A look at the ongoing revitalization of Tallahassee's historic Frenchtown neighborhood

Frenchtown Sites

Previous Page: Frenchtown Heritage Trail

Located in the heart of Frenchtown’s Macomb Street commercial district, the $9.5 million Frenchtown Renaissance Building was completed in 2005 by the City of Tallahassee. Intended to help revitalize Frenchtown by increasing public safety, providing access to neighborhood services, improve community visibility and increase employment and commercial opportunities, the 70,000 square foot office building includes space for ground floor retail tenants on Macomb Street.

A collection of historic storefronts at the intersection of Macomb and Brevard Streets. The buildings on the left were built in 1933. The buildings on the right were completed in 1957. This intersection served as the northern anchor of Frenchtown’s Macomb Street commercial district.

Established on June 25,1877, Mount Olive Lodge No. 5 of Tallahassee, Florida is a lodge of Freemasons. It is affiliated with the Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Mason, P.H.A. - Florida, Belize, Central America Jurisdiction, Inc. Mt. Olive Lodge # 5 F&AM; PHA is located at 508 North Macomb Street in a structure that was completed in 1984.

Walking south on Macomb Street. The recently completed Standard student housing development dominates the background. Pictured on the left, 501-03 Macomb Street is a 3,000 square foot commercial storefront that was completed in 1955.

505 Georgia Street was originally completed in 1957. Most recently, it was occupied by Farm to Fork Meals. Farm to Fork Meals is a South Florida-based chef-prepared healthy meal plan delivery service. In 2019, Farm to Fork opened in Frenchtown to provide high-quality, gourmet chef-made meals from scratch and delivered directly to customer homes and offices throughout Tallahassee.

Ms. Dee’s Kitchen 51 is a new Southern-cuisine eatery in Frenchtown that opened in March 2019. Owner Deborah Holton started cooking at age 15. Ms. Dee’s Kitchen is located at 717 Old Bainbridge Road.

The Lincoln Academy was established in 1869 as one of only two Freedman’s Bureau schools (Jacksonville’s Old Stanton being the other) in Florida to educated former enslaved African American children. Eventually renamed Lincoln High School, the school was located in this Frenchtown building from 1929 until 1968 when Leon County Schools were integrated.

The onion-domed Phillips Mausoleum in the Historic Oakland Cemetery on West Brevard Street. Adjacent to the Old Lincoln High School, Oakland was established in 1902 as Tallahassee’s second public cemetery with separate burial areas reserved by race.

In 1937, Old City and Oakland Cemeteries were closed to Black burials. As a result, Greenwood Cemetery (pictured here) just north of Frenchtown was established by Tallahassee’s African American community.

In Frenchtown, Historic Oakland Cemetery is also a designed bicycle route, making the burial ground a throwback to when cemeteries were designed as green spaces welcoming to both the living and the dead.

The bicycle route through Historic Oakland Cemetery.

A mural of Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Florida People’s Advocacy Center on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.

The Frenchtown Heritage Hub is home to the Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, KitchenShare food incubator program and Frenchtown Farmers Market.

The Frenchtown Market at 524 North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Taylor House Museum of Historic Frenchtown at 442 West Georgia Street. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Taylor House Museum of Historic Frenchtown was built in 1894 as a residence for Lewis and Lucretia Taylor. Lewis Taylor was a community educator and leader. Lucretia McPherson Taylor was a master cook and seamstress.

The house was saved by the granddaughter of the Taylors a week before a scheduled demolition in 1995.

The Yellowhair house at 408 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard was built in 1935. The family patriarch was Edward Yellowhair, who served on the Tallahassee City Council during Reconstruction.

404 West Virginia Street was completed in 1930.

426 West Virginia Street was completed in 1925.

459 West Virginia Street is a small apartment complex that was completed in 1930.

528 West Carolina Street was completed in 1955.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com