W.T. DAVIS BUILDING

W.t. Davis Building is a Florida historical marker in Madison, Madison County, dedicated 2016.

Madison County · dedicated 2016 · 196 South Range Street, Madison

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Built in 1892 by William Turner (W.T.) Davis, this building is one of the few remaining buildings in Florida covered with a galvanized sheet metal façade, in this example produced by the Mesker Brothers Iron Works of St. Louis, Missouri. This use of sheet metal for architectural ornamentation replaced iron as the metal of choice for most architectural work by the 1870s. Stronger than iron, it could be rolled and stamped into large ornamental sheets. Galvanized sheet metal was a great choice for small communities like Madison. The building's second floor served the Madison community as an opera house and a center for entertainment and social events from 1892 to 1910. The building also housed small businesses and the law offices of W. T. Davis's son, Charles Edgar Davis, and grandson, William Turner Davis. These two men were the only father and son who served as president of the Florida State Senate: Charles Edgar in 1915 and William Turner in 1955. This grand old building now serves as The Treasures of Madison County Museum, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Marker data: Florida Historical Marker Program, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State

More markers nearby

CITY OF MADISON - frontier newtown or madison courthouseunder 1 mi
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THE FOUR FREEDOMS MONUMENTunder 1 mi
ST. MARY'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHunder 1 mi

On the National Register nearby

Davis, W.T., Building70 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.