National Register of Historic Places

Hotel Thomas

Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
Listed
July 15, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73000563

About this property

The Thomas Center, formerly known as Hotel Thomas and Sunkist Villa, is an historic building in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It was built starting in 1910 in the Classical Revival style by noted Atlanta-based architect, William Augustus Edwards, designer of academic buildings at 12 institutions in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, including the original University of Florida campus, as well as a dozen or more county courthouses in those states plus other building and houses, The building began as the private home of William Reuben Thomas, his wife Kathryn, and their five children, when it was known as Sunkist Villa. In 1928 Thomas more than doubled the size of the home and converted it to a hotel. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on July 16, 1973, and in the following years it underwent a restoration and adaption that involved significant repairs to the structure and replacement of the original Ludowici tiles. The Thomas Center celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 12, 2010.

Location

Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
29.66285, -82.32946

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Bailey, Maj. James B., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Pleasant Street Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
Jones, A. Quinn, House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Old Mount Carmel Baptist Church
Industrial
0.5 mi
Northeast Gainesville Residential District
Listed
0.6 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Gainesville (Aug 1864)
1864Civil War
0.8 mi
Engagement at Gainesville
1864Civil War
0.8 mi
Dickison's Raid on Gainesville (August 1864)
1864Civil War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hotel Thomas listed on the National Register?

Hotel Thomas was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 15, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Hotel Thomas?

Hotel Thomas is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hotel Thomas?

The period of significance for Hotel Thomas is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Hotel Thomas?

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