St. Augustine was more than three centuries old when tourism awakened the sleepy Spanish village. Soon after Standard Oil partner Henry Flagler brought the railroad to town in the 1880s, well-heeled visitors began flocking to Flagler's luxury hotels as St. Augustine became known as the "American Riviera." Tourists walked the quaint, narrow streets and visited the city gate, the old Spanish fort, the alligator farm, the Fountain of Youth, and the four houses all claiming to be the oldest in the country. Postcard History Series: St. Augustine in the Gilded Age depicts the oldest city in the United States from the beginning of the picture postcard era to 1914, when a fire destroyed several downtown blocks. The volume presents more than 200 images from the archives of the St. Augustine Historical Society and the author's personal collection.
The 1920s was a time of unprecedented growth in the nation's oldest city. Fueled by a land boom that began in South Florida, St. Augustine was inundated with land speculators and new subdivisions. The city floated a million-dollar bond issue to construct the Bridge of Lions, and D.P. Davis filled in a marshland to build the magnificent subdivision of Davis Shores. A new coastal highway linked the town with beaches to the north and south and opened up St. Augustine's beautiful shoreline for development. All of this activity halted when the land boom collapsed in the late 1920s. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties details the roller-coaster events of the city in this exciting decade.
St. Augustine conjures up images of Spanish architecture, a massive fort, splashes of color against a backdrop of river and ocean, and always, always the omnipresent tourist. This ancient town, established along the banks of the Matanzas River in 1565, is the oldest city in America. Founded to protect Spains trade route from South and Central America to Europe, this colorful community was thriving years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and decades before Jamestown was settled. No other place in the United States embodies more charm than this hallowed city. Within these pages, images taken from the St. Augustine Historical Societys archives will educate, enthrall, and entice history buffs, tourists, and residents alike. These vintage photographs will link readers to the past and transform them into more than mere spectators visiting a popular tourist attraction. Rediscover the Spanish connection and see how early settlers built their homes, harvested their crops, educated their children, and protected their land. Walk the same worn and winding paths that the towns forefathers trod and acknowledge both the good and the bad times of life before modernday conveniences. St. Augustine conjures up images of Spanish architecture, a massive fort, splashes of color against a backdrop of river and ocean, and always, always the omnipresent tourist. This ancient town, established along the banks of the Matanzas River in 1565, is the oldest city in America. Founded to protect Spains trade route from South and Central America to Europe, this colorful community was thriving years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and decades before Jamestown was settled. No other place in the United States embodies more charm than this hallowed city. Within these pages, images taken from the St. Augustine Historical Societys archives will educate, enthrall, and entice history buffs, tourists, and residents alike. These vintage photographs will link readers to the past and transform them into more than mere spectators visiting a popular tourist attraction. Rediscover the Spanish connection and see how early settlers built their homes, harvested their crops, educated their children, and protected their land. Walk the same worn and winding paths that the towns forefathers trod and acknowledge both the good and the bad times of life before modernday conveniences.
Albert Manucy's book continues to serve as a catalyst for architectural preservation in St. Augustine and to inspire similar works elsewhere. His sketches, which explain this colonial architecture, delight as much as they inform. The book also serves as a gentle reminder to Yankees that Florida was civilized before the Puritans settled New England."--F. Blair Reeves, chairman, Historic Resource Committee, Florida Association/American Institute of Architects As architecture documents history, The Houses of St. Augustine records architecture, preserving and interpreting the history of housing in the oldest city in the continental United States. The charming two-story house so distinctive to St. Augustine offers tangible evidence of Spanish settlement in the New World. Long before Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine, houses similar to the loggia-and-balcony houses of St. Augustine existed in his home province of Oviedo and in nearby Santander. The special feature of the casa Santanderina design, which Manucy calls the "St. Augustine Plan," is a roofed balcony over the street or the yard that anticipates the "Florida room" of this century. On both the north coast of Spain and the northeast coast of Florida, the porch excludes the cold wind and admits the sun in winter; it lets in the breeze and tempers the hot sun in summer. Upon its first publication thirty years ago, this classic volume contributed to an awakening of interest in St. Augustine architecture; it continues to be the basic reference tool for colonial period restoration and for the ongoing archaeological and anthropological research in the city. In detailed drawings and nontechnical language, the book identifies basic house types and records their dimensions, construction techniques, materials, and design details from foundations to roofs. It has been the cornerstone that enabled the St. Augustine government to frame architecture guidelines for preservation and restoration of existing historic buildings, reconstruction of lost structures, and construction of contemporary homes in designs that are compatible with the historic architecture. Albert Manucy worked for thirty-three years for the National Park Service as a historian, restorationist, and museum planner. He has written many books on architecture and history, including Seeing St. Augustine, a publication of the Federal Writers Project American Guide Series, and The Building of Castillo de San Marcos. He has received the Amigos de los Castillos silver medal from the government of Spain and awards from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and the Eastern National Park and Monument Association, and he was granted the Order of La Florida by the city of St. Augustine. Manucy was born in St. Augustine and has witnessed the loss of many historic houses. His incentive to write this volume came from the realization that St. Augustine architecture is unique and needed analysis in order to ensure accurate preservation and interpretation. Published in cooperation with the St. Augustine Historical Society
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.