The McKenzie House (1895)
617 East University Avenue
Gainesville, Florida
The largest and most elaborate of Gainesville's Victorian homes, this Queen Anne mansion has had owners all interrelated by marriage, including such prominent old Gainesville families as McKenzie, Colson, Baker, Phifer, and Pound. Built by J.F. Lambreth, it was purchased by Reed McKenzie, a motor company owner, in the late 1920's and remained in his family for the next fifty years. Adapted to office use in 1979, its intricate Eastlake details and fanciful massing have been skillfully restored and rehabilitated. Of special note are the three-story octagonal turret on the west face and the wrap-around veranda which culminates in an octagonal gazebo.
Text adapted from _Historic Gainesville, A Tour Guide to the Past_, Ben Pickard, ed., Historic Gainesville, Inc., Gainesville, FL, 1991, 48 pp. . Copyright by Historic Gainesville, Inc.
