164 Palmo Street

164 Palmo Street

164 Palmo Street, St. Augustine, Fla. 32084

Eubanks, Estelle

Wood Dealers

The southwestern tip of the St. Augustine peninsula was called Buena Esperanza [Good Hope] during the Spanish occupation of the city. The early 18th century Indian village of Pocotalaca was scattered throughout this area and contained a mission church and redoubt. Bernardo Segui, a Minorcan merchant, acquired this property in the early 19th century and developed one of the first commercial orange groves in Florida. [1] In the 1830's, August Poujaud, a local economic promoter, built a plantation home on part of the tract and attempted but failed to promote residential construction on the northern fringes of the estate. Further development did not occur until 1885-1891 when the St. Augustine Improvement Company, a local real estate development firm, purchased and subdivided the Buena Esperanza Subdivision. Development proceeded quickly and by 1894 over thirty Victorian style residences were built in the tract, mainly along Oneida Street. Construction continued, however, over the next thirty-five years. [2]

This one-story Frame Vernacular residence at 164 Palmo Street was constructed between 1910 and 1917. It has a one-story partially enclosed porch on the front and a coquina concrete block wall near the street.
Buena Esperanza Subdivision contains some of the finest and some of the most modest homes in St. Augustine, reflecting different periods and different plans for the development of the area. The area was developed by, and served as the home of, prominent Victorian builders and suppliers of building materials like G. E. Hood, whose mill on Riberia Street provided much of the gingerbread used in local construction, and Heth Canfield, who owned the Canfield Lumber Company and was president of the St. Augustine Improvement Company which developed Buena Esperanza. In its early development, along Oneida Street and "Villa Rosa" at 187 Oneida. Its southern boundary, below Cerro Street, was the grounds of the St. Augustine Country Club-- now a city park and sewage treatment facility. The early development was primarily White. A later infill of more modest houses, generally one story, and some influenced by the Bungalow style, were designed as Black residences. The area is bounded on the east and west by marshes and the San Sebastian River and Maria Sanchez Creek. Boatyards and some small stores along Riberia are industrial and commercial uses along the western boundary of this primarily residential neighborhood. Threats to the area include heavy traffic on Riberia and South Streets and drainage problems when it rains. There are several unpaved streets in the area. There is also a problem of housing deterioration, though several Victorian houses on Oneida Street have been restored recently.

David Nolan

Ashley Cozad

Florida Master Site File

Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board

01/1979

8SJ1644