Threatened Structures
Threatened Features
La Punta Community
Mission Archeological Site
The
City’s Civil Rights
Landmarks
Threatened Districts
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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.