Florida Governor's Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Florida Governor's Mansion (also called The People's House of Florida) is a historic U.S.
residence
in Tallahassee
, Florida
. On July 20, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion, which was designed to resemble Andrew Jackson
's Hermitage
, was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth
, who also designed numerous Palm Beach mansions including Mar-A-Lago
. The building has 30 rooms and 15000 ft2 of living space on 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) of land. The mansion's furnishings are managed by the eight-member Governor's Mansion Commission.
designed the home, with a Neoclassical
exterior and a a 14-room Georgian interior. The house served fifteen governors and their families until 1955, when it was determined that a new mansion would need to be built due to a lack of enough space in the house and various structural issues. $250,000 was appropriated by the Florida State Legislature in 1953 for a new mansion, and the Cabinet approved the plan in 1955. Many items in the first mansion were auctioned in 1955 to aid in furnishing the new mansion, raising $7,500.
Noted Palm Beach
architect Marion Sims Wyeth
was unanimously chosen by both the Cabinet and the Governor's Mansion Advisory Committee to design the new home. Wyeth was told to use Andrew Jackson's home in Tennessee
, The Hermitage
, as a model for the exterior. However, due to a shortfall in the state's budget, the completed home had fewer rooms than originally planned. Including furnishings, the new mansion cost $350,000 and was completed a year later, in 1956. The first governor to live in the new mansion was LeRoy Collins
, in the spring of 1957. Collins and his wife were actively involved in the new house's construction, and in 1957, they suggested to the state a Governor's Mansion Commission. In 1979, First Lady Adele Graham, the wife of Bob Graham
, began organizing tours for the mansion. The next year, she founded the Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation. The contributions of this foundation helped to make possible the first addition to the Governor's Mansion since 1957, the Florida Sun Room. The foundation was created to solicit private funding for the restoration of the mansion, its furnishings, and its grounds.
In 2005, the second addition to the Mansion occurred, a new 550 ft2 library for Governor Jeb Bush
and his wife, Columba Bush
. The Cabinet approved the $500,000 expansion in August 2005. The building celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005, as well as being added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, Governor Charlie Crist
announced the addition of a solar-powered swimming pool
and a hydrogen fuel cell at the mansion. The mansion now includes a greenhouse
and the Manatee Sculpture Garden, and is next to a private park.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
residence
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. On July 20, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion, which was designed to resemble Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
's Hermitage
The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)
The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, USA, east of downtown Nashville. The plantation was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. Jackson only lived at the property...
, was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth
Marion Sims Wyeth
Marion Sims Wyeth was an American architect who designed numerous mansions in Florida.He was born in New York City. Wyeth's father John Allan Wyeth founded in 1882 the New York Polyclinic Hospital . His grandfather J. Marion Sims founded the country's first Women's Hospital in 1855 Marion Sims...
, who also designed numerous Palm Beach mansions including Mar-A-Lago
Mar-A-Lago
Mar-A-Lago , built 1924-1927, is the name of the Marjorie Merriweather Post estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Post built the house with her husband, Edward F. Hutton. The house was designed by Joseph Urban. Upon her death in 1973 Marjorie Post willed the estate to the U.S. Government as a retreat...
. The building has 30 rooms and 15000 ft2 of living space on 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) of land. The mansion's furnishings are managed by the eight-member Governor's Mansion Commission.
History
From 1845 (the year Florida was admitted to the Union) to the beginning of the 20th century, governors of the state usually lived in hotels or boardinghouses. In 1905, the state legislature appropriated $25,000 to construct an official residence for the governor, and the home was finished in 1907, George Saxon, a banker from Tallahassee, donated four lots on which to build the residence. Henry John KluthoHenry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho was an American architect of the "Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast—by designing many of the new buildings built after the disaster. This period lasted until...
designed the home, with a Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
exterior and a a 14-room Georgian interior. The house served fifteen governors and their families until 1955, when it was determined that a new mansion would need to be built due to a lack of enough space in the house and various structural issues. $250,000 was appropriated by the Florida State Legislature in 1953 for a new mansion, and the Cabinet approved the plan in 1955. Many items in the first mansion were auctioned in 1955 to aid in furnishing the new mansion, raising $7,500.
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
architect Marion Sims Wyeth
Marion Sims Wyeth
Marion Sims Wyeth was an American architect who designed numerous mansions in Florida.He was born in New York City. Wyeth's father John Allan Wyeth founded in 1882 the New York Polyclinic Hospital . His grandfather J. Marion Sims founded the country's first Women's Hospital in 1855 Marion Sims...
was unanimously chosen by both the Cabinet and the Governor's Mansion Advisory Committee to design the new home. Wyeth was told to use Andrew Jackson's home in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, The Hermitage
The Hermitage (Nashville, Tennessee)
The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, USA, east of downtown Nashville. The plantation was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. Jackson only lived at the property...
, as a model for the exterior. However, due to a shortfall in the state's budget, the completed home had fewer rooms than originally planned. Including furnishings, the new mansion cost $350,000 and was completed a year later, in 1956. The first governor to live in the new mansion was LeRoy Collins
LeRoy Collins
Thomas LeRoy Collins was the 33rd Governor of Florida.-Early life:Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman Business College in New York and then went on to the Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama to...
, in the spring of 1957. Collins and his wife were actively involved in the new house's construction, and in 1957, they suggested to the state a Governor's Mansion Commission. In 1979, First Lady Adele Graham, the wife of Bob Graham
Bob Graham
Daniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the 38th Governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
, began organizing tours for the mansion. The next year, she founded the Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation. The contributions of this foundation helped to make possible the first addition to the Governor's Mansion since 1957, the Florida Sun Room. The foundation was created to solicit private funding for the restoration of the mansion, its furnishings, and its grounds.
In 2005, the second addition to the Mansion occurred, a new 550 ft2 library for Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
and his wife, Columba Bush
Columba Bush
Columba Bush is a Mexican-born American philanthropist. She is the wife of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.Bush was born as Columba Garnica Gallo in León, Guanajuato, Mexico, where she grew up and attended high school. Her parents were José María Garnica, a migrant worker, and Josefina Gallo...
. The Cabinet approved the $500,000 expansion in August 2005. The building celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005, as well as being added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, Governor Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
announced the addition of a solar-powered swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
and a hydrogen fuel cell at the mansion. The mansion now includes a greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
and the Manatee Sculpture Garden, and is next to a private park.