelers inIndia during the eighteenth and nineteenthcenturies. While the origin of the wordBungalow and some of its design featurescame from India, the Japanese providedmany of its details. Techniques of Japa-nese construction exhibited at late nine-teenth century American expositions, par-ticularly the extensive display of structuralmembers and the interplay of angles andplanes, became integral parts of Bungalowdesign.

During the first three decades of thetwentieth century, the Bungalow becamethe most common style of residential archi-tecture in the United States. The earliestAmerican Bungalows appeared in the1890s, but the style’s popularity expandedafter the turn of the century when plansbegan to appear in such publications asBungalow Magazine and The Craftsman.Bungalows came in various shapes andforms, but small size, simplicity, andeconomy generally characterized the style.

Florida Bungalows appeared in severalforms. The more elaborate of them were one-and-one-half stories in height and highlydetailed. They included the side-gabledtype and the Belvedere or Airplane Bunga-

low. Sears Roebuck and other companiesprovided pre-cut Bungalows which couldbe assembled on site. The most commonBungalow, a one-story type, featured agable main roof above a gable porch roof.During the 1920s, developers used the Bun-galow as tract housing in neighborhoodsthroughout the state.

Bungalows in Florida generally featureda rectangular ground plan, with the nar-rowest side oriented toward the street.Most displayed gently sloping gable-over-gable roofs that face the street. Bungalowsemployed a variety of exterior materials, in-cluding weatherboard, shingles, andstucco. Lattice roof vents often appearedin the gable ends. The porches were domi-nated by short, oversized, tapered or squarecolumns, which rested on massive brickpiers connected by a balustrade. Rafterends were usually exposed and oftencarved in decorative patterns to combinestructure and ornament. Wood sash win-dows usually contained three lights in theupper unit and one in the lower, althoughthere were many examples of multi-light sashor casement windows.

Characteristics

• Plan: regular, rectangular, usually ori-ented with the narrow side facing thestreet.

• Foundation: brick pier or continuousbrick or concrete block.

• Height: one story; belvedere, two sto-ries.

• Primary exterior material: horizontalwood siding, shingles; less frequentstucco.

• Roof type: gable main roof over gableporch roof; shed dormers frequent sec-ondary roof type; less frequent multiplegable, belvedere.

• Roof surfacing: sheet metal, frequentlycomposition, asbestos cement shingles.

• Detailing: simple; exposed structural el-ements (ridge beams, truss work, rafters,purlins); knees braces; battered porchpiers; tapered chimneys.

238


French Eclectic style house in Northeast District.

Elevation drawing of the French Eclectic stylebuilding.

FRENCH ECLECTIC (1915-1930)

The French Eclectic, also known as theFrench Revival style, was based upon pre-cedents developed over centuries of Frenchdomestic architecture. It resembles Medi-eval English building types and is closelyassociated with the Tudor style. As thename suggests, the style encompasses avariety of building forms and details whoseunifying feature consists of a characteris-tic steeply-pitched hip roof. The style waspopularized in the United States by return-ing World War I veterans who had servedin France and by a number of studies onFrench domestic architecture published invarious magazines of the 1920s. It remaineda popular suburban residential stylethrough the 1930s.

Popular in Florida for only a few yearsduring the 1920s, the French Eclectic ap-peared sporadically in middle class neigh-borhoods and large estates. Most Floridaexamples are relatively simple in design.

A steep, hip pavilion roof offers an ob-vious identifying feature. Eaves are oftenflared upward at the roof-wall juncture. Wallcladding was either brick or stucco, some-times with false half timbering. Tall, mas-sive chimneys were also common. Theeaves of the roof are sometimes flared andshow exposed rafter ends. Secondary roofstructures may appear. Half timbering pro-vides the most common exterior wall fabric,though wood shingles and clapboard arecommon. The main entrance, often re-cessed, may feature decorative surrounds.

Characteristics




• Primary exterior material: brick; stuccoand wood, (half-timbering).

• Roof type: tall, steeply pitched hip.


