Davis Shores
N 29° 53.580 W 081° 18.260
17R E 470616 N 3306967
The Davis Shores historical marker is located in Oglethorpe Battery Park in St. Augustine, Florida.
Waymark Code: WMAYJ7
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/12/2011
Views: 25
The historical marker reads as follows:
"Until the 1920s the northwest corner of Anastasia Island was a swampy lowland with occasional peaks of high ground. In 1925, wealthy Florida land developer D.P. Davis, purchased the lowlands and raised them in a massive 1,500 acre dredge and fill operation. Davis designed and subdivided the new land to provide for 50 miles of streets, 100 miles of sidewalks and curbs, parks, plazas, two 18 hole golf courses, a casino, Roman pool, yacht club, hotel, apartments, residences and business districts. Its distinctive curving street patterns, wide boulevards, unusual triangulated lots in a garden-like setting exhibit key elements of the most influential city planning movements of that time: the City Beautiful, Picturesque and Garden City movements. While many lots were sold, Florida's Land Bust of 1926 ended Davis' dream. Only eleven Mediterranean Revival style structures were built: six houses, four apartments, and a sales office for the Davis Corporation. By 1927, the newly completed Bridge of Lions led to a depressed area. Not until the prosperous post-World War II years did Davis Shores see revived interest and rapid growth. Today, Davis Shores still retains much of the original design and most of its 1920s structures."
Marker Number: F-592
Date: 2006
County: St Johns
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: The City of St. Augustine and the Florida Department of State
Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.