Neighborhood in Gainesville · Alachua County
Pleasant Street
Pleasant Street’s older homes and historic churches sit northwest of downtown Gainesville.
Historic housing, renovation review and nearby educational resources
About Pleasant Street
Pleasant Street’s older homes and historic churches sit northwest of downtown Gainesville. Its protected historic district is smaller than the wider Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street community. Exterior work has a city review process.
Read more about researching Pleasant Street
Nearby Blount Center offers college services, and the Jones family museum documents local African American history.
Historic houses within a wider Fifth Avenue community
Pleasant Street sits northwest of downtown Gainesville. The National Park Service describes its historic district as roughly bounded by NW 8th Avenue, NW 1st Street, NW 2nd Avenue and NW 6th Street. The wider Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street community extends farther west: its neighborhood account uses NW 13th Street as the western edge. Those two descriptions refer to different areas.
The city’s design guidelines document frame houses, bungalows and shotgun houses, including double-shotgun duplexes. They identify a two-story frame example at 212A–212B NW 7th Lane. This older residential fabric is part of a neighborhood shaped by African American homeownership, businesses and institutions after the Civil War.
Exterior changes go through the city’s historic-design process
Gainesville maintains a preservation map for properties in its local historic districts and on the Local Register. Its Certificate of Appropriateness process covers alterations, additions, rehabilitation and new construction involving protected properties. A house’s historic status can therefore affect plans for its exterior as well as the purchase itself.
The city requires a pre-application conference with its preservation planner before a COA application. It publishes separate application, notice and board-meeting dates, so a project needing board review has several deadlines. The preservation page links the application form and rehabilitation guidelines.
Blount Center provides college services near the southern edge
Santa Fe College’s Blount Hall is at 530 W. University Avenue, south of the historic district. Its posted business hours are 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday, with phone 352-381-7216. This is the downtown Blount location; Santa Fe’s Northwest Campus is a separate destination at NW 83rd Street.
For students, the Blount Learning Commons in DB-213 offers math and writing tutoring, study space and help with group projects. The center also provides support with applications, Florida residency, PERT assessment, FAFSA, advising and registration. Its library has a librarian and supports pickup and return of printed books, DVDs and CDs.
A. Quinn Jones Museum has afternoon weekday hours
West of the historic district, the A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural Center occupies the former Jones family home at 1013 NW Seventh Avenue. Its permanent exhibit connects the educator’s life with the people and places of Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street. Oral histories document Gainesville’s African American experience, alongside rotating exhibits.
The city posts regular opening hours of 1–5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, with Sunday, Monday and Saturday closed. Visits are also available by appointment and during special events; the museum number is 352-334-2010.
Neighborhoods and districts near Pleasant Street
The closest neighborhoods and districts in Gainesville, measured center to center.
Under 1 miDowntownDowntown Gainesville brings the Hippodrome, Main Street businesses and apartments together around University Avenue.- Under 1 miDuckpondDuckpond’s older residential streets follow the pond and Sweetwater Branch within Gainesville’s Northeast Historic District.
Sources & data notesReferences, reporting periods, and how to use this information
Information on this page is compiled from multiple sources and provided for general information. It may be incomplete or out of date, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Independently verify important details with the original source, relevant authority, or a qualified professional before making decisions.
Statistics keep their reporting periods. Survey estimates are not current asking prices or quotes for an individual property. Displayed values are rounded.
- Historic district extentNational Park Service — Pleasant Street Historic DistrictSource checked National Register documentation describes the historic district; the wider community uses a broader area.
- Community identityGainesville Neighborhood Voices — Pleasant StreetSource checked Neighborhood account of the wider Fifth Avenue/Pleasant Street community.
- Housing formsCity of Gainesville — rehabilitation and design guidelinesSource checked Historic architectural documentation, rather than current rental or sale listings.
- Exterior alterations and property statusCity of Gainesville — historic preservationSource checked The city links its preservation map, application and board schedule.
- Nearby college office hoursSanta Fe College — Blount Center contactSource checked Business hours are office hours, not a timetable for every class or service.
- Study and enrollment supportSanta Fe College — Blount student servicesSource checked Describes student services at Blount, rather than services at the separate Northwest Campus.
- Neighborhood history and museum accessCity of Gainesville — A. Quinn Jones Museum & Cultural CenterSource checked Regular hours differ from appointments and special events.
- Blount and Northwest Campus addressesSanta Fe College — campus locationsSource checked Separate campuses have separate addresses.