ST. FRANCIS STREET BUNGALOW IS A LINK TO TALLAHASSEE’S BEGINNINGS

The teal and garnet bungalow on St. Francis Street sits quietly at the corner, just one block from the hustle and bustle of the Gaines Streets shops, and the nearby chatter of the Hill. It has been a pillar of this community since it was built in 1925, in the All Saint Neighborhood, Tallahassee’s very first community dating as far back as the late 1800s. Many families have graced the doorsteps of this beautiful home for almost 100 years.

Originally built as a duplex, it housed a community grocery store before the owner, Alonzo Charleville, closed up shop to run the local Tallahassee Cotton Gin. Alonzo’s wife, Exie was very involved in the local Garden Club and in 1932 she chaired a beautification project to plant shrubs and flowers from Gaines Street to Railroad Avenue to Monroe Street! The Charlevilles must’ve had the most beautiful yard on the block.

The home hosted gatherings of the Business & Professional Womens Club Chamber of Commerce, bringing together strong women of the 1930s who were entrepreneurial in spirit with bigger dreams than what social norms allowed at the time.

In the 1940s, the Maynards moved in and news clippings show that Evelyn Maynard had a short radio segment on the local CBS station. For 15 minutes, once a week, Evelyn entertained Tallahasseeans with what, I wish I knew.

There are not many neighborhoods in Tallahassee like St. Francis Street, and not many homes like this beautiful home that was once a duplex. When I mention this house to my friends in other parts of town, they smile; they know exactly what I’m talking about.

If you go: 403 St. Francis Street, Tallahassee (recently back on market)

For more information or to schedule a tour: Sara Patterson Ketcham Realty Group (850) 591-7040