Grant awarded for historical repairs

SAINT AUGUSTINE – The St. Augustine Historical Society was recently awarded a 2019 Hurricane Irma National Park Service Subgrant by the Division of Historical Resources in the amount of $93,000. The funds will be used exclusively for roof replacement, reapplication of lime wash to the exterior, and shutter repairs for damages that resulted from the impact of Hurricane Irma. The no-match grant will also fund the updating of the Fernandez-Llambias House National Register of Historic Places listing.. The grant has been partially funded by the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, and Department of Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not constitute endorsement or necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior or U.S. Government.
The Fernandez-Llambias House is one of Florida’s most significant historic properties.   It is likely the earliest attempt at a professional restoration of a historic building in Florida and served as the prototype for the restoration of the colonial city of St. Augustine. The Carnegie Institution of Washington, DC purchased the property in 1938.  The 1938 indenture stated the purpose of the acquisition was “for use in the public interest for demonstration in methods of preservation and restoration in St. Augustine.” In 1935 the Carnegie Institution initiated funding and technical support of the St. Augustine Restoration Program.  The ambitious program produced little in part because World War II interrupted it. It did, however, serve as the model for the program started by the State of Florida in 1959. 
The acquisition and preservation of the Fernandez-Llambias House was one of its major accomplishments. The Carnegie Institution divested itself of administrative authority of the property in 1945 with the City as trustee and administrative authority vested in the St. Augustine Historical Society. The City of St. Augustine has no liability for maintenance and upkeep of the property and no admission fees can be charged, limiting the sustainability of the property. In 1951 the Society began the first professional restoration of a colonial building in St. Augustine, funded in part by an appropriation by the Florida Legislature.  The restoration under the supervision of former National Park Service architect Stuart Barrett was completed in 1954. The Llambias House was recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1954 and 1965  It was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970, one of the earliest in Florida and among the first three National Landmarks in St. Augustine.