The Gallegos House is located at 21 St. George Street in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

. It is a reconstructed property demonstrating a typical home of Florida's First Spanish Period (1565-1764).

History

The original home was built in 1720 and was listed as the property of Juan Garcia Martinez Gallegos on a 1764 map of St. Augustine. By 1788, another map shows that original structure had been replaced by a timber-frame house built by Lucia Escalona. The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board reconstructed the Gallegos home in 1962 on its original site. It was their third completed project. They used authentic historical methods of construction, building the structure of an oyster-shell concrete mix known as tabby. The home only has two rooms and a flat roof. It demonstrates typical architecture of the First Spanish Period in that it has no entry from the street but rather through a courtyard on the side for security and privacy. There are no openings on the north wall, which during colonial times would have helped to keep out winds. The Gallegos House served as the Information Center for the Preservation Board's

museum village A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

, San Agustin Antiguo.

Present Day

Today the Gallegos House stands on the corner of St. George Street and Fort Alley. is a gift shop for the

Colonial Quarter The Colonial Quarter (previously known as the Colonial Spanish Quarter) is a site in St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlant ...

and is adjacent to the Colonial Oak Music Park complex in downtown St. Augustine.

References

{{reflist Houses in St. Augustine, Florida Houses completed in 1720 Houses completed in 1962 1962 establishments in Florida 1720 establishments in North America