Seagle Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Dixie Hotel, Hotel Kelley
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Gainesville, Florida |
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| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Rudolph Weaver; G. Lloyd Preacher & Company |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002369 |
| Added to NRHP | August 16, 1982 |
The John F. Seagle Building is a historic building in Gainesville, Florida. You can find it at 408 West University Avenue. It's also known as Hotel Kelley or the Dixie Hotel.
This building was constructed in 1926. It was designed by Rudolph Weaver, a famous architect and professor from the University of Florida. The building was put together by G. Lloyd Preacher & Company. On August 16, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site in the United States.
Contents
The Building's Story
The idea for the Seagle Building came about during a time when the economy was growing fast in the 1920s. This was especially true during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. People were buying and selling land quickly, hoping to make a lot of money.
Early Days and Challenges
The building was first planned to be called "Hotel Kelly." But the project ran into big problems before it was even finished. It stopped being built before the last floor was poured. Because of this, the building sat unfinished for more than ten years. Many people thought it was an eyesore, meaning it looked ugly and out of place.
Finishing the Project
In the mid-1930s, a smart business person named Georgia Seagle stepped in. She was from Jacksonville, Florida. With help from the University of Florida, the city of Gainesville, and money from the U.S. government, she finally finished the building.
Georgia Seagle later gave the building to the University of Florida. She asked that it be named after her brother, John F. Seagle, who had passed away.
Serving the University
After it was finished, the Seagle Building was mostly used by the University of Florida. As time went on, it became harder for the building to meet modern fire safety rules. Because of this, most of the businesses and people on the upper floors had to leave.
By the late 1960s, the Florida Museum of Natural History was the only group still using the building. When that museum moved to the UF campus nearby, the Seagle Building became completely empty.
A New Beginning
Eventually, a company from Kentucky bought the building for just $1. The deal was that they had to completely fix it up. The newly renovated Seagle Building opened again in 1983.
It had many new features and improvements. These included modern wiring, plumbing, and connections for telephones and cable TV. It also got a fire sprinkler system and an emergency diesel generator. A new concrete stairway was added inside, giving two fire escapes for every floor.
The first six floors of the building are now used for businesses. This area is about 40,000 square feet (3,716 square meters). The top five floors are apartments where people live. There are four apartments on each of these floors, except for the very top floor, which has one large apartment.
