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It was first house on any block

By CHRISTINA K. COSDON
Published September 24, 2006

Part of an occasional series spotlighting North Pinellas listings on the National Register of Historic Places

The J.O. Douglas House

ADDRESS: 209 Scotland St., Dunedin

THE BUILDING: The gray-and-white, two-story, solid wood house was built by J.O. Douglas in 1878 and is the oldest house in Dunedin. It was the first house in the community to be constructed with shop-cut lumber shipped from Cedar Key. Inside, the floors are highly polished heart of pine. The large formal dining room is a work of art with its dark wood ceiling and paneled walls that feature a diagonal design. Most of the walls and ceilings throughout the house are of painted wood paneling. The living room features one of three fireplaces in the house and has a large bay window alcove. Windows throughout the house are just short of floor-to-ceiling. The house, which has three bedrooms, bathrooms and other rooms on the second floor, has close to 4,000 square feet of living space. Architectural style could be called folk Victorian, since it is less elaborate than the high Victorian style, with detailing mainly on the porch. Bricks for one of the walkways are from the original brick oven that had deteriorated beyond repair when the house underwent an extensive restoration from 1980-1987. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

CURRENT USE: A private home not open to the public. It was a bed and breakfast before the current owner bought it three years ago.

WHO WAS DOUGLAS? John Ogilvie Douglas came to the area in the early 1870s from his native Edinburgh, Scotland. He and another Scotsman, James Somerville, were partners in a general store in town, then called Jonesboro, after the community's second general storekeeper George Jones. As the residents didn't care much for the name, the two men cleverly petitioned the federal government for a post office at their store in what they named Dunedin. It was granted in 1878, the year Douglas built his house. He lived there until his death 10 years later. There are at least half a dozen explanations for the derivation of the name Dunedin, from a saint named Edena to a blending of Somerville's hometown of Dundee and Douglas' Edinburgh.

WHAT WE LIKE: The beautifully paneled dining room and the huge living room, with its high ceilings, chandeliers, fireplace and lovely bay window alcove.

NOT SO HISTORIC: A swimming pool was built in the back yard in 1995, and a patio/deck added two years later.

[Last modified September 24, 2006, 09:12:24]