114 Central Avenue
Dublin Core
Title
114 Central Avenue
114 Central Avenue , St. Augustine, Fla. 32084
Subject
Eubanks, Clifton and Georgia Lee
Funeral Home
Description
The area comprising the Atwood Tract Subdivision is situated between the early 18th century Indian Villages of Pocotalaca to the south and Palica to the north. The subdivision corresponds exactly with the 1792 land grant to Martin Hernandez, a Minorcan who was royal carpenter of the fortifications and who converted the property into one of the first commercial orange groves in Florida. The road to the San Sebastian ferry, present-day Kings-ferry Street, formed the southern boundary of the tract and led to Hernandez' other grant on the west side of the river. Throughout the first half of the 19th century, the groves were owned by Jose Mariano Hernandez, a prominent Territorial period politician and landowner who participated in the capture of Osceola. The property was purchased in 1865 by Anna Atwood, wife of George Atwood, a leader of the Florida Radical Republicans after the Civil War and former county clerk. In 1887, the Atwoods conveyed title to the St. Augustine Improvement Company, a leading local real estate firm headed by William Warden and Heth Canfield, which subdivided the property the following year. Development proceeded rapidly to the west of Central Avenue. Some of the first houses along Park Place and DeHaven Street were built by Whites while the rest of the tract was developed as a Black residential area, one of the first of such neighborhoods outside of the original Lincolnville community.
114 Central Avenue has been the location of the Fleming-Harleston Funeral Home [Black], the Huff Funeral Home [Black], and the Standard Shoe Shop [Black].
This two-story Frame Vernacular commercial building at 114 Central Avenue [one-story until 1924] was constructed between 1899 and 1904. Significant details include square wood posts on concrete block piers.
The western part of Atwood Tract was developed between 1888 and 1894 on land previously used for agricultural purposes. Development continued east to Washington Street in the first three decades of the 20th century. It is an area generally of woof frame residences, most of which are on story, and contains some interesting Victorian examples. There are some commercial and institutional buildings along Central Avenue and Riberia Street. The early, western, part of the tract had very small lots and narrow streets. The area was long connected with Black education, including both public and parochial schools. The street patterns in this area were changed in the 1920's when the distinctive Mediterranean Revival complex of Excelsior School and the Lincolnville Community House were built. Atwood Tract is bounded on the west by marshes and the San Sebastian River. On the east it runs through almost to Maria Sanchez Lake. The area is threatened generally by traffic on Riberia Street and Central Avenue, and by some housing deterioration.
The western part of Atwood Tract was developed between 1888 and 1894 on land previously used for agricultural purposes. Development continued east to Washington Street in the first three decades of the 20th century. It is an area generally of woof frame residences, most of which are on story, and contains some interesting Victorian examples. There are some commercial and institutional buildings along Central Avenue and Riberia Street. The early, western, part of the tract had very small lots and narrow streets. The area was long connected with Black education, including both public and parochial schools. The street patterns in this area were changed in the 1920's when the distinctive Mediterranean Revival complex of Excelsior School and the Lincolnville Community House were built. Atwood Tract is bounded on the west by marshes and the San Sebastian River. On the east it runs through almost to Maria Sanchez Lake. The area is threatened generally by traffic on Riberia Street and Central Avenue, and by some housing deterioration.
1908-1915 Grocer/Retailer, A.W. Walker
1914-1915 Grocer, David Williams
1920-1921 Grocer, D.W. Williams
1930 Grocer, Peter Brooks
1940 Barber, Frank C Odom
1940 Funeral Home, AJ Huff
1940 Standard Shoe Shop, Clifton and G.L. Eubanks
1951 Huff's Burial Benefit Association, AJ Huff
1951 Central Inn Cafe,
Fleming-Harleston Funeral Home
Creator
David Nolan
Alexandria Kledzik
Source
Florida Master Site File
Publisher
Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board
Date
7812
Identifier
Site No. 8SJ481
Citation
David Nolan and Alexandria Kledzik, “114 Central Avenue,” Resilience: Black Heritage in St. Augustine, accessed April 20, 2024, https://blackheritagestaugustine.omeka.net/items/show/181.