The Oldest House (Gonzalez-Alvarez House) is Florida’s oldest surviving Spanish Colonial dwelling and a National Historic Landmark. The Oldest House opened as a museum in 1893. Docents lead guests through an escorted tour of the house and give an overview of how the changing colonial tides of St. Augustine impacted the residents of the Nation’s oldest city through an account of the people who lived in the house. The 25-minute tour brings St. Augustine’s history to life through the lives of its residents.
The Oldest House (Gonzalez-Alvarez House) is Florida’s oldest surviving Spanish Colonial dwelling and a National Historic Landmark. The Oldest House opened as a museum in 1893. Docents lead guests through an escorted tour of the house and give an overview of how the changing colonial tides of St. Augustine impacted the residents of the Nation’s oldest city through an account of the people who lived in the house. The 25-minute tour brings St. Augustine’s history to life through the lives of its residents.
Built on a site occupied since the early 1600s, the present structure, with coquina walls and hand-hewn cedar beams, dates from the early 1700s. The house is known locally as the González-Alvarez House after its owners during the first and second Spanish occupations. A number of alterations brought the house into its current shape and size, reflecting both Spanish and British architectural styles. The house is furnished to represent its different periods.
Also on the grounds are a museum that traces over 400 years of St. Augustine history, an historic map exhibit entitled “Five Centuries of Our Coast,” a museum gift shop and a bookstore The complex also features a beautiful garden with large oak trees.
Keeping track St. Augustine’s long history as a negotiating pawn in treaties between the Spanish, British and Americans can be a challenge for most visitors. A tour of the Oldest House Museum, built the early 1700s during the First Spanish Period, altered during the British Period, and again during the 2nd Spanish Period, clears up the multi-flag confusion in an authentic way.
More InfoIn her book, Maria, second book in the Florida Trilogy, prolific author of historical fiction novels, Eugenia Price (1916-1006), vividly describes life in St. Augustine beginning in the British Period.
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