WEST AUGUSTINE AND
LINCOLNVILLE: St. Augustine’ s Other Black Communities
by Teddy Regis
If you, dear reader, are consuming this article in St. Johns County, perhaps you are simultaneously subject to the sights and sounds of concrete mixers, nail guns and saws. More than likely, a new home, apartment complex or store is being built within a stone’ s throw of you- or decorating your daily commute. Without question, St. Johns County is experiencing an expansion, a transformation. Projects proliferate left and right. But today, we’ re going to zoom in on the development of two specific, storied parts of our culturally rich city- namely, Lincolnville and West Augustine.
Greg White served as director of West Augustine’ s Community Redevelopment Area( CRA) for about 17 years.“ The birth of the CRA would be the mechanism that has actually moved the needle to improve historic West Augustine,” says White. Established in the year
2000, the CRA drills down on various components of improvement for West Augustine. These include affordable housing, infrastructure improvement, economic development and the curating of activities. There was a time in recent history when there was no guarantee that West Augustine residents would have access to running water. After partnering with the City of St. Augustine at the turn of the 21st century, about 97 % of West Augustine residents currently enjoy access to that utility.
White is now founder of the West Augustine Historical Community Development Corp( WAHCDC). Board members often organize events that unite the community. They have partnered with the likes of Flagler Hospital, The Bailey Group and The Solomon Calhoun Center with a view to improving the quality
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is located in the historic Excelsior School building, built in 1925
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