RECAPTURING THE PAST AND DECIPHERING THE ARCHITECTURE OF LINCOLNVILLE

LISA CATANZARO

Recapturing the past and deciphering the architecture of Lincolnville is the beginning of our jouney which examines the African American experience in Florida. So much of our black history has been lost, so I chose to uncover the past history of Lincolnville in hopes to link it to its future history--resulting in solutions and revitalization of the built environment of the area.
Lincolnville is the historic black business and residential district which embraces most of the SouthWest peninsula of St. Augustine. Lincolnville is a black community which has a diverse histor y. It was once the site of plantations and orage groves, and is also recognized for having a broad range of architecture; from shotgun style houses to a large number of victorian era buildings.
Despite its historical significance, St. Augustine's tourists may visit the outskirts of the area but are never taken inside the community. The community is in a state of decay and many of the buildings of Lincolnville are in di lapidated condition.
My project begins by trying to decipher and reveal the history of Lincolnville, while at the same time create a place for hope and new activity. My goal is to reveal the connection between new activities and the history of Lin colnville, the history of the black community.
Revealing the history of Lincolnville set forth ideas for possible interventions on Bridge Street and Washington Street. My ideas encompass looking at bridge street as an entrance/ exit (mediator) between Lincolnville and the Hist oric Downtown District. My ideas also encompass revitalization of Washington Street and I specifically began to look at the buildings on the corner of Washington Street and St. Francis Street.