There are four National Register Historic Districts in or near downtown Tallahassee. A number of the finest Territorial Period buildings can be found in Florida's Calhoun Street and Park Avenue Historic Districts. As Tallahassee's first suburb, Magnolia Heights which runs from 701 through 1005 East Park Avenue, and Cadiz Street contains 25 historic buildings.
Overview: The Magnolia Heights Historic District is Locally significant because it illustrates the early stages of suburban development in the Capital City
Fast Fact: Representing Tallahassee's first twentieth century suburb, the Magnolia Heights Historic District is comprised of 40 buildings primarily dating from 1899 to 1934.
Overview: In the early years of the city, Myers Park was one of the earliest planned neighborhoods. There is a long history in this area, as well as a variety of architectural styles.
Fast Fact: During the 16th century, the Spanish explored Florida and found the Apalachee Indians living in this area. Hernando de Soto camped nearby during the winter of 1539-40. Mission systems were established by the Spanish in the early 17th century to convert native populations to Catholicism. The Purificacion de la Tama mission was built about half a mile northwest of the current Capitol building. The site is supposed to have been at Myers Park, and pieces of Spanish pottery have been found nearby.
Overview: As a middle-class African-American community located just east of downtown Tallahassee, it had a high level of employment and home ownership until the 1960s. Visit Smokey Hollow Village, a group of three "spirit houses," which are replicas of the shotgun houses of Smokey Hollow. The houses are designed without walls so visitors can freely move between them and feature interpretive panels with information about the community's history.
Fast Fact: The local term, "Smokey Hollow," was not derived from a subdivision or legal plat, but from the tendency of smoke from wood burning stoves and a municipal incinerator in the area to settle in the low lands along a stream called the St. Augustine Branch.
Overview: The Calhoun Street Historic District is one of the oldest and most important residential neighborhoods in Tallahassee which has survived from the 1840's to the present day.
Fast Fact: There are several noteworthy architectural examples in the district, including the Georgen-style Rutgers House built in 1848, the Federalist-style Bloxham House, and the bungalow-style Towle House.
Overview: The Park Avenue Historic District is a series of neighborhoods which have evolved along a linear street of public parks.
Fast Fact: The downtown chain of parks were one of Tallahassee’s earliest features, as a 200-foot-wide strip of land on Tallahassee’s northern border was preserved as a buffer against Indian attacks. The street that straddled the barrier was originally called 200 Foot Street, and is now known as Park Avenue.
Overview: The Los Robles subdivision was platted in 1926 on the site of a 37 acre farm which included a 19th century farmhouse that was relocated but still exists in the neighborhood.
Fast Fact: The name "Los Robles" means "The Oaks"