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Heritage Neighborhoods

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Tallahassee is a city rich in history, and its heritage neighborhoods are a testament to its vibrant past. The downtown area alone boasts four National Register Historic Districts, each offering a unique glimpse into the city's development. You can stroll through the Calhoun Street and Park Avenue Historic Districts, where some of Florida's finest Territorial Period buildings still stand. Or explore Magnolia Heights, Tallahassee's first suburb, which features 25 historic buildings along East Park Avenue and Cadiz Street. These neighborhoods aren't just collections of old homes; they are living links to the stories and people who shaped Tallahassee.

National Register Historic Districts

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Calhoun Street

Overview: The Calhoun Street Historic District is one of Tallahassee's oldest and most important residential neighborhoods, with homes that date back to the 1840s. The district is known for its impressive canopy of live oaks and its spectrum of architectural styles, which showcase the area's continuous evolution.

Fast Fact: Because of its affluent residents, Calhoun Street was once nicknamed "Gold Dust" street.

Highlight:

The district is home to several noteworthy architectural examples, including the Georgian-style Rutgers House, the Federalist-style Bloxham House, and the bungalow-style Towle House.

HISTORICAL NOMINATION FORM

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Park Avenue

Overview: Rather than a single neighborhood, the Park Avenue Historic District is a series of distinct neighborhoods that have evolved along a linear street of public parks. This district showcases a rich historic panorama of residences, churches, and public structures that represent Tallahassee's development from its platting in 1825.

Fast Fact: The chain of parks was one of Tallahassee's earliest features, established as a 200-foot-wide buffer against Native American attacks. The street that ran alongside this barrier was originally called "200 Foot Street."

Highlights:

This district encompasses the oldest continuously open spaces in the City of Tallahassee.

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Magnolia Heights

Overview: Magnolia Heights is locally significant as Tallahassee's first twentieth-century suburb. The district's slow development from 1899 to 1934 reflects the city's gradual transition from an agricultural hub into a government and educational center.

Fast Fact: Magnolia Heights is made up of 40 buildings that primarily date from 1899 to 1934, featuring a variety of architectural styles, from simple Frame Vernacular to popular Bungalow and Colonial Revival designs.

Highlights:

Much of the district is located along a tree-lined section of East Park Avenue, which was originally graded as an unpaved road in 1900.

HISTORICAL NOMINATION FORM

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Myers Park

Overview: Myers Park was one of Tallahassee's earliest planned neighborhoods. It was envisioned by developers in the 1920s as a "country-club style community just beyond the city limits" and has been home to many of the city's civic and business leaders.

Fast Fact: In the 16th century, the Spanish explored this area and found Apalachee Indians living here. Hernando de Soto's expedition camped nearby during the winter of 1539-40.

Highlights:

Myers Park is the only residential local historic preservation district in Tallahassee and is centered around its namesake park, which features a pool, tennis courts, and walking trails.

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Other Notable Historic Neighborhoods

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Smokey Hollow

Overview: Smokey Hollow was a middle-class African American community just east of downtown Tallahassee. The community had a high level of employment and homeownership until the 1960s, when the area was largely demolished due to urban renewal.

Fast Fact: The name "Smokey Hollow" came from the tendency of smoke from wood-burning stoves and a municipal incinerator to settle in the low lands along a stream called the St. Augustine Branch.

Highlight:

Visitors can experience Smokey Hollow Village, which features three "spirit houses" that are replicas of the shotgun houses that once populated the community.

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Los Robles Thumbnail

Los Robles

Overview: The Los Robles subdivision was developed on a 37-acre farm in 1926. This early planned community, which is located just east of Lake Ella, began a trend of expansion to the north of downtown Tallahassee.

Fast Fact: The name "Los Robles" is Spanish for "The Oaks," named for the centuries-old live oak trees found throughout the neighborhood.

Highlights:

Many of the streets in Los Robles have Spanish names, and some of the houses feature Spanish-style architecture, including stucco exteriors and ceramic roof tiles.

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