Governor’s House Library Architecture Collection
Scope and Content
The Governor’s House Library Architecture Collection contains design records of historic structures in St. Augustine’s historic district, primarily related to the restoration and reconstruction projects undertaken by the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board from 1959-1997.
There are over 1,000 drawings and related items in the collection. Many of the drawings are working copies or copies of HSAPB members and contain handwritten notes or markings. The collection is separated by three series; 1) Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board Properties Drawings, 2) Government House Drawings, and 3) St. Augustine Drawings.
The drawings in the first series are renderings, floor plans, and drawing sets for Preservation Board project properties. The second series, the largest, contains records documenting the architectural evolution of Government House from its early life as a U.S. Post Office to its current appearance and use. The third series includes records of miscellaneous buildings in St. Augustine, including drawing sets produced for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of various structures in St. Augustine, as well as archeological drawings and exhibit design plans.
A significant portion of the collection is undated.
Dates
- Creation: 1934 - 2000
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1934 - 1970
Creator
- Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. (Organization)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board (HSAPB) was a seven-member state commission, created by Governor LeRoy Collins in 1959 "to acquire, restore, preserve, maintain, reconstruct, reproduce, and operate" historic structures in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. The HSAPB set out to restore and reconstruct Spanish colonial era buildings in a focused area of downtown St. Augustine in anticipation of the city's Quadricentennial Celebration in 1965, and maintained a research library of documentary evidence to support their preservation and interpretation efforts. The HSAPB was sundowned by the State of Florida in June 1997.
Extent
27 Flat File Drawers
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Design records collected by and created for the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board (HSAPB) in support of their efforts to restore and reconstruct Spanish colonial buildings in downtown St. Augustine.
Arrangement
Records contained within the first series are arranged by block and lot number for easier cross-referencing with other library collections. The remainder of the collection is arranged chronologically (when possible) by series and subject.
Location
This collection is stored and maintained in Governor's House Library, St. Augustine, Florida.
Custodial History
The State of Florida abolished the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board in 1997, and the collection was managed by the City of St. Augustine Department of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism until 2010 when management of the State’s historic properties in St. Augustine became the responsibility of the University of Florida.
Alternative Format Available
Digital reproductions of selected items in the Governor’s House Library Architecture Collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.
Subject
- Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. (Organization)
- Title
- A Guide to the Governor’s House Library Architecture Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Laura Marion
- Date
- September 2018
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for the creation of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the Governor's House Library, St. Augustine, Florida Repository
48 King Street
St. Augustine Florida 32084 United States of America
(803) 209-2805
lauramarion@ufl.edu