"Calle Real"

St. Augustine in the Gilded Age
Picture of St. George Street
St. Augustine in the Gilded Age
The Story of St. Augustine: Florida’s Colonial Capital
Picture of Buildings on St. George Street

Dublin Core

Creator

The Spanish

Title

"Calle Real"

Alternative Title

George Street
Calle Jorge
Calle de San Jorge
St. George Street

Date Modified

c. 1763
c. 1793
c.1830s
c. 1970s

Type

This is one of the original streets in St. Augustine.

Description

The Spanish laid-out the street system of St. Augustine in the First Spanish Period. They did not give streets formal names, but rather referred to them based on an important building alongside the road or to where the road led. If the road was maintained out of the Treasury it was a "Calle Real." Colloquially, St. George Street was called "the street of the governor" (because it led to the Governor's House) or "the street of the church" (because of the location of the now-Cathedral Basilica).

During the British Period (1763-1783), this street was named George Street after King George III. On a 1764 map by Don Juan Josef Elixio de al Puente to record Spanish property in the different blocks of the town, St. George Street is a prominant, unnamed, feature running from the northern (surviving) City Gates to what is today called St. Francis Street.

After the reinsitution of Spanish rule in 1783, the street was translated to Calle Jorge. By the 1793 census, streets had stanardized names and Calle Jorge had become Calle de San Jorge. It is not conclusive why the "San" (Saint) was added at this time.

Once St. Augustine became part of the Florida Territory, the street name was translated to St. George Street in the early 1830s. 

In 1958, the route of St. Augustine's first Easter Parade was down St. George Street. In the 1960s, in an attempt to restore Colonial St. Augustine, St. George Street was altered for imitation colonial buildings that would feature tourist-y shops. In the mid- to late-1970s, the northern part of St. George Street became pedestrian-only. The southern part remains residential and a vehicular road. There are many historically preserved locations along St. George Street that are both homes, businesses, and restaurants. The pedestrain-only portion of St. George Street is one the most acclaimed locations to visit for visitors and locals alike.

Rights Holder

City of St. Augustine

Source

The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations: 

Photograph 1 (c.1897): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Charleston, SC: Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 2 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of St. George Street." March 11, 2023.

Photograph 3 (c.1900): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Charleston, SC: Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 4 (c. 1970): Van Campen, J.T. St. Augustine: Florida’ Colonial Capital. 3rd printing. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1971.

Photograph 5 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of Buildings on St. George Street." March 11, 2023.

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

GovernorsHouseLibrary. “What’s in a Name? St. George Street.” Governor’s House Library: Explore St. Augustine’s History. November 9, 2017. https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/govhouselibrary-st-george-street/#:~:text=The%20British%20were%20the%20first,reigning%20monarch%2C%20King%20George%20III.

Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Nolan, David. The Houses of St. Augustine. Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, 1995.

Rights

Flagler College Special Collections is 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.

Date Submitted

This record was last updated on March 29, 2023.

Citation

The Spanish, “"Calle Real",” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed May 15, 2024, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/407.

Geolocation