Clapp Octagon House
Encyclopedia
The Clapp Octagon House is an historic octagonal house
located at 62 Lighthouse Avenue in the historic Lighthouse Park neighborhood on the north end of Anastasia Island
in St. Augustine
, Florida
. It was built in 1886 for Rollin N. Clapp of St. Louis, Missouri
.
It is the only classic surviving octagon house in St. Augustine. It has been called: "One of St. Augustine's most important residential buildings."
Later residents include: Mary Antin
, author of The Promised Land; Norman MacLeish, artist and brother of Pulitzer Prizewinning poet and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish
; and Lea Wells, the first female architect in St. Augustine.
In 1989, it was listed as the Octagon House in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture prepared by the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects
and published by the University of Florida Press.
It would have been one of some 30 Contributing properties
in the Lighthouse Park Historic District which was proposed in 1993 to the St. Augustine city commission for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
, but which was turned down by the commission because of the vehement opposition of some residents, who feared that the district would develop into an historic preservation zoning district, as had some of the historic districts on the mainland in St. Augustine.
An extensive history of the building was written in 1995 by David Nolan
, who worked on the official 1978-1980 survey of historic buildings in St. Augustine. A short listing on the house appeared in his book The Houses of St. Augustine in 1995.
Octagon house
Octagon houses were a unique house style briefly popular in the 1850s in the United States and Canada. They are characterised by an octagonal plan, and often feature a flat roof and a veranda all round...
located at 62 Lighthouse Avenue in the historic Lighthouse Park neighborhood on the north end of Anastasia Island
Anastasia Island
Anastasia Island is a barrier island which is approximately long located off the northeast Atlantic coast of Florida in the United States. The island is located east and southeast of St. Augustine. It is separated from the mainland by the Matanzas River, part of the Intracoastal waterway, Matanzas...
in St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was built in 1886 for Rollin N. Clapp of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
It is the only classic surviving octagon house in St. Augustine. It has been called: "One of St. Augustine's most important residential buildings."
Later residents include: Mary Antin
Mary Antin
Mary Antin was an American author and immigration rights activist.Born to a Jewish family in Polotsk, she immigrated to the Boston area with her mother and siblings in 1894. She married Amadeus William Grabau in 1901, and moved to New York City where she attended Teachers College of Columbia...
, author of The Promised Land; Norman MacLeish, artist and brother of Pulitzer Prizewinning poet and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish was an American poet, writer, and the Librarian of Congress. He is associated with the Modernist school of poetry. He received three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.-Early years:...
; and Lea Wells, the first female architect in St. Augustine.
In 1989, it was listed as the Octagon House in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture prepared by the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
and published by the University of Florida Press.
It would have been one of some 30 Contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the Lighthouse Park Historic District which was proposed in 1993 to the St. Augustine city commission for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, but which was turned down by the commission because of the vehement opposition of some residents, who feared that the district would develop into an historic preservation zoning district, as had some of the historic districts on the mainland in St. Augustine.
An extensive history of the building was written in 1995 by David Nolan
David Nolan (author)
David Nolan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1946, the son of journalist Joseph T. Nolan and his artist wife Virginia.He attended the public schools in Bayside, New York and Waterbury, Connecticut, studied at the University of Virginia, and was active in the American Civil Rights Movement of...
, who worked on the official 1978-1980 survey of historic buildings in St. Augustine. A short listing on the house appeared in his book The Houses of St. Augustine in 1995.
See also
- List of octagon houses
- St. Augustine Lighthouse, a NRHP listed property in the proposed Lighthouse Park Historic District
Further reading
- David Nolan, The Houses of St. Augustine, (Pineapple Press, 1995).
- David Nolan, Fifty Feet in Paradise: The Booming of Florida, (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984).
- Robert Torchia, Lost Colony: The Artists of St. Augustine, 1930-1950, (Lightner Museum, 2001)--about Norman MacLeish.
External links
- Lighthouse Park: St. Augustine Neighborhood says no to Historic Designation, accessed June 22, 2008
- Lighthouse Park: History, accessed June 22, 2008
- Lighthouse Park: Architectural Significance, accessed June 22, 2008
- Lighthouse Park: Present and Original Physical Appearance, accessed June 22, 2008
- Lighthouse Park Historic District: Controversy, accessed June 22, 2008