Heart and Soul of Florida - by Elsbeth K Gordon (Hardcover)

About the Book

An exploration of the architectural and archaeological sites in Florida that explore the human spirit.

Book Synopsis

Landmarks of the human spirit

"Emphasizes the importance of many Spanish Colonial sites and puts them in context with American History."--Donald A. Crichlow, architect

Red-ochre burial mounds, mysterious artifacts in ponds, giant circles carved in limestone, Spanish mission chapels, frontier houses of worship, gothic cathedrals, courthouses, post offices: eight thousand years of Floridians' lives can be experienced through the state's human-made environment.

A sweeping saga of Florida's built landscape from 6000 b.c. to the present, Heart and Soul of Florida begins with pre-Columbian archaeological sites. Architectural historian Elsbeth Gordon re-creates the original atmosphere of many such ancient places. These burial and worship arrangements serve as printed watermarks of Native American traditions, grounding Florida's identity as time passes.

Spanish Colonial architecture provides Florida with a second important layer of cultural history. This book is filled with accounts of remarkable architectural activity from this period: it tells the story of the Spanish mission of Nombre de Dios (1580-1793) and compares the Spanish Royal Ordinances of 1573 with the town plan of St. Augustine today. Photographs, drawings, and maps make these tales even more absorbing and tangible.

Ending with Florida's exciting pioneering and dynamic entrepreneurial era, Florida's newest era, Gordon provides a much-needed broad synthesis of Florida's rich architectural heritage. She expands the definition of "sacred space" by including preserved historic civic buildings, like the State Capitol, to fully examine the multitude of places that nurture the spirits of Florida's people.

Gordon inspires the general and professional public to see Florida's built environment as a rich continuum of history and identity that shaped and continues to impact Florida's culture--from the mundane to the transcendent. These humanizing places, many of which endure permanently in the landscape, represent an "architecture of the soul."

From the Back Cover

"Thoughtful, provocative, and passionate, Heart and Soul of Florida is a book every Floridian should read. Elsbeth Gordon guides readers across the centuries and contours of places and structures she calls 'sacred sites.' Her love affair with Florida is revealed in stone and sticks, pillars and pilasters."--Gary Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida

"In this outstanding contribution to Florida historical literature Elsbeth Gordon joins prodigious research with elegant language to take us on a tour of Florida's sacred structures and spaces. No doubt this insightful volume will be read and discussed for many years to come."--Michael Gannon, editor of The New History of Florida

"Emphasizes the importance of many Spanish Colonial sites and puts them in context with American History."--Donald A. Crichlow, architect

About the Author

Elsbeth "Buff" Gordon is research associate at the Historic St. Augustine Research Institute and currently serves on the board of directors for the St. Augustine Archaeological Association. She is the author of Florida's Colonial Architectural Heritage.