Seabreeze, Florida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Seabreeze Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Volusia County
Location	Volusia County, Florida, US
Nearest city	Daytona Beach
Area	1,700 acres (6.9 km2)
Architect	Griffin, Harry, et al.
Architectural style	Queen Anne, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements
MPS	Daytona Beach Multiple Property Submission
NRHP reference No.	98001131
Added to NRHP	September 3, 1998

Seabreeze is a cool neighborhood right by the beach in Daytona Beach, Florida. It used to be its own city! From May 24, 1901, until January 1, 1926, Seabreeze was independent. Then, it joined with Daytona and Daytona Beach to form one bigger city.

Today, Seabreeze is known as the Seabreeze Historic District. This means it's a special area in the United States that protects old and important buildings. It became a historic district on September 3, 1998. This district is found between University Boulevard, Halifax Road, Auditorium Boulevard, and North Atlantic Avenue. It has 596 historic buildings.

History of Seabreeze

In 1884, a person named David D. Rogers bought about 47 acres of land on the beach. This land was east of Daytona. It stretched from what is now Main Street to Harvey Street. It also went from the Atlantic Ocean to Pinewood Cemetery. Rogers divided this land into smaller pieces to sell. He named his new development Seabreeze.

In 1885, Charles A. Ballough built his home north of Rogers' land. This area was roughly from Oakridge Boulevard to University Boulevard today. A year later, in 1886, Charles H. Brush built his home on 60 acres of land. This land was between Rogers' and Ballough's properties. It went from the Atlantic Ocean about halfway across the peninsula. In 1888, Brush sold half of his land, which was then turned into a new neighborhood.

In 1886, a post office called Halifax opened on the peninsula. It was near the riverfront, close to today's Main Street. In 1890, the Post Office Department changed its name to Seabreeze. This was to match Rogers' development.

In 1887, the first bridge was built across the Halifax River. It connected Daytona to the peninsula. It was called the Central Bridge. Today, it is known as the Main Street Bridge. It connected Fairview Avenue in Daytona to Seabreeze Avenue (now Main Street) in old Daytona Beach.

In 1892, Col. C. C. Post and his wife, Helen Wilmans Post, bought half of Ballough's property. They turned it into another development. This area later became the main part of the town of Seabreeze. They opened Ocean Boulevard (now Seabreeze Boulevard) from Valley Street (now Halifax Avenue) to the ocean. They even paved it with marl, a type of soil. Col. Post built a store, an opera house, a printing office, and a home for his family. Mrs. Post started a "Mental Science" school and began publishing a paper called "Freedom."

So much mail was sent because of the "Mental Science" activities. By 1897, the Post Office Department moved the Seabreeze post office north to Ocean Boulevard. The people living around Seabreeze Avenue were not happy about their post office moving. They asked for a new one. Their request was approved in 1898. A new post office was opened with the name Goodall. It was named after Congressman Ernest Goodall of Maine. It was also located at the corner of Valley Street (Halifax Avenue) and Seabreeze Avenue (Main Street).

Seabreeze Becomes a City

On May 24, 1901, the people living in the Seabreeze post office area voted to make their development an official town. They chose Col. C. C. Post as their first mayor. They also elected five town council members and other officials. Mrs. Post proudly called the new town "City Beautiful."

In 1902, a bridge was built from Ocean Boulevard in Seabreeze to Mason Avenue on the mainland. This was at the northern edge of Daytona. It was first called the North Bridge. Later, it became known as the Seabreeze Bridge.

On January 28, 1905, the people living around the Goodall post office met to talk about becoming a city. After several meetings, an election was held on March 23, 1905. Forty-one votes were cast to become a city named Daytona Beach. E. E. Johnson became the first mayor. The line between Daytona Beach and Seabreeze was roughly where Auditorium Boulevard is today.

Joining Together

In 1925, leaders from Daytona, Daytona Beach, and Seabreeze met. They talked about joining their three cities into one. On January 1, 1926, a new, bigger city called Daytona Beach was formed. It replaced the three smaller cities. This made Daytona the seventh largest city in Florida based on how many people lived there.

Images for kids

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  Early picture of Ocean Blvd. (Seabreeze Blvd.) 1893

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  Westbound view down Ocean Blvd. (Seabreeze Blvd.), 1902

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  Clarendon Hotel, 1900

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  Princess Issena Hotel in Seabreeze

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  Carriages on the beach in Seabreeze, FL, 1906

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  The first Seabreeze Bridge across the Halifax River