This Week in St. Johns County History: UF, city of St. Augustine celebrate partnership

Editor’s note: The St. Augustine Record published this story by Peter Guinta on Oct. 21, 2010.

Scores of officials, University of Florida staff and alumni — along with many residents interested in historic preservation — attended a celebration Oct. 20, 2010, of a "historic partnership" to renovate and maintain 34 historic buildings in St. Augustine.

From a balcony at Government House, UF President Bernie Machen said the restoration of the buildings once managed by the city will bring "new acclaim to St. Augustine, where history is often overlooked."

From 2010: UF cool to historic building plan

From 2012: Historical Society, UF seek partnership

From 2019: City looks to protect its treasures

From 2020: City of St. Augustine asks people to share history for survey

From 2022: 5 things to know about 24 Cathedral Place in St. Augustine, home of Treasury on the Plaza

Machen gave credit to state Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, who, he said, sponsored and pushed a 2007 bill that established an annual disbursement of $650,000 toward preservation.

"St. Augustine was founded 42 years before the first successful English colony at Jamestown," Machen said, outlining the approaching celebrations in 2013, the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida, and the 450th anniversary of the city's founding in 2015.

"St. Augustine will have the unique opportunity to tell its story to the world," he said. "This will sustain the city's character for decades to come."

Government House was built in 1598, burned by the British in 1702 and has been used as a courthouse, post office and, briefly, Florida's capital.

"We will carry out our restoration efforts with care, precision and passion," he said.

Machen gave state Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, credit for his "pivotal" support of Proctor's successful bill.

Proctor admitted as much.

"We never got this project started until John came into the Senate," he said.

St. Augustine's vice mayor, Errol Jones, said St. Augustine's story is "critical to tell when speaking of the founding of our nation. In fact, our national history is not complete without the St. Augustine story."

Jones praised the UF-city relationship.

"For us, historical preservation is part of our economic engine," he said. "We want people who walk the streets of St. Augustine to be immersed in the past."

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Augustine, University of Florida officials celebrate 2010 agreement