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Prepared by Ben Pickard
Alachua County Historic Trust
Matheson Museum, Inc.



Historical Overview

Long before the Spaniards arrived in Florida, Alachua County's unique combination of fertile soil, broad prairies, clear lakes and abundant game had spawned a complex Indian civilization called Timucuan. Throughout the 16th century, DeSoto and other Spanish explorers plundered the region, then Franciscan priests founded missions and finally ranchers established a large cattle ranch on Paynes Prairie.


18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Postwar Era | Since 1970 | Significant Dates | Larger Historic Towns
Small Historic Towns | Significant Homes | Significant Buildings | Significant Sites | Historical Figures


Significant Buildings

Thomas Center Constructed in 1910 as a private residence by William Reuben Thomas, it was converted into a luxurious Mediterranean Style hotel in 1928 and for decades was the social and cultural center of Gainesville. After a stint as the campus for Santa Fe Community College, it was saved from demolition and fully restored to serve as the city offices.

Hippodrome Theater Originally used as the main Post Office, this impressive Beaux Arts building is dominated by a monumental portico with six Corinthian columns. In 1980, it was converted into the Hippodrome State Theater.

Matheson Museum Now the home of the Alachua County Historic Trust, the building was formerly the American Legion center. Remodeled into a museum, it features exhibits and displays chronicling Alachua County's history and serves as the main reference library and research center for the county.

Epworth Hall Built in 1884 as the main classroom for the East Florida Seminary, this red brick Second Empire structure was converted into part of the First United Methodist Church and renamed Epworth Hall in 1911.

Kirby Smith Center Built in 1900 as a public graded and high school, it was later expanded and renamed in honor of Confederate Gen. Kirby Smith. After 80 years of serving students, it became the Alachua County School Board headquarters but still retains a period room to show how students were once taught. Baird Opera House Originally a two story downtown opera house, it was remodeled in 1906 to its present size and served as the city's main entertainment establishment until the 1930s. Cox furniture used the building for over fifty years and in the 1990s Ken and Linda McGurn remodeled it into a restaurant and offices. Seagle Building Begun during the boom times of the 1920s, this was to be an 11-story luxury hotel, but it remained unfinished until 1936. It then served as a university museum and general education center until 1983, when it was renovated as condominiums, professional offices and a restaurant.

Cox Furniture Warehouse This commercial building, constructed in 1913 for a wholesale grocery business, had an interior railroad car entrance for the unloading of produce. Cox Furniture purchased it for storage and shipping in 1925. It has been artfully remodeled into office space.

University of Florida Historic District The central part of the campus surrounding the Plaza of the Americas, this district includes 19 buildings. The most significant ones are Buckman and Thomas Halls. Anderson, Peabody, Griffin-Floyd halls, built in the 1910s have been restored as classrooms. The University Auditorium and Smathers Library, both built in 1925, are both examples of the Collegiate Gothic style found on campus.

Thrasher Warehouse This large wooden building with a large painted Coca-Cola sign on its north wall was used as a storage area and sometimes as a store from 1890 on. Purchased by Micanopy in 1989, it was restored and transformed into a local historical museum. Kanapaha Presbyterian Church This site of the first Presbyterian Church built in the Gainesville are was dedicated in 1886 and is one of the oldest existing churches in the county.

Newberry Municipal Building Built in 1938, this stone building was constructed as a WPA project during the Depression years. Originally housing city offices, it now is a community meeting place.

High Springs Opera House Built in 1896, this two-story Romanesque Revival brick building had stores on its main floor and had an opera house, theater, movie palace and community center on the second. In 1986, the Outdoors Trading Co. restored the building, opened a successful restaurant and created a Theater of Memory in the old opera area.

Moore Hotel Opened in 1882 as a tourist hotel for Hawthorne visitors and sportsmen and run continuously by the Moore family until the present, it now is used as an apartment complex. Rochelle School Originally called the Martha Perry Institute to honor the wife of Florida Governor Madison Starke Perry, this large two-story school operated from 1885 to 1935.

Evinston Community Store and Post Office Built as a warehouse in 1882, the building became a combination country store and post office run by H.D. Wood in 1910. It has remained in the Wood family ever since that time.




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