• Detailing: half-timbering; prominentsteeply pitched gable roofs; massivechimneys; flared eaves.

239


Example of Romanesque Revival, Pleasant StreetDistrict.

Elevation drawing of the Romanesque Revival stylebuilding.

ROMANESQUE REVIVAL (1870-1910)

The Romanesque Revival drew its in-spiration from the medieval architecture ofEurope, particularly that of France andSpain. As interpreted in the United Statesby Boston architect, H. H. Richardson, thestyle was primarily applied to churches,educational buildings, train stations, court-houses, and other public buildings. A ma-jor variant of the style was indeed calledRichardsonian Romanesque.

Constructed of solid masonry, Ro-manesque Revival buildings were expen-sive to build and invariably required pro-fessional design. Given such limitations,the style did not gain wide application. Fewmonumental examples of the kind found inother states appear in Florida. Courthouses,schools, and churches were the primaryproperty types associated with the style.

Semi-circular or round arches and poly-chromatic finishes provide the defining fea-tures of the Romanesque Revival style.Arches circled above windows, porch sup-ports, and entrances. Buildings in Floridaexecuted in the style employed brick withdifferent colored stone, especially for win-dow trim, arches, quoins, and belt courses.Towers and pavilions constituted charac-teristic features of the design.

Characteristics:

• Plan: rectangular or irregular.


• Height: two to three stories.

• Primary exterior material: brick.

• Roof type: gable or hip frequently withsecondary roof features such as crossgables, towers, or pavilions.


• Detailing: semi-circular arches; poly-chromatic exterior finish highlighted byquoins, window trim, arches, and beltcourses.

240


Elevation drawing of the Italianate style building.

Example of the Italianate style building inNortheast District.

ITALIANATE (1870-1890)

The Italianate, primarily a domesticstyle in the United States, remained popu-lar in much of the country from the mid- tolate nineteenth century. The writings anddesigns of architects Andrew JacksonDowning, A.J. Davis, and Calvert Vaux pro-moted Italianate designs. The developmentof cast iron facades during the middle ofthe nineteenth century, when the style flow-ered, resulted in the construction of manyItalianate commercial buildings.

The Italianate style appears infre-quently in Florida. Many of the best ex-amples of the style are large private resi-dences and commercial buildings foundmainly in small north Florida towns suchas Fernandina and Palatka.

Characteristic features of the Italianateinclude a height of two to three stories,capped by a low-pitched roof whose wide,overhanging eaves were supported bydecorative brackets. A square cupola ortower often rose above the roof line. Thetall, narrow windows were commonlyarched and frequently displayed elaboratedcrowns, usually an inverted U-shape.

Characteristics:

• Plan: rectangular or square.

• Foundation: brick piers or continuousbrick.

• Height: two to three stories.

• Primary exterior material: wood: weath-erboard; brick, cast-iron on storefronts.

• Roof type: low-pitched hip, frequentlywith square cupola or tower; commer-cial buildings, flat with parapet.

• Roof surfacing: wooden shingles (origi-nally) composition shingles; flat-roofs:built-up.

• Detailing: height of two to three stories;a low-pitched roof with wide, overhang-ing eaves and brackets beneath, tall,narrow windows commonly arched orcurved above; windows frequently withelaborated crowns, usually of invertedU shape; square cupola or tower.

241


Elevation drawing of the International style building.

INTERNATIONAL (1930-1970)

The International style became thedominant commercial building style in theUnited States between 1930 and the mid-1970s. Originally conceived by post-WorldWar One European architects as a designfor worker housing, the style found a themein the exploitation of contemporary build-ing materials and technologies. Designersdiscarded the ornamentation of existing ortraditional styles and exposed the struc-tural elements of their buildings to producea starkly functional design. The style tookits name from a book entitled, The Interna-tional Style: Architecture Since 1922, pub-lished in 1932 by Henry Russell Hitchcockand Philip Johnson, who also organized anexhibit that same year at which they intro-duced the style to an American audience.Later in the decade, many originators ofthe style, fleeing the rise of Nazi Germany,immigrated to the United States. They tookup positions at some of the most influen-tial schools of architecture in the countryand subsequently influenced generationsof leading American architects.

