ST. AUGUSTINE Fla.
The gray masonry Government House in a plaza here survived
as the home and headquarters for Spanish and British rule for more than 200
years. It was reconstructed from ruins several times during the colonial era,
once after being burnt and reduced to rubble by the British.
But now the two-story structure faces its toughest and most
expensive challenge yet the destructive powers of aging.
It is not alone. It is among 31 historic buildings that have
become too costly for the local government to maintain and repair, so the University
of Florida has taken over their
management in the oldest continuously occupied city in the U.S.
Some structures date to the 18th century, but about
two-thirds are restorations built as late as the 1970s mainly on the original foundations.
For the past decade, the city has been leasing the buildings
for $1 a year from the state, but the $1.5 million in rent from the shops and
restaurants that occupy them is not enough to provide for upkeep. The city has
been providing about $200,000 a year for maintenance.
And crumbling history is a problem for a city whose main
tourism draw is its colonial allure.
