Historic Preservation

The City of Gainesville has five historic districts, protecting over 1500 historic structures. Inaddition, ten buildings outside the districts are listed individually on the national and localhistoric registers. To find out more about what it means to live in a historic district, read ourbrochure, A Citizen’s Guide to Living in a Historic District (325KB ).

Historic District Maps
To look at maps of the five historic districts, please select from the list below.

	Pleasant Street Historic District (63KB ) contains the oldest predominantly African-American residential area in Gainesville and the State's first designated as a historic district. Buildings include wood frame vernacular houses, Bungalows, Queen Anne, Colonial and Eastlake Victorian residences and two Romanesque churches.
	Northeast Historic District (115KB ) is one of the oldest residential areas in Gainesville. The original section was platted in 1854. The buildings in this 80-block area reflect architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1880s through the 1950s. The District includes the historic Duck Pond and Sweetwater Branch.
	Southeast Historic District (50KB ) has its origins in post-Civil War development. It includes Queen Anne style and Colonial Revival homes, as well as a French Second Empire home, all of which served as residences for downtown merchants and professionals at the turn of the century.
	University Heights North District (102KB ) reflects architectural styles prevalent in Florida from the 1920s to the early 1950s. The district and its significant concentration of historic buildings include the University Terrace and Florida Court subdivisions.
	University Heights South District (102KB ) includes the University Heights and University Place subdivisions. It reflects typical suburban residential growth patterns of Florida cities in the mid-twentieth century. It is located between the University of Florida and downtown.

Historic Preservation Manual
The City of Gainesville’s Historic Preservation Rehabilitation & Design Guidelines (8,743KB ) provides detailed guidelines for the alteration, addition, rehabilitation or new construction ofstructures located in the five historic districts. It also has information about the history ofGainesville, and the history of each district, as well as appendixes reviewing the city’s archi-tectural periods, styles and materials.

Online Forms
If you wish to make changes or renovations to an historic structure within a district, you should request an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).

• The requirements for COA is available here(43KB )
• The application for COA is available here(80KB ) (14KB )
• The deadlines for COA Applications is available here(14KB )

Related Links

• Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation
  A set of standards intended to guide in the methods of rehabilitation of historic properties. "Rehabilitation" is defined as "the process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural values."
• National Park Service: Working on the Past in Local Historic Districts
  Learn all about historic districts, local preservation ordinances, the local historic preservation commissions or boards, and the creation and use of design guidelines to administer an ordinance.
• National Park Service Preservation Briefs
  Preservation Briefs are a series of 43 illustrated and easy to use guides for historic homeowners, preservation professionals, organizations, and government agencies by publishing easy-to read guidance on preserving, rehabilitating and restoring historic buildings.
• Division of Historical Resources / Bureau of Historic Preservation
  The Division of Historical Resources is the state agency responsible for promoting the historical, archaeological, museum and folk culture resources in Florida. The Director of the Division of Historical Resources serves as Florida's State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
  The National Trust provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
• Florida Trust for Historic Preservation
  The Florida Trust is an organization developed to promote statewide preservation efforts through conferences and workshops, publications, and by encouraging heritage tourism.
• Certified Local Government Program
  The National Park Service through the Division of Historical Resources as a Certified Local Government (CLG) has certified Gainesville. Read more about the benefits of CLG status at this National Park Service website.

To learn more about Gainesville's historic districts, inquire about renovations or construction in the districts, or to inquire about the 90-day demolition delay on historic structures outside the districts, contact our Preservation Planner at COGPlanning@cityofgainesville.org or call (352) 334-5022.