Anderson Cottage

Anderson Cottage

Crisp-Ellert House

Alumni House

1870

1885

2006-2008

2016-2017

This building was originally a rental house on the Markland estate.

This building became a private home in the 20th century.

This building was repurposed as an office building after being bequeathed to Flagler College.

1870 marks the year Clarissa Fairbanks Anderson began construction on the Anderson Cottage, built for guests visiting during the winter. Dr. Anderson, her late husband, had begun the building of Markland House and establishing an orange grove before his death by yellow fever in 1839. He was survived by Clarissa Anderson, a son, and three daughters from his previous marriage. It cost $3900 to build. The land was described as low, wet, and prone to flooding most of the time. This description of the land contrasts with the complaints about dusty and sandy roads (King Street). Mrs. Anderson rented the cottage until her death in June 1881, after which time both Anderson Cottage and the main house, Markland, were rented out by her heirs.

Andrew Anderson Jr., their son, lived elsewhere in St. Augustine while guests filled both homes. The per night rental cost of the cottage was $100 a night, one third of the cost of the main house. The money accrued from the rent paid for the usual costs and was supplemented greatly by the orange grove prior to the onset of “die-back" disease which affected all St. Augustine groves at an unspecified date.

Anderson Cottage faced onto King Street and was located east of Markland. In 1885, Anderson, Jr., sold the family land east of Markland to Henry Flagler for the building of the Hotel Ponce de Leon. To better build and beautify his new hotel, Henry Flagler moved and remodeled Anderson Cottage to look more in keeping with the appearance of the Hotel Ponce de Leon (poured concrete and red-tiled roof). After the sale, Anderson, Jr., married and moved back into Markland House and remained life-long friends with Henry Flagler.

In 2006, local artist, Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert and her husband Dr. Robert Ellert bequeathed Flagler College their home, Anderson Cottage upon their deaths. Dr. JoAnn predeceased her husband, but in 2008 or 2009, upon his death, Anderson Cottage rejoined Markland House under the same ownership for the first time in over 120 years.

In 2016-2017, the College began transforming Anderson Cottage into Alumni House with lecture/event space on the first floor. The Proctor Library’s The Heritage Collections department frequently hosts events in this space, conveniently located next door to the Library.

Anderson Cottage/Alumni House is now part of Flagler College.

Access to this building is primarily for Alumni of Flagler College. The building is accessible 8am-5pm Monday to Friday at 48 Sevilla Street. If a tour of campus is desired, please contact the Alumni Office prior to visiting by calling 904-819-6480 or emailing WShafer@Flagler.edu.

Flagler College
74 King Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
https://www.flagler.edu

The following photographer was used for the above photograph:

Photograph 1 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Photograph of Anderson Cottage/Alumni House." March 11, 2023.

Photograph 2 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Photograph of Anderson Cottage Plaque." June 10, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Mariner, Cosmos. “Anderson Cottage.” Edited by Bernard Fisher. HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. August 20, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=100592.

Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.

The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this building as a location:

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This record was last updated on June 10, 2025.