The Majesty of St. Augustine - Hardcover

St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. Founded by Spain in 1565, fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the city was repeatedly attacked as Great Britain and Spain struggled to gain control of Florida. Only the Castillo de San Marcos, completed in the late seventeenth century, survived the destruction of the city by invading British forces in 1702.

Though there were over three hundred original buildings when Florida achieved statehood in 1821, only thirty-six of these remained by 1965. It was while the city celebrated its four hundredth anniversary that the state committed to help restore remaining buildings. The city of St. Augustine now manages the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum and is dedicated to restoring, preserving, and interpreting the rich and fascinating history of this gem.

This architectural tour of St. Augustine is filled with the history of the city embodied by buildings that for centuries were used as schools, like the Genoply School House, gracious family homes including the Pena-Peck house, and stately houses of worship such as the Basilica Cathedral, which was built in the 1790s.

Steven Brooke is an internationally acclaimed architectural photographer who received the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome for his body of work. He also received the National Honor Award for Photography from the American Institute of Architects, the highest award in the field of architectural photography. His beautiful, detailed photographs also grace the pages of Seaside, Seaside Picket Fences, The Majesty of Natchez, Louisiana Gardens, The Gardens of Florida, and Historic Washington, Arkansas.

Mr. Brooke lives in Miami with his wife, architect Suzanne Martinson, and their son, Miles.

For more on Pelican's Majesty Architecture Series, please visit us online at www.pelicanpub.com