Florida Governor's Mansion
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The Florida Governor's Mansion (also called the People's House of Florida) is a historic
U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
residence in
Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...
, and the
official residence An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
of the
governor of Florida The governor of Florida is the head of government of the U.S. state of Florida. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Government of Florida#Executive branch, executive branch of the government of Florida and is the comman ...
. On July 20, 2006, it was added to the
U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.


Architecture

The mansion, which was designed to resemble
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
's Hermitage, was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth. The building has 30 rooms and of living space on of land.


Furnishings and antiques

The mansion's furnishings are managed by the eight-member Governor's Mansion Commission, established by the Florida Department of Management Services. The commission is responsible for cataloging and maintaining a descriptive, photographic inventory of the antique furnishings and articles of furniture, fixtures, and decorative objects used or displayed in the state rooms of the Governor's Mansion.


Public tours

Half-hour, public
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of the Florida Governor's Mansion are available year-round. The guided tours, led by trained volunteers of the Governor's Mansion Docent Program, also welcome school groups. The Governor's Mansion curator coordinates all tour requests.


Entrance park and Florida's Finest sculpture

The focal point of the park directly across the street from the mansion is the bronze sculpture, Florida's Finest, which was unveiled in April 1998 by then Governor and Mrs.
Lawton Chiles Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 â€“ December 12, 1998) was an American politician and military officer. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senate, United States senator fr ...
and was dedicated to the children of Florida. The sculpture features five life-size children and a dog playing a game of "Follow the Leader" atop three logs of a nearby fallen tree.


History

From 1845 (the year Florida was admitted to the Union) to the beginning of the 20th century, governors of the state usually lived in hotels or boardinghouses. In 1905, the state legislature appropriated $25,000 to construct an official residence for the governor, and the home was finished in 1907. George Saxon, a banker from Tallahassee, donated four lots on which to build the residence.
Henry John Klutho Henry John Klutho (1873 – 1964) was an American architect known for his work in the " Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast†...
designed the home, with a Neoclassical exterior and a 14-room Georgian interior. The 1907 mansion attracted at least one candidate for governor. In the fall of 1915, West Florida Baptists held their annual convention in
Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...
. Local Baptists agreed to have as guests in their homes the delegates, or messengers as they were called, to the convention. A messenger named Sidney J. Catts, from
DeFuniak Springs DeFuniak Springs ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walton County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,919 as of the 2020 Census, up from 5,177 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview— Fort Walton Beach—Destin, Florid ...
, was assigned by the convention committee to be the guest of Governor and Mrs. Trammell. Reverend Catts, during dinner the first night there, asked many questions about the mansion and inspected the entire premises, including the attic and stables. At the last meal before leaving, the Reverend Catts asked Governor Trammel, "Governor, how much rent does this place cost you?" Governor Trammel replied, "Reverend, it is provided rent-free by the taxpayers of Florida." A few weeks later, the Reverend Catts announced his candidacy for governor and was elected in 1916. Reverend Catts brought a pig, milk cow, and chickens to the mansion during his tenure as governor. The house served fifteen governors and their families until 1955, when it was determined that a new mansion would need to be built due to a lack of enough space in the house and various structural issues. Governor Fuller Warren, who served from 1949 to 1953, referred to it as the "State Shack." The sum of $250,000 was appropriated by the Florida State Legislature in 1953 for a new mansion, and the Cabinet approved the plan in 1955. Many items in the first mansion were auctioned in 1955 to aid in furnishing the new mansion, raising $7,500. Noted Palm Beach architect Marion Sims Wyeth was unanimously chosen by both the Cabinet and the Governor's Mansion Advisory Committee to design the new home. Wyeth was told to use Andrew Jackson's home in
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, The Hermitage, as a model for the exterior. However, due to a shortfall in the state's budget, the completed home had fewer rooms than originally planned. Including furnishings, the new mansion cost $350,000 and was completed a year later, in 1956. The first governor to live in the new mansion was LeRoy Collins, in the spring of 1957. Collins and his wife were actively involved in the new house's construction, and in 1957, they suggested to the state a Governor's Mansion Commission. In 1979, First Lady Adele Graham, the wife of
Bob Graham Daniel Robert Graham (November 9, 1936 – April 16, 2024) was an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 38th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senate, United States senat ...
, began organizing tours for the mansion. The next year, she founded the Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation. The contributions of this foundation helped to make possible the first addition to the Governor's Mansion since 1957, the Florida Sun Room. The foundation was created to solicit private funding for the restoration of the mansion, its furnishings, and its grounds. In 2006, the second addition to the mansion was completed, a new library for Governor
Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. A member of the Bush family, Bush political family, he was an unsuccessful candidate for pre ...
and his wife, Columba Bush. The Cabinet approved the $500,000 expansion in August 2005. The building celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005, as well as being added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, Governor
Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...
announced the addition of a
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and a
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at the mansion. The mansion now includes a
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and the Manatee Sculpture Garden, and is next to a private park. On August 30, 2023, the northern front of the building was struck by a falling oak tree as Hurricane Idalia passed to the east, but no injuries or serious damage was reported.


References


External links


Florida Governor's Mansion
{{Authority control Governors' mansions in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Tallahassee, Florida Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Historic house museums in Florida Museums in Tallahassee, Florida Houses completed in 1956 Government buildings in Florida Tourist attractions in Tallahassee, Florida Houses in Tallahassee, Florida 1956 establishments in Florida