Newtown earns listing in National Register of Historic Places

The Newtown Historic District has been officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The district is now the largest Black historic district in Florida, based on the number of contributing resources, the city of Sarasota said in a news release.

“This is exciting news for the Newtown community,” District 1 City Commissioner Kyle Battie, who grew up in Newtown, said in the release. “Being listed in the National Register of Historic Places means the important history and special character of Newtown will be preserved for future generations."

The building permit process for structural modifications in the historic district will not change. Demolition applications now must be reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Board.

The Newtown Historic District includes 731 contributing resources, meaning the integrity, location and design have been retained for at least 50 years, including Galilee Cemetery, churches and other structures.

The district boundaries roughly are Myrtle Street to the north, 19th Street to the south, the Seminole Gulf Railway tracks to the west and U.S. 301 to the east.

A strategic, multiprong plan was set forth to document Newtown’s history to meet federal requirements to be placed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Courtesy image

The process included:

• 2009: Establishing a Newtown area map and boundaries
• 2014: Meeting with stakeholders to develop a scope of work
• 2015: Establishing the Newtown Citizen Historic Taskforce
• 2015: Hiring a consultant to establish the Newtown Conservation Historic District. Newtown history was chronicled in the form of 42 recorded interviews, photographs, transcriptions, 364-page published report and cultural heritage book. The extensive documentation project became known as “Newtown Alive,” spearheaded by Vickie Oldham.
• 2016: Creating a Newtown Historic Building Preservation pilot program
• 2018: Conducting a citywide survey to document resources dated 1970 or earlier, which noted over 500 historical resources concentrated in Newtown
• 2018: Creating a heritage trail with 15 historic markers placed in Newtown designating significant points of interest recorded during the “Newtown Alive” process. The Newtown African American Heritage Trail was added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in 2019.
• 2020: Approving the Newtown Conservation Historic District
• 2021: Selecting a firm to conduct a survey and draft language to meet the requirements for Newtown to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The creation of the district was supported through a grant from the Underrepresented Communities program as administered by the National Park Service.

For more information, visit NewtownAlive.org or SarasotaFL.gov.