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OUR HISTORIC BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN GAINESVILLE

History

Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A.’s main office can be found in the beautiful and historic residence at 622 Northeast First Street in Downtown Gainesville, Florida. The building was actually shipped to Gainesville by railroad in approximately 1904 and assembled on-site.

It is a contributing house to the Northeast Historical District. Distinguishing features of this two-story colonial revival house include Tuscan columns on a wraparound porch, window shutters, pine wainscoting, pocket doors, and three fireplaces which compliment the interior. The heart pine trim was stripped of multiple layers of paint in the rehabilitation process and is almost completely original.

       

Former Residents

Thomas Stevens, a bank bookkeeper, and his family owned the house from approximately 1910 to 1926. From 1942 to 1982 Ina Jo Wrench, a pioneer woman and realtor had her home and office there. Prior to the conversion of the residence to the Law Offices of Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A., in 1982, University students often rented our rooms in the house. The painstaking renovations began when purchased in 1982, as the house was in a dilapidated state, and were completed in 1984. Since the doors of Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, P.A., opened the house has been on tours sanctioned and conducted by Historic Gainesville, Inc.

   

The purchase and rehabilitation of this house served to revitalize and preserve the entire Northern part of Northeast First Street. The house is sited in between two other historic structures and the seller told Jack J. Fine at the time of purchase in 1982 that she wanted to sell it to someone that would preserve it because an architectural firm owned the remaining buildings on the block and wished to destroy them and build a modern office building. Purchase of the Stevens-Wrench house and preservation as a law office stopped that idea in its tracks and led to the preservation of the adjoining structures. Following the restoration and conversion of the Stevens-Wrench house at least six other buildings on Northeast First Street were preserved and renovated. Mr. Fine would like to thank Mike and Jill McGuire of Melrose, Florida who meticulously restored the building, Architectural Historian Melanie Barr of Gainesville, Florida who conducted an investigation into the history of the house as well as his former partner, Tom Farkash who contributed many ideas concerning the renovation.