Historic Preservation

The City of Gainesville has five local historic districts, protecting more than 1,500 historic structures and 10 buildings listed individually on the Local Register of Historic Places. The Local Register was created as a means of identifying and classifying various sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts as historic and/or architecturally significant. City procedures for keeping the Register and design review for properties in a historic district or on the Local Register are set forth in Section 30-112 of the city’s Land Development Code.

Guidance for Residents of Historic Districts

Historic Districts

Please explore the city's historic districts using the interactive map below. Here you can find information such as the name and boundaries of each historic district and whether a building is either contributing or noncontributing.

Local Register Listings

 National Register Listings

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate and protect America's historic and archaeological resources. You can find out more online at https://www.nps.gov/nr/faq.htm.

Gainesville has four National Register Historic Districts and 34 buildings listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Site Name and Address	Year Built	Year Published to National Register
A. Quinn Jones House 1013 or 1019 NW 7th Ave.	1925	2010
Bailey, Maj. James B., House 1121 NW 6th St.	c 1850	1972
Baird Hardware Company Warehouse 619 S. Main St.	1905	1985
Boulware Springs Waterworks 3400 SE 15th St.	1891, 1908	1995
Cox Furniture Store (Simonson Opera House, Edwards Opera House, New Baird Theater) 19 SE 1st Ave.	1887	1994
Cox Furniture Warehouse 602 S. Main St.	1914	1994
Dan Branch House 5707 SW 17th Dr.	1965	2015
Dixie Hotel, Hotel Kelley (John F. Seagle Building) 408 W. University Ave.	1926, 1937	1982
Hotel Thomas (Sunkist Villa, Thomas Center) 306 NE 6th Ave.	1906-1919, 1926-1926	1973
Masonic Temple (Masonic Order Lodge #41) 215 N. Main St.	1909	1998
Matheson House 528 SE 1st Ave.	1867	1973
McKenzie, Mary Phifer, House 617 E. University Ave.	1895	1982
Old Gainesville Depot 203 Depot Ave.	1907	1996
Shady Grove Primitive Baptist Church 804 SW 5th St.	1935	2005
Star Garage Building 119 SE 1st Ave.	1903, 1917, 1931	1985
U.S. Post Office (Hippodrome Theatre) 25 SE 2nd Place	1909	1979
Weil-Cassisi House 3105 SW 5th Court	1964	2015

 

Local Historic Districts

	Pleasant Street Historic District contains the oldest predominantly African-American residential area in Gainesville and the State's first designated as a historic district. Buildings include wood frame vernacular houses, Bungalows, Queen Anne, Colonial and Eastlake Victorian residences and two Romanesque churches. The Pleasant Street Historic District was listed on the National  Register in 1991.
	Northeast Residential Historic District is one of the oldest residential areas in Gainesville. The original section was platted in 1854. The buildings in this 80-block area reflect architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1880s through the 1950s. The District includes the historic Duck Pond and Sweetwater Branch. The Northeast Residential Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1985.
	Southeast Residential Historic District has its origins in post-Civil War development. It includes Queen Anne style and Colonial Revival homes, as well as a French Second Empire home, all of which served as residences for downtown merchants and professionals at the turn of the century. The Southeast Residential Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1989.
	University Heights Historic District - North reflects architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1920s to the early 1950s. The district and its significant concentration of historic buildings include the University Terrace and Florida Court subdivisions.
	University Heights Historic District - South includes the University Heights and University Place subdivisions. It reflects typical suburban residential growth patterns of Florida cities in the mid-twentieth century. It is located between the University of Florida and downtown.

The City of Gainesville was designated as a Preserve America Community in 2008, which recognizes the city's celebration and protection of our local heritage assets with economic development and community revitalization in mind.