The Street That Remembers Centuries
Narrow, brick-paved Aviles Street is named for the Spanish hometown of St. Augustine's founder and is often called the oldest street in the United States. Documented history
Some streets are for getting somewhere. This one is for going back in time.
Aviles Street runs south from the Plaza de la Constitución. It is named for Avilés, the town in northern Spain where Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, St. Augustine's founder, was born. It is often described as the oldest street in the United States.
The street's layout follows the Spanish colonial town plan, with buildings set right at the edge of narrow streets that gave shade in the Florida heat.
Layers of people
Over the centuries, Aviles Street has been home to Spanish soldiers, British officers, Minorcan families, American innkeepers and, today, artists and gallery owners. The Ximenez-Fatio House, built in 1798 as a Spanish merchant's home and later run as a boarding house, is one of the street's historic landmarks.
How to read a street
Look for clues: coquina walls behind newer plaster, balconies that hang over the street, courtyards behind gates. Each one hints at a different century.
Your mission
Walk Aviles Street slowly from the Plaza. Find one detail that looks older than everything around it, and one that is definitely new. What century would you guess for each?
Plan it
Some links are affiliate links; we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Historical basis: City of St. Augustine Historic Preservation; Ximenez-Fatio House Museum. See all sources.