Built 1895 Opened 1895 | NRHP Reference # 82002370 Added to NRHP 26 April 1982 | |
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Location 617 East University Avenue
Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA Architectural style Queen Anne style architecture Similar Cox Furniture Warehouse, Epworth Hall, Matheson House, Baird Hardware Company, Old Gainesville Depot | ||
The Mary Phifer McKenzie House, now the Sweetwater Branch Inn Bed and Breakfast, is an historic house located at 617 East University Avenue in Gainesville, Florida, United States. On April 26, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
The house was constructed circa 1895 and is a three-story Queen Anne architecture and Victorian architecture style home. It is known as one of the most elaborate Victorian buildings ever constructed in Gainesville. It has intricate Eastlake architecture details and a fanciful restored massing. It has three-story octagonal turrets on the west face, a wrap-around veranda, and octagonal gazebo.
The Sweetwater Inn includes two carefully restored Victorian-era mansions (the McKenzie House and the Cushman-Colson House, as well as charming guest cottages, a modern reception hall and beautifully sculptured gardens.
History
Perry Colson purchased the home in 1903 and sold it to William Turner Pound, the first husband of Mary Phifer. In the 1920s Mary Phifer married Reid Hill McKenzie. She lived in the McKenzie house until she was 83 years old.
This property is now the location of five beautifully appointed Sweetwater Inn guest rooms.
The Holbrook family, the current owners and innkeepers, purchased the property, that had been neglected, in 1978. Giovanna and Juan Holbrook began restoring it to its original beauty and charm. Giovanna Holbrook and her daughter Cornelia later purchased and restored the Cushman-Colson House in 1992.
Media coverage
The inn was featured on the PBS television series, Inn Country USA.