In Florida, International style buildingsare most often found in communities wherebuilding continued during the 1930s, nota-bly coastal communities in southeasterncounties where tourism sustained theeconomy.

The style resembles a flat-roofed un-decorated box covered with a skin of glass,or bands of glass, and smooth concrete orstucco. Glass walls hang like curtains fromsteel structures. Identifying features in-clude flat roofs, smooth exterior surfaceswithout ornament, bands of windows, ex-posed structural elements, asymmetricalfacades, steel pipe railing, and metal case-ment windows that are flush with outerwalls.

Characteristics:


• Foundation: continuous, reinforcedconcrete.

• Height: one to three stories.

• Primary exterior material: poured, rein-forced concrete.

• Roof type: flat, with coping at roof line.


• Detailing: minimal; no decorative detail-ing at doors or windows; glass block-ing; asymmetrical facade.

242

HISTORIC MATERIALS

243

HISTORIC MATERIALS

APPENDIX 3:HISTORIC MATERIALS

244

HISTORIC MATERIALS

BRICK

Before the Civil War, brick, the mostcommon masonry material in the UnitedStates, was not readily available in Florida.The principle reasons for this were the scar-city of clay in the state and a primitive trans-portation system, impeding shipment ofheavy materials. Many of the importantearly brick structures in Florida consistedof fortifications, lighthouses, and arsenalsconstructed under federal auspices. Con-tractors imported the brick for these andmost other major construction projects fromother states.

After the Civil War, brick became morereadily available, particularly in the 1880swhen rail networks began to penetrate theFlorida peninsula. Brick was increasinglyused on commercial buildings in Floridabecause of its resistance to fire. Many com-mercial areas were rebuilt in brick followingfires which destroyed original wood framestructures.

Brick construction usually employedfired brick in an English or common bondpattern. The most common wall dimensionswere eight or twelve inches. After 1900, newcolors and textures of brick appeared. Buffor yellow brick was among the most widelypopular of these new types.

Brick residences are seen throughoutthe Northeast and Southeast Historic Dis-tricts. The Medlin House, built in 1913, ex-hibits dark brown brick.

Brick Church, Pleasant Street District.

Brick detail at the First United Methodist Church,Northeast District.

Brick detail at entry of chert rock residence,Northeast District.

1. Historic Gainesville, Inc. Historic Gainesville, A tour Guide to the Past. Edited by Ben Pickard.1991

The brick used for the construction ofmany of Gainesville’s early buildings wasproduced at the Campville Brick Companyprior to 1940, when it closed. The companywas located in what was once a small townof Campville east of Gainesville.1

Churches often utilized brick as the pri-mary construction material, the First UnitedMethodist Church in the NE and Mt. Pleas-ant United Methodist Church in the Pleas-ant Street Historic District are examples. An-other prime example is the Kirby SmithSchool, built in 1900.

245

HISTORIC MATERIALS

Rusticated concrete block utilized on the foundationof a residence in Northeast District.

Rusticated concrete block utilized on the FriendshipBaptist Church, Pleasant Street District.

CONCRETE

Florida has an outstanding collectionof concrete buildings. They date from a pe-riod of national experimentation to find du-rable, fireproof, rot resistant, and economi-cally feasible materials. The search wasspurred by the late nineteenth century de-velopment of elevators, which made sky-scrapers possible, and portland cement.Common examples in Florida were rein-forced concrete, concrete block, imitationstonework, and poured concrete.

St. Augustine contains many ofAmerica’s original poured concrete build-ings. Franklin W. Smith, an amateur archi-tect from Boston, first used the material tobuild his ornate Moorish Revival style win-ter residence, Villa Zorayda, in St. August-ine. Smith mixed coquina gravel with port-land cement to produce its walls. Impressedwith the material, Henry Flagler urged hisarchitects, Carrere and Hastings, to employit as the principal material for constructionof the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotelsand other buildings in the city. Additionalchurches, commercial buildings, and pri-vate residences were built with material intothe twentieth century.

