116 Central Avenue

Dublin Core

Title

116 Central Avenue
116 Central Avenue, St. Augustine, Fla. 32804

Subject

Eubanks, Clifton, and Georgia L.
Grocer (1907-1908)
Fish Market (1930)
Grocer (1940)
Shoe Repair (1951)

Description

The area comprising Genovar Subdivision is situated between the early 18th century Indian villages of Pocotalaca to the south and Palica to the north. By the late 18th century, a redoubt was built in the western portion of the tract along the marshes of the San Sebastian River. The subdivision developed out of the late 18th century land grant to Francisco Marin, a Spanish shoemaker, who converted the property into one of the first commercial orange groves in Florida. The road to the San Sebastian Ferry, or present-day Kings Ferry Street, formed the northern boundary of the grant. [1] The orange grove prospered until the 1870's with such prominent proprietors as the Marquis de Fougeres, the French Counsel at Charleston, South Carolina, and Agustin Verot, the Catholic Bishop of St. Augustine. Bartolo Genovar, a local merchant and real estate developer, purchased and subdivided by the grove by 1878, and by 1885, the two principle streets in the subdivision, Lincoln and Kings Ferry, were lined with small homes. Early and subsequent development has been associated with Blacks, including the A.M.E Church, and represents one of the initial phases in the expansion of the early Black community of Lincolnville. [2] 116 Central Avenue has been used as a combination Black commercial location and residence: The Esperanza Grocery; J. H. Burns and Company, Groceries; and the Central Fish Market [Alice Swain]. [3]
This two-story Masonry Vernacular building at 116 Central Avenue was constructed between 1885 and 1894. Genovar Addition was one of the early residential neighborhoods of Lincolnville. The 1885 and 1894 Birdseye maps of St. Augustine show a number of houses along Kingsferry and Lincoln Streets, surrounded by agricultural areas to the north and south. Almost all the houses are wood frame, and about equally divided between one or two stories. There are some interesting Victorian examples. With the exception of some commercial and institutional buildings along Central Avenue and Riberia Street, the subdivision is mainly residential. Genovar Addition is bounded on the west by marshland and the San Sebastian River. On the east it extends almost as far as Maria Sanchez Lake. The area is threatened generally by traffic along Central Avenue and Riberia Street, and by some housing deterioration.

Creator

David Nolan
Ashley Harman

Source

Florida Master Site File

Publisher

Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board

Date

7812

Identifier

850482

Citation

David Nolan and Ashley Harman, “116 Central Avenue,” Resilience: Black Heritage in St. Augustine, accessed March 29, 2024, https://blackheritagestaugustine.omeka.net/items/show/165.

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