Colee House
Dublin Core
Creator
Title
Colee House
Alternative Title
Scarlett O'Hara's
The Scarlett House
Contributor
Barry Gaines and Kevin Finch
John Arbizzani
Scott McAlister
Date Created
1879
Date Modified
1979
1998
2014
July 4, 2022
September 26, 2024
Type
This building was originally a private home.
This building has long been used as a restaurant/bar.
Description
In 1879 on the corner of Hypolita Street and Tolomato Road, George A. Colee built a home for his bride, Virginia Register. Mr. Colee was the founder of the St. Augustine Transfer Company in the 1880s and also built the Suenos House at 20 Cordova Street. Mr. Colee drowned in 1911 on the second floor while taking a bath.
The history of the building is obscure until 1979 although at least the second floor were apartments and there is a story of another man drowning in his bathtub in 1975. In 1979, business partners David Finch and Berry Gaines purchased two former private homes on the corner of Hypolita and Cordova and merged them into Scarlett O'Hara's, themed after Gone with the Wind. Given the bar's location in downtown and closeness to Flagler College and other local hotspots, there was good business from tourists and locals alike. It became a staple business in the community and meeting spot for business owners.
Scarlett O'Hara's/The Scarlett House has been given the nickname, the "Ghost Bar" because of the supposed paranormal experiences of a ghost in the upstairs, some say is the ghost of Mr. Colee, others, the man who drowned in the 1970s. There are reports of supernatural activity on the first floor near the bar as well.
In 1998 Gaines and Finch sold their business to John Arbizzani. In 2014, the bar was leased to ServSafe, a Jacksonville based company, that began its sister bar relationship with the business next door, bar Dos Gatos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were economic struggles for St. Augustine businesses, but July 4, 2022 was the last day of business for Scarlett O'Hara's after 43 years in business. Rising prices, dropped numbers of tourists, and issues related to the lease were cited.
According to the business Instagram post, the Scarlett House opened on September 26, 2024 under the management of Jacksonville restaurateur, Scott McAlister. There is a bar downstairs and upstairs, and once again, indoor and outdoor dining options.
The history of the building is obscure until 1979 although at least the second floor were apartments and there is a story of another man drowning in his bathtub in 1975. In 1979, business partners David Finch and Berry Gaines purchased two former private homes on the corner of Hypolita and Cordova and merged them into Scarlett O'Hara's, themed after Gone with the Wind. Given the bar's location in downtown and closeness to Flagler College and other local hotspots, there was good business from tourists and locals alike. It became a staple business in the community and meeting spot for business owners.
Scarlett O'Hara's/The Scarlett House has been given the nickname, the "Ghost Bar" because of the supposed paranormal experiences of a ghost in the upstairs, some say is the ghost of Mr. Colee, others, the man who drowned in the 1970s. There are reports of supernatural activity on the first floor near the bar as well.
In 1998 Gaines and Finch sold their business to John Arbizzani. In 2014, the bar was leased to ServSafe, a Jacksonville based company, that began its sister bar relationship with the business next door, bar Dos Gatos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were economic struggles for St. Augustine businesses, but July 4, 2022 was the last day of business for Scarlett O'Hara's after 43 years in business. Rising prices, dropped numbers of tourists, and issues related to the lease were cited.
According to the business Instagram post, the Scarlett House opened on September 26, 2024 under the management of Jacksonville restaurateur, Scott McAlister. There is a bar downstairs and upstairs, and once again, indoor and outdoor dining options.
Has Part
For several years, was owned by ServSafe.
Now part of Bourbon Street enterprises.
Rights Holder
Source
The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:
Photograph 1 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Scarlett O'Hara's." June 20, 2025.
The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
“Bourbon Street Coming Soon.” Instragram, September 22, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/DANROtrsfGn/?hl=en.
Gardner, Sheldon. “'Everybody Came to Scarlett's': Why the Landmark Restaurant Is Closing after over 40 Years.” St. Augustine Record, July 7, 2022. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2022/07/07/scarlett-oharas-st-augustine-restaurant-closes-dos-gatos-bar/7818879001/.
Hardy, Tristan. “General Manager Shares Reason Why Scarlett O'Hara's, Dos Gatos Closed in St. Augustine.” FirstCoastNews. July 7, 2022. https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/scarlett-oharas-dos-gatos-closed-st-augustine/77-a1680f76-b64e-44e3-b52a-ad80956f6b0c.
Korfhage, Stuart. “Jax Restaurateur Scott McAlister Acquires Downtown St. Augustine Site.” Jacksonville Business Journal, April 21, 2023. https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2023/04/21/property-records-new-owner-of-st-augustine.html.
Luter, Carianne. “‘We really did give a damn’: Scarlett O’Hara’s, Dos Gatos in St. Augustine Close Doors.” News4Jax, July 5, 2022. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/07/05/end-of-an-era-scarlett-oharas-dos-gatos-in-st-augustine-close-doors/.
Old City Ghosts. “Scarlett O’Hara’s.” https://staugustineghosttours.com/scarlett-oharas/.
Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.
Visit St. Augustine. “The Scarlett House.” https://www.visitstaugustine.com/restaurant/scarlett-house.
Photograph 1 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Scarlett O'Hara's." June 20, 2025.
The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
“Bourbon Street Coming Soon.” Instragram, September 22, 2024. https://www.instagram.com/p/DANROtrsfGn/?hl=en.
Gardner, Sheldon. “'Everybody Came to Scarlett's': Why the Landmark Restaurant Is Closing after over 40 Years.” St. Augustine Record, July 7, 2022. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2022/07/07/scarlett-oharas-st-augustine-restaurant-closes-dos-gatos-bar/7818879001/.
Hardy, Tristan. “General Manager Shares Reason Why Scarlett O'Hara's, Dos Gatos Closed in St. Augustine.” FirstCoastNews. July 7, 2022. https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/scarlett-oharas-dos-gatos-closed-st-augustine/77-a1680f76-b64e-44e3-b52a-ad80956f6b0c.
Korfhage, Stuart. “Jax Restaurateur Scott McAlister Acquires Downtown St. Augustine Site.” Jacksonville Business Journal, April 21, 2023. https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2023/04/21/property-records-new-owner-of-st-augustine.html.
Luter, Carianne. “‘We really did give a damn’: Scarlett O’Hara’s, Dos Gatos in St. Augustine Close Doors.” News4Jax, July 5, 2022. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/07/05/end-of-an-era-scarlett-oharas-dos-gatos-in-st-augustine-close-doors/.
Old City Ghosts. “Scarlett O’Hara’s.” https://staugustineghosttours.com/scarlett-oharas/.
Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.
Visit St. Augustine. “The Scarlett House.” https://www.visitstaugustine.com/restaurant/scarlett-house.
Rights
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.
Is Referenced By
The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this historic site as a location:
Grace: A Suspenseful Love Story Laced with Intrigue
La Vida Vampire
Salt Run
Grace: A Suspenseful Love Story Laced with Intrigue
La Vida Vampire
Salt Run
Date Submitted
This record was last updated on October 17, 2025.
Collection
Citation
George A. Colee, “Colee House,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed February 17, 2026, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/386.