Like tabby, poured concrete was placedin forms, course by course, with drying timein between. This method left pour lines thatremain a visible feature on building walls.Once dry, the concrete was left unpainted.During subsequent renovations paint andstucco finishes were applied over the con-crete, obscuring the pour lines and surfacetexture.

Poured concrete had great compres-sive but little tensile strength, unless rein-forced with steel rods. Limited in use in St.Augustine, reinforced concrete was devel-oped simultaneously in other parts of thecountry. The poured concrete buildings ofSt. Augustine and nearby areas were notonly pioneering structures, but periodpieces. They have earned a place in thehistory of building in the United States.

There are few examples of poured con-crete buildings in Gainesville. It was oftenutilized for retaining walls and steps (car-riage blocks) which can be found through-out all the districts.

The use of concrete block as a buildingmaterial increased and can be seen in manybuildings throughout Gainesville. Rusti-cated concrete block was utilized in build-ing the Friendship Baptist Church in thePleasant Street District.

246

HISTORIC MATERIALS

Detail showing stone used in combination with brickin Northeast District.

Detail showing stone and chert rock entry on PiersonHouse in Northeast District.

STONE

Sandstone, granite, and marble, not in-digenous to Florida, were rarely used. Gran-ite, imported from New England, probablyconstituted the most common non-indig-enous stone in the state, applied to curb-ing, coping, sills, lintels, and other archi-tectural and landscape features. Georgiamarble was employed mainly for interior fin-ishes and occasionally as an exterior ve-neer. Slate was sometimes used as a roof-ing material, particularly on academicallycorrect examples of the Tudor Revival style.Exterior trim may have included limestone.

Locally, marble was primarily used oninterior elements such as fireplaces andmantels and floors.

By the early twentieth century, modern,less expensive materials such as cast con-crete and terra cotta increasingly replacedstone in Florida and throughout the UnitedStates. Granite curbing and granite sills arethe principal examples of the use of stonein historic structures.

Limestone quarries were located northof Gainesville in High Springs. Local build-ers utilized the rock in many of the resi-dences throughout Gainesville.

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Massive stone walls of the Pierson House, NortheastDistrict.

Chert rock.

Chert rock residence on N.E. 7th Street in NortheastDistrict.

The “Rock” House, Northeast District.

CHERT ROCK

Chert rock, commonly called limerockwas indigenous to this area and often usedby local builders. From 1920 to 1950, a popu-lar Gainesville practice combined nativechert rock and period house designs. Thisconstruction type is characterized byrubble-faced, random-coursed fieldstone,often trimmed with red or yellow brickquoins around door and window openingsand the edges of dwellings. Hard edgescreated by these openings could not beeasily finished in the rubble fieldstone ma-terial and, thus, the introduction of the brick.

Local stone was also used in many ofthe building elements as foundation piers,chimneys, and at fireplaces.

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New metal roof, Northeast District.

Ornamental metal entry roof, Northeast District.

SHEET METAL

Sheet metal, a product of the industrialrevolution, came into use after the Civil Warand remained popular through the 1920s.Decorative metal was made from sheets ofiron or steel and usually coated with tin(tin plate); lead and tin (terneplate); or zinc(galvanized). After the metal was cut andcoated it could be stamped, pressed or em-bossed.

Metal roof coverings were used on alltypes of buildings with pitched roofs. Theybecame popular because they were afford-able, durable, fire and storm resistant, light-weight, attractive, and did not require greatskill to install. Metal roofs appeared ingreatest numbers in small cities, towns, andrural areas that held large concentrationsof wood frame buildings.

Metal roofing was cut into shingles orsheets. It took the form of imitative woodshingles, slate, and terra cotta tiles. Stylesof wood shingles, such as woodshakes andfishscale shingles, were stamped in themetal. A variety of roof features, includingridge coping, metal valleys, cresting blocks,and finials, came in metal as well. Such ac-cessory features were sold together withmetal shingles.

