68 Washington Street

68 Washington Street

68 Washington Street, St Augustine, FL, 32084

St. Mary's Baptist Church

Ward, James L

Retail

History: The eastern section of Dumas Tract Subdivision, the genesis of Lincolnville, is bounded one the north by Bridge Street, an 18th century thoroughfare which led to one of three late colonial San Sebastian River ferry crossings. The subdivision also is in the vicinity of the early 18th century Indian village of Palica. The tract evolved out of two early 19th century Spanish land grants to Bartolo Juarez and Gaspar Papy, a prosperous Greek merchant who came to St. Agustine from New Smyrna in 1777. Both soon developed some of the first commercial orange groves in Florida. By the late 1830's, the grants were consolidated by Peter Dumas, county clerk and post-Civil War leader of the Florida Radical Republicans, acquired most of the property formerly belonging to Smith. After the war, the community of Africa soon developed on the marshes of Maria Sanchez Creek and by the early 1870's, Blacks began buying lots and building homes along Central Avenue and Benedict Street. Construction along Oneida and Bridge streets commenced later in the decade. By 1885, Lincolnville was a rapidly growing Black community, although some Whites lived along Bridge Street next to the Craddock Hotle. The eastern edge of Lincolnville, Washington Street, became a prosperous Black commercial district in the first several decades of the 20th century. By that time, Lincolnville had extended beyond its original boundaries into adjacent areas, particularly Genovar and Atwood Tract Subdivisions. Today Lincolnville generally refers to the all Black neighborhoods in the southwest peninsula.
The original wood frame commercial building at 68 Washington housed many business. Among these were: Burton Masters' meat market (1899), E. Glover's grocery (1899), Ike Kukowsky's dry goods store (1899). Another occupant was Andrew Huff, an embalmer at W.F. Macon Company (1911), Fernando Falaney, who had a meat market here (1911), and the Ideal Tailors, operated by Nathan and Morris Tarlinsky and H.O. Livingston. Today the entire building is owned by St. Mary's Baptist Church.

Architecture: The two-story Masonry Vernacular commercial building at 68 Washington Street was constructed after 1930 and is on the site of an earlier wood frame commercial structure. The current building is made of concrete block stuccoed over and had a flat parapet roof. There are two large arched entrances on the front. In 1893 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map showed several buildings on this site: (1) a one-story cigar store, (2) a one-story private residence and (3) connected to (2) on the south was a one-story shoe shop. The 1899 Map shows a row of connected stores of which a one-story grocery and a one-story dry goods store on this property. By 1904 the dry good store has been turned into a restaurant and the south half of the grocery has become a restaurant as well. By 1910 (1) is a cigar store, (2) is a barber shop and (3) is an undertaker, although by 1917 (1) and (2) are vacant and (3) is a barber shop. Both the 1924 and 1930 Maps show this as stores and after the 1930 current two-story concrete block structure was divided into two stores downstairs and apartments upstairs as it remains today. Recently renovated it is owned by St. Mary's Baptist Church.
The Lincolnville area first developed along Washington Street after the Civil War. By the development that preceeded its heyday took place in the Flagler Era. The 1885 Birdseye of view of St. Augustine shows churches and small residence scattered along the banks of Maria Sanchez Creek. The 1894 Birdseye shows the creek filled in, where the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar Hotels and Ponce de Leon Barracks were built. By this time several commercial buildings had been constructed along Washington Street. by the early 20th century it played the role of "Main Street" in Lincolnville. It has long been an area of combined usages as well with commercial first floors and residential second floors. Washington Street has some of the City's few surviving wooden Victorian commercial structures. Earlier buildings along the street are wood frame. Later ones are masonry. There are problems of deterioration, abandonment, vandalism, and demolition of buildings along Washington Street.

David Nolan

Liz Marion

Florida Master Site File

Historic St Augustine Reservation Board

1934- Jackson Cleaners

1937- Wilson Cleaners

1940- Atlantic Cleaners

8SJ2314