Located at 100 M. L. King Avenue within the Lincolnville National Register
Historic District is another landmark of the 1920s Florida Boom era.
According to
the Florida Master Site File Echo House was built in 1926 with a distinctive
red tile roof and shell-dash stucco finish during and is actually “part
of a well-planned Mediterranean Revival style complex” of three buildings.
The building was a gift of Dr. Andrew Anderson, Henry Flagler’s best
friend and a prominent philanthropist (he donated the famous statues that
gives the Bridge of Lions its name). It served for many decades as the Lincolnville
Branch of the St. John’s County Welfare Federation. Its restoration
was a longtime goal of the venerable educator and civic leader Mrs. Rosalie
Gordon-Mills, who recently passed away on the eve of her 97th birthday.
Despite an advanced state of decay, its charm is still evident. The loss of this
house would leave a gaping hole in the heart of historic Lincolnville. The City
of St. Augustine, its steward, has no money of its own to restore it for adaptive
reuse, but made application to the state for a $185,000 grant to execute the
necessary repairs. Unfortunately the state did not fund the grant, leaving the
building facing an uncertain future.
|