Metal roofs, however, generally first ap-peared in the 1880s and became quicklypopular because they were easily trans-ported and installed. Wood shingles andshakes, the most common roofing materi-als prior to metal, quickly deteriorated inFlorida’s moist climate and were suscep-tible to wind damage and fire. Fire proved amajor catalyst for the application of metalroofs. Many Florida cities suffered majorfires, for which wood roofs were blamed.Subsequently, local ordinances and build-ing codes often required metal roofs, par-ticularly in commercial areas. In many cases,decorative metal provided an ornamentaltouch to otherwise austere architecture.

Metal roofs continue to be used todayin new construction. A mix of old and newroofs can be seen throughout each district.

The Taylor House, built in 1904, has apatterned tin roof.

Ornamental metal roofs stylistically ac-commodated the architecture of the laternineteenth and early twentieth century. TheGothic, Queen Anne, Eastlake, and Stickstyles featured a variety of roof forms. Theflexibility of ornamental metal allowed it tobe shaped into such forms. Many compa-nies ascribed the style name to theirshingles.

Metal roofs served the climate and ar-chitecture of Florida well. They eased theweight load on the lightweight, wood framebuildings common to the state and proveddurable and comfortable in the harsh cli-mate, characterized by copious rainfall,strong winds, and intense sunlight. Rela-tively cheap and easy to apply, metal roofsappealed to building owners in a state thatenjoyed neither great wealth nor large num-bers of skilled artisans.

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Cast iron garden gate in Northeast District.

Cast iron garden gate in Northeast District.

CAST IRON

Cast iron, a product of the industrialrevolution, was employed in building con-struction throughout much of the nine-teenth century. Made from remolted pigiron, cast iron wielded great compressivestrength and worked well in vertical struc-tural elements. Cast iron building compo-nents included the entire facade, first storyassemblies, internal structural systems, anddecorative elements such as balustrades,balconies, columns, cornices, lamp posts,railings, and grates.

Cast iron revolutionized the design ofcommercial architecture in the United States.In contrast to masonry construction, it wasable to support greater weight with slenderelements. Initially used in a wide variety ofcommercial buildings, it subsequently be-came the material of choice for structureshousing retail businesses. It allowed forgreater transparency, scale, and opennessin commercial design. Larger wall openingspermitted merchants to display their goodsin show windows. Use of slender cast ironcolumns provided more open floor spacesand increased floor to ceiling heights. Castiron construction paved the way for sky-scrapers by allowing curtain wall construc-tion between slender structural elements.

Use of cast iron in Florida began afterthe Civil War and lasted until about 1910.The primary use was in commercial build-ings of the Central Business District.

There was minimal use of cast iron lo-cally in Gainesville. It was primarily seen instructural details (small scale) or as deco-rative elements.

The Cooper House exhibits cast ironcovers for the fireplaces. Wrought iron de-tails can be seen in the Carter-Hilliard Houseiron railings and grill work.

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Stained glass window at Mt. Pleasant UnitedMethodist Church.

Stained glass window at Epworth Hall.

Leaded glass window in Northeast District.

STAINED/LEADED GLASS

Decorative glass became a popularbuilding material in the United States from1870 until 1930. It took two principal forms.Stained glass consisted of colored, painted,enameled, or tinted with true glass stains.Leaded glass was clear and held in placeby cames formed with lead, copper, or zinc.

Stained glass was closely linked withmany of the stylistic movements of the latenineteenth and early twentieth centuries.One, Neo-Gothic, was associated withchurch and university architecture; anotherwas Art Nouveau. Prairie Style designs ofthe early twentieth century often incorpo-rated stained glass. The style’s geometricdesigns coincided with the invention of zincand copper cames, which permitted fewersupport bars. In the early 1900s, mail ordercatalogues promoted sale of stained glass,though the material’s popularity declinedthereafter.

The application of stained glass inFlorida followed national trends. Beginningin the 1870s, stained glass served an inte-gral part of Gothic style churches through-out the state.

