St. Augustine’s Most Threatened Historic Places: 2004

Villa Rosa

Threatened Structures

St. Benedict the Moor School

Villa Rosa

Echo House

Clark -Worley House

Knights of Columbus Hall

Threatened Features

La Punta Community
Mission Archeological Site 

The City’s Brick Streets

The City’s Civil Rights
Landmarks

Ponce de Leon Golf Course

Threatened Districts

Lincolnville National
Register District

The Block Bounded by Genoply and Alfred Streets

 


Located at 187 Oneida Street, Villa Rosa is a phenomenal example of late 19th century architecture and one of the great estates of St. Augustine. It was built around 1895 for Heth Canfield, who was as a developer and the winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in action in 1870. As President of St. Augustine Improvement Company, with the cooperation of Henry Flagler, he engaged in the then popular practice of turning water into land. He directed the dredging of Maria Sanchez Creek to create what is now called the Maria Sanchez Lake.

Villa Rosa overlooks the marshes of Maria Sanchez Creek and lies within the Lincolnville National Register Historic District. Although it was built around the same time as many of the homes in the rest of Lincolnville, it is by far more grand. Although some remodeling is evident, much of the house remains true to a floor plan drawn in the early twentieth century. The interior still boasts gas-electric lights and historic bathroom fixtures. The stately mansion avoided razing once late in the last century when in the 1990s its owner sought rezoning to create a resort retreat and plans were dropped. But its future is in peril for this new century since the demolition delay order by the City’s Historic Architectural Review Board expires in October, 2004, and the owner will be free to demolish it.