Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board

Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board
Name	Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board
Formation	1959
Dissolution	1997
Headquarters	St. Augustine, Florida
Region served	St. Augustine, Florida
Leader title	Executive Director
Parent organization	State of Florida

Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board

The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board was a state-established preservation agency in St. Augustine, Florida charged with restoring and interpreting historic structures in the nation's oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement, interacting with institutions such as Florida State Parks, Florida Department of State, National Park Service, St. Johns County, City of St. Augustine (Florida), and Flagler College to shape heritage tourism and cultural resource management. Founded during an era influenced by preservation movements linked to National Trust for Historic Preservation, Society of Architectural Historians, Historic American Buildings Survey, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and legislative frameworks such as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and state statutes, the board operated amid debates involving Henry Flagler, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Fort Mose Historic State Park, and the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.

History

The board emerged in 1959 when Florida lawmakers responded to advocacy from preservationists connected to John Gorrie House and Museum, Historic Charleston Foundation, Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Bostonian Society, and local civic groups in St. Augustine, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida, aiming to restore colonial-era and Victorian-era fabric associated with figures like Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, Antonio de la Guerra, Andrew Graham and developments tied to Henry Morrison Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway. During the 1960s and 1970s the board coordinated with the National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Historic American Engineering Record, and regional agencies such as Division of Historical Resources (Florida), working in a preservation climate influenced by precedents from Colonial Williamsburg, Pueblo Revitalization Project, New Deal-era programs, and international conservation thought from the ICOMOS and UNESCO frameworks. High-profile restoration campaigns intersected with local controversies over authenticity echoed in debates involving Vincent Scully, Lewis Mumford, Jane Jacobs, and court decisions shaped by Florida Supreme Court deliberations. By the 1980s the board's operations reflected shifting priorities among Florida Legislature, Governor of Florida administrations, and nonprofit partners such as Historic St. Augustine Research Institute, leading to reorganization, budget adjustments, and eventual transition of assets in the 1990s under influences from entities like University of Florida and St. Johns County School Board until its dissolution in 1997.

Mission and Activities

The board's statutory mission aligned with preservation practice promoted by National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, Association for Preservation Technology International, and Society for Historical Archaeology: to acquire, restore, reconstruct, furnish, and interpret properties that illustrate eras from First Spanish Period (1565–1763), British Period (1763–1783), Second Spanish Period (1783–1821), to Territorial Florida and the Gilded Age. Routine activities included architectural research drawing on archives at the Ponce de León Hotel, curatorial work influenced by standards from the Smithsonian Institution, archaeological investigations coordinated with Florida Museum of Natural History, conservation practice guided by publications from Getty Conservation Institute, and public programming modeled after Historic Charleston Foundation and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The board also engaged consultants from firms and scholars connected to National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, Society of Architectural Historians, American Alliance of Museums, and heritage economists advising the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on cultural tourism impacts.

Properties and Sites Restored

The board restored a constellation of properties and living-history venues clustered in St. Augustine, Florida's St. Augustine Town Plan Historic District and adjacent parcels, working on structures listed or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and complementary to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Aviles Street Historic District, St. Augustine Historic District, and sites memorializing colonial, antebellum, and early 20th-century narratives. Key projects included restorations reflecting First Spanish Period (1565–1763), the Second Spanish Period (1783–1821), and Gilded Age architecture: reconstructions of colonial dwellings, rehabilitation of Victorian-era residences related to Henry Flagler and the Ponce de Leon Hotel, and interpretation of artisan trades comparable to exhibits at St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, Colonial Quarter, and living-history sites like Fort Mose Historic State Park. The board also preserved archaeological contexts comparable to excavations published by scholars from University of Florida, Florida State University, and the Smithsonian Institution that illuminated material culture connected to Guale people, Timucua, enslaved Africans in Spanish Florida, and colonial military history linked to Castillo de San Marcos.

Organizational Structure and Funding

As a state-created entity the board operated within administrative relationships involving the Florida Department of State, the Florida Legislature, Governor of Florida appointments, and advisory collaboration with nonprofit stewards such as National Trust for Historic Preservation and local organizations including St. Augustine Foundation for Preservation and the St. Augustine Historical Society. Staffing combined historians, architects, archaeologists, curators, and tradespeople often drawn from academic partners like University of Florida, Florida State University, Flagler College, and contractors who had worked for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Historic Charleston Foundation. Funding streams included state appropriations authorized by the Florida Legislature, grants from federal programs tied to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Economic Development Administration, private donations solicited through philanthropic networks linked to Anheuser-Busch Foundation-style benefactors, revenue from ticketing and events comparable to Historic House Museums operations, and occasional support from corporate partners in the hospitality industry anchored by interests such as Flagler Hotels and local tourism bureaus.

Educational Programs and Public Outreach

Programming emphasized interpretive initiatives modeled on Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Historic Charleston Foundation, and museum education best practices from the American Alliance of Museums and Smithsonian Institution, delivering guided tours, living-history demonstrations, school curricula coordinated with St. Johns County School District, lecture series featuring scholars from University of Florida and Flagler College, and hands-on archaeology internships linked to programs at Florida State University. Public outreach included collaboration with media outlets like The St. Augustine Record and regional broadcasters, participation in heritage festivals analogous to San Agustín Antiguo and partnerships with tourism entities like Discover Florida initiatives, while interpretive content adhered to standards advocated by National Park Service and professional organizations such as Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums.

Legacy and Impact on Preservation Policy

The board's legacy shaped municipal and state preservation policy through precedents later cited by National Trust for Historic Preservation, Florida Department of State, State Historic Preservation Office (Florida), and local ordinances in St. Augustine, Florida. Its restoration philosophy influenced debates involving authenticity and reconstruction that engaged scholars like J. B. Jackson and practitioners in ICOMOS-oriented conservation, and its projects informed economic studies by entities such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and cultural tourism analyses by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (University of Florida). The transfer of its properties and institutional knowledge to local and state custodians in the late 20th century affected stewardship models used by St. Augustine Foundation for Preservation, St. Augustine Historical Society, and municipal heritage programs, leaving an enduring imprint on how historic urban landscapes tied to figures like Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and Henry Flagler are interpreted, managed, and legislated in Florida.

Category:Historic preservation in Florida