In Gainesville, the major buildingswhich feature stained glass are alsochurches. These include Friendship Bap-tist Church, Mt. Pleasant United Method-ist Church in the Pleasant Street District,and the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church andEpworth Hall in the Northeast District.

Several residences in the northeasthave exhibited stained or lead glass win-dows of note such as the Steckert House,Murphree House, and Gracy house.

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Decorative wood scroll detail on residence inSoutheast District.

Wood frame residence in Northeast District.

Decorative wood shingles on gable end of residencein Northeast District.

Wood shingles on residence in Northeast District.

WOOD

Wood has been the most common con-struction material in Gainesville since colo-nial times. Carpenters and sawyers pro-duced structural members, exterior clad-ding, and shingles from indigenous woodssuch as heart pine, red cedar, and cypress.During the mid-nineteenth century, as railand water transportation expanded and theproduction of building materials became in-dustrialized, milled lumber and otherwooden construction elements proliferated.Standard size lumber and prefabricated win-dows, doors and decorative features be-came readily available. Milled decorativefeatures included cornices, brackets, enta-blatures, shutters, columns, and balus-trades.

The development of the jigsaw in theearly nineteenth century resulted in exten-sive use of sawn wood ornament. For thefirst time a power driven tool had a majorimpact on the visual quality of Americanarchitecture. Following the Civil War orna-mental woodwork or gingerbread wasclosely associated with a number of archi-tectural styles popular in Gainesville, in-cluding the Queen Anne. Wood was jig-sawn, pierced or turned into building ele-ments such as porch posts, brackets, bal-ustrades, bargeboards, frieze work, finials,and pendants.

During the early twentieth century,wood remained an important building ma-terial. A particularly important influence wasthe Craftsman Bungalow. Sheathed inshingles and/or horizontal siding, the Bun-galow was found in residential areasaround the periphery of the historic dis-trict. Interiors were frequently crafted ofpine, quarter sawn oak, mahogany, andpecky cypress.

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Textured stucco on Mission style residence inNortheast District.

Textured stucco on Mediterranean style residencein Northeast District.

STUCCO

Stucco, an exterior wall covering, con-sists of a mixture of portland cement, sand,lime, and water. Sometimes crushed stoneor shell is added for texture. Until the late1800s, stucco was formed by water, sand,straw, animal hair, and lime. The inventionof Portland cement in 1871 revolutionizedthe use of stucco, making it durable andversatile.

Traditionally, stucco was applied witha trowel, finished smooth, then scored orlined in imitation of ashlar. Other finishesincluded adobe, pebble dash, shell dash,dry dash, fan and sponge texturing, reticu-lated, vermiculated, rough-cut, andsgraffito. Sgrafitto, a particularly significantstucco finish, incorporated classical de-signs created by artists who incised pat-terns in the outer layer of red-colored stuccowhile still soft. This technique exposed astucco undercoat of contrasting color.Sgraffito constituted an important elementof the Italian Renaissance style.

Stucco finishes were associated with avariety of styles and building styles andbuilding types. In addition to the ItalianRenaissance, these included the Italianate,Prairie, Art Deco, Art Moderne, and manyrevival styles, among them the Mission,Spanish Colonial, and Tudor. Resort ho-tels, apartment buildings, private mansions,and movie theatres were among the build-ing types typically finished in stucco.

In Florida, stucco gained popular useduring the Great Boom of the 1920s, usu-ally in association with revival styles suchas the Mission, Spanish Colonial, and Ital-ian Renaissance. It was also frequentlyapplied to existing buildings, particularlybrick commercial structures, to give them acontemporary look.

Many local examples include the Tho-mas Center, the Graham House, and the Sur-face House. Stucco was also used in theTudor Revival style residences on NE Bou-levard, the Welch House built in 1926 andthe Maines-Hughes House built in 1929.

Textured stucco residences are alsoprominent throughout the Northeast Dis-trict.

The Gothic Revival First Advent Chris-tian Church, built in 1909, exhibits a stuccoveneer. The Holy Trinity Episcopal Churchwas built with a cement, crushed graniteand coral rock veneer over brick.

