St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Historic St. Augustine Seawall

The St. Augustine Seawall Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

1. The St. Augustine Seawall Marker

Inscription.

The Historic St. Augustine Seawall. . The Seawall in St. Augustine History. St. Augustine's history has been shaped by the sea since its founding in 1565. Over the centuries, colonial explorers, pirates, and seafaring merchants have found their way into Matanzas Bay, known today as America's Oldest Seaport. The historic Seawall has long been an integral part of the city's fabric, a coquina sentinel guarding against rough waters, and a promenade for romantic strolls and waterside socials. , The Spanish built the first seawall between the Castillo de San Marcos and the Plaza from 1695 to 1705, a structure that lasted over a century. When Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, the seawall had deteriorated considerably. In the 1830s and 1840s, graduates from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point built a new seawall south from the Castillo to what is today the Florida National Guard Headquarters. , The historic seawall is testament to sound 19th-century engineering, but it has been battered by time, tide, and numerous storms. In 2001, during Tropical Storm Gabrielle, a portion of the wall collapsed, and in 2008, Tropical Storm Fay caused considerable flooding. , Fortifying America's Oldest Seaport. The Territorial Period seawall, some seven feet in height, was made out of coquina, a soft limestone of sand and broken shells. It was laid in ashlar stonework, topped with granite stones, and supported by a massive coquina foundation. The new wall is being constructed 12 feet into the water from the old wall to protect all aspects of the original historic seawall. It will use concrete and reinforced steel, and the gap between the two walls will be filled in and paved so it can once again serve as a waterfront promenade with a paved walking path, new streetlights and landscaping. , The City of St. Augustine began the construction of a new seawall in 2012. The $6.7 million project, funded with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was designed to protect the historic seawall and the surrounding waterfront neighborhood. It is the culmination of more than a decade of research, advocacy, public input and the tireless efforts by many dedicated people. Following its July 2013 completion, the area around the seawall will be better protected from storms and Category 1 hurricanes. , The Avenida Menendez Seawall Project is a project of the City of St. Augustine made possible through Florida Division of Emergency Management with funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant program. , For more information and the latest updates scan the QR code to the right or visit www.StAugustineSeawall.com ©2012 City of St. Augustine. All Rights Reserved..

The Seawall in St. Augustine History St. Augustine's history has been shaped by the sea since its founding in 1565. Over the centuries, colonial explorers, pirates, and seafaring merchants have found their way into Matanzas Bay, known today as America's Oldest Seaport. The historic Seawall has long been an integral part of the city's fabric—a coquina sentinel guarding against rough waters, and a promenade for romantic strolls and waterside socials.

The Spanish built the first seawall between the Castillo de San Marcos and the Plaza from 1695 to 1705, a structure that lasted over a century. When Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, the seawall had deteriorated considerably. In the 1830s and 1840s, graduates from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point built a new seawall south from the Castillo to what is today the Florida National Guard Headquarters.

The historic seawall is testament to sound 19th-century engineering, but it has been battered by time, tide, and numerous storms. In 2001, during Tropical Storm Gabrielle, a portion of the wall collapsed, and in 2008, Tropical Storm Fay caused

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considerable flooding.

Fortifying America's Oldest Seaport The Territorial Period seawall, some seven feet in height, was made out of coquina, a soft limestone of sand and broken shells. It was laid in ashlar stonework, topped with granite stones, and supported by a massive coquina foundation. The new wall is being constructed 12 feet into the water from the old wall to protect all aspects of the original historic seawall. It will use concrete and reinforced steel, and the gap between the two walls will be filled in and paved so it can once again serve as a waterfront promenade with a paved walking path, new streetlights and landscaping.

The City of St. Augustine began the construction of a new seawall in 2012. The $6.7 million project, funded with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was designed to protect the historic seawall and the surrounding waterfront neighborhood. It is the culmination of more than a decade of research, advocacy, public input and the tireless efforts by many dedicated people. Following its July 2013 completion, the area around the seawall will be better protected from storms

Marker detail: View from St. Augustine marina facing north to the Plaza de Constitución circa 1880 image. Click for full size.

St. Augustine Historical Society

2. Marker detail: View from St. Augustine marina facing north to the Plaza de Constitución circa 1880

and Category 1 hurricanes.

The Avenida Menendez Seawall Project is a project of the City of St. Augustine made possible
through Florida Division of Emergency Management with funds provided by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant program.

For more information and the latest updates scan the QR code to the right or visit www.StAugustineSeawall.com
©2012 City of St. Augustine. All Rights Reserved.

Erected by City of St. Augustine.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Forts and Castles • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 29° 53.46′ N, 81° 18.607′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is on Avenida Menendez north of Bravo Lane, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located beside the sidewalk on the east side of the street, overlooking the subject seawall and the Matanzas River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is

Marker detail: A March day in St. Augustine, drawn by T. De Thulstrup for Harper’s Magazine, c. 1805 image. Click for full size.

3. Marker detail: A March day in St. Augustine, drawn by T. De Thulstrup for Harper’s Magazine, c. 1805

in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: St. Augustine Sea Wall (within shouting distance of this marker); Signal From Shore (within shouting distance of this marker); Solana House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (about 400 feet away); Cofradia Archaeological Site (about 400 feet away); The O’Reilly House (about 400 feet away); Father Miguel O'Reilly House (about 400 feet away); Living Legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Cofradia Site Coquina Well (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker.

Marker detail: new seawall construction image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: new seawall construction

Construction workers toil tirelessly to ensure that the historic St. Augustine seawall is protected and that the new seawall is ready for pedestrian traffic by July 2013.

Marker is a large painted metal plaque, mounted vertically, at eye-level in a heavy duty wooden kiosk frame. The kiosk is double-sided with the identical marker mounted on both the east (facing the river) and west (facing the street) sides.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. St. Augustine Seawall

Also see . . . Seawall Helps Preserve History in St. Augustine, Fla. Government Technology website entry (Submitted on November 19, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Additional commentary.
1. Image 3 Captioned with Wrong Date
On the “A March day in St. Augustine” image shown between the two columns of text on the marker—the one reproduced on image No. 3 on this page—the caption reads “c. 1805.” That year isn't right by the clothing and the obviously large size of the city. I believe circa 1888 would be more accurate.

I have an old book Adventures of America 1857-1900 with illustrations from Harper's Weekly and found that picture. It was done by one Frank Hamilton Taylor, and while the exact date isn't given it is in the section listed as 1877-1893.

The Historic St. Augustine Seawall Marker (<i>wide view; seawall & Matanzas River in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

5. The Historic St. Augustine Seawall Marker (wide view; seawall & Matanzas River in background)

So the date is in that range, at a guess more towards the end as the South recovered from the war.
—Richard Weil

— Submitted June 8, 2026.

The Historic St. Augustine Seawall Marker (<i>looking west; Avenida Menendez in background</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

6. The Historic St. Augustine Seawall Marker (looking west; Avenida Menendez in background)

St. Augustine Seawall (<i>south of marker; new seawall left; historic coquina seawall on right</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

7. St. Augustine Seawall (south of marker; new seawall left; historic coquina seawall on right)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,671 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6. submitted on December 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on December 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.