The Hippodrome State Theatre

Driving around Gainesville, Florida

Since the 1990s, suburban sprawl has been a concern for a majority of the city commissioners. The New Urbanization plan to gentrify the area between historic Downtown and the University of Florida may slow the growth of suburban sectors and spark a migration toward upper-level apartments in the inner city. The area immediately north of the university is also seeing active redevelopment. Many gentrification plans rely on tax incentives that have sparked controversy and are sometimes unsuccessful. University Corners, which would not have been proposed without a $98 million tax incentive program by the city, was to be a crowning jewel of the city's redevelopment efforts, 450 condos and hotel units and 98,000 square feet (9,100 m2) of retail space in eight stories covering three city blocks, on 3.4 acres (1.4 ha) purchased for $15.5 million. 19 thriving businesses were demolished in April 2007, but in May 2008 deposit checks were refunded to about 105 people who reserved units, and in July 2008 developers spent $120,000 to beautify the site, so we won't have this ugly green fence.

Gainesville's east side houses the majority of the city's African-American community, while the west side consists of the mainly student and white resident population. West of the city limits are large-scale planned communities, most notably Haile Plantation, which was built on the site of its eponymous former plantation.

The destruction of the city's landmark Victorian courthouse in the 1960s, which some considered unnecessary, brought the idea of historic preservation to the community's attention. The bland county building that replaced the grand courthouse became known to some locals as the air conditioner. Additional destruction of other historic buildings in the downtown followed. Only a small handful of older buildings are left, like the Hippodrome State Theatre, at one time a federal building. Revitalization of the city's core has picked up, and many parking lots and underutilized buildings are being replaced with infill development and near-campus housing that blend in with existing historic structures. There is a proposal to rebuild a replica of the old courthouse on a parking lot one block from the original location.

Helping in this effort are the number of areas and buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places. Dozens of examples of restored Victorian and Queen Anne style residences constructed in the city's agricultural heyday of the 1880s and 1890s can be found in the following districts:

Northeast Gainesville Residential District
Southeast Gainesville Residential District
Pleasant Street Historic District

Additionally, the University of Florida Campus Historic District, consisting of 11 buildings and 14 contributing properties, lies within the city's boundaries. Most of the buildings in the Campus Historic District are constructed in variations of Collegiate Gothic architecture, which returned to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Historic structures on the Register in and around downtown are:

Bailey Plantation House (1854)
Colson House (1905)
Matheson House (1867)
Thomas Hotel (1910)
The Old Post Office (now the Hippodrome State Theatre) (1911)
Masonic Temple (1908)
Seagle Building (1926), downtown Gainesville's tallest building.
Baird Hardware Company Warehouse (1890)
Cox Furniture Store (1875)
Cox Furniture Warehouse (c. 1890)
Epworth Hall (1884)
Old Gainesville Depot (1907)
Mary Phifer McKenzie House (1895)
Star Garage (1902)

MICHELLE OBAMA RALLY HIPPODROME THEATRE GAINESVILLE FLORIDA 10 22 08 part 3 of 4

Country Inn & Suites Gainesville - Gainesville Hotels, Florida

Country Inn and Suites Gainesville 3 Stars Gainesville Hotels, Florida Within US Travel Directory The University of Florida is 4.8 km from this hotel in Gainesville. It features an indoor pool with hot tub and tan colored rooms with flat-screen cable TV and free Wi-Fi.Each room at the Country Inn and Suites Gainesville includes a microwave, refrigerator and coffee facilities. All rooms are air conditioned.Guests can exercise in the small gym at the hotel or use the business center. For added convenience the hotel also offers laundry facilities.A daily hot breakfast buffet is available at the Gainesville Country Inn and Suites. A variety of drinks can be found and the dining area is spacious.The Florida Museum of Natural History is 3.9 km away. The hotel is a 15-minute drive from the Hippodrome State Theatre.
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Country Inn & Suites Gainesville, 4015 Southwest 43rd Street FL 32608, USA

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Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is the county seat and largest city in Alachua County, Florida, and the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population of Gainesville in the 2010 United States Census was 124,354. Gainesville is the largest city in the region of North Central Florida.
Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, the nation's eighth largest university campus by enrollment, as well as to Santa Fe College. The Gainesville MSA was ranked as the #1 place to live in North America in the 2007 edition of Cities Ranked and Rated. Also in 2007, Gainesville was ranked as one of the best places to live and play in the United States by National Geographic Adventure. Gainesville was ranked as the 5th meanest city in the United States by the National Coalition for the Homeless twice, first in 2004 for its criminalization of homelessness and then in 2009 for its ordinance restricting soup kitchens to 130 meals a day.


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