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Terra cotta roofing tile and ornament exhibited onMediterranean style residences in NortheastDistrict.

Detail of terra cotta tile above window.

TERRA COTTA

Terra cotta, an Italian term meaningbaked earth, refers to a variety of ornamen-tal cladding material produced from fine-grained fired clay. Terra cotta can be glazed,un-glazed and cast or carved. It usually isbrownish red in color, but through the ap-plication of glazes can appear in a varietyof other colors.

In the United States, terra cotta did notcome into use until the mid-nineteenth cen-tury. It remained popular until about 1930.A pioneer architect in its use, JamesRenwick of New York and winter residentof St. Augustine, applied it to the roof anddetailing of the cathedral bell tower in theFlorida city. Terra cotta constituted an ap-propriate material for its time, well-suitedto the many revival styles popular in theUnited States during the late nineteenthand early twentieth centuries. These in-cluded the Renaissance, Mission, Spanishand Spanish Colonial.

Terra cotta was produced in a varietyof forms. Frequently used as a substitutefor stone, it served to fashion panels,friezes, finials, cornices, chimney caps andother ornament. Unglazed terra cotta pro-vided a structural and fireproofing materialthat was light, durable, and inexpensive. Itwas also used for roofing tiles, includingbarrel, pantile, French and plain.

Terra cotta, a popular building materialin Florida from the mid-1880s through the1920s, can be found in abundance on theFlagler Era buildings of St. Augustine, in-cluding the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar Ho-tels, and Grace and Flagler Memorial Pres-byterian churches. During the Florida LandBoom of the 1920s, it became closely asso-ciated with Mediterranean style buildingsof the period, most frequently as roofingtile, for exterior ornament, and as a struc-tural material.

Terra cotta details such as parapet caps,scuppers and decorative details are seenin the Mission and Mediterranean influ-ence buildings of the district. The clay tileroof of the Thomas Center is a fine example.

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PAINTING

Paint colors are not reviewed by theHistoric Preservation Board. However, re-moval of lead-based paints and coatingsused extensively before the 1970’s requiresspecial permits.

Paint colors, finishes, and decorativepainting constitute important factors in de-fining the character of a historic building.Under the Secretary of the Interior’s Stan-dards for Rehabilitation: Standard 2, paint-ing a building that has never been painted,or removing paint from a building that hastraditionally been painted, is never a rec-ommended rehabilitation treatment. Eitherof these treatments can change a building’sappearance to one that is at odds with itshistoric character. Likewise, when repaint-ing a historic building that is alreadypainted, a new color should generally beclose to the original, as well as historicallyappropriate to the building and the historicdistrict. Under Standard 5, decorative paint-ing such as stencilling, graining, marbleiz-ing, and trompe l’oeil are significant treat-ments and should be protected during arehabilitation.

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The following colors are recommendedfor several major styles of architecture:

Greek RevivalBody—WhiteShutters—Green or White

Gothic/ItalianateBody—1840-1870: pale earth tones, espe-

cially yellows, grays, tans, and pinks;late nineteenth century: darkening of col-ors, emphasis on contrasts.

Queen Anne/Victorian VernacularBody—Medium gray, dark red, dark blue,

dark green, brown.Trim—Dark gray, dark brown, olive green,

dark red.Door—Unpainted, varnished or grained.

Colonial RevivalBody—White, light yellow, tan, medium

gray.Trim—Cream, warm white, dark green.Door—Unpainted, varnished or grained,

olive greenShutters, Blinds, Screen: olive green.

BungalowBody—Often unpainted with earth tones.

Stains such as soft greens, gray, brown,or dark red.

Trim-White, light yellow, gray, light green.Door-Unpainted, varnished or stained.

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Documents

HISTORIC PRESERVATION REHABILITATION AND DESIGN GUIDELINES · 2013-03-14 · The goal of the Historic Preservation Rehabilitation and Design Guidelines for the City of Gainesville