About the University Park Neighborhood

The University Park neighborhood is directly north of the University of Florida main campus. The neighborhood is roughly bounded to the east by NW 13th Street, to the south by University Avenue, to the west by NW 22nd St and to the north by NW 16th Ave. 

The neighborhood includes several sub-neighborhoods, including College Park, University Park, Florida Park, and Palm Terrace & Elizabeth Place (see the map below).

Neighborhood History

College Park

The first plat in College Park was recorded in 1907 making it the oldest neighborhood included in UPNA.  The neighborhood was originally comprised of single-family homes, two-story apartments, and commercial buildings that faced University Avenue and NW 13th Street.  After World War II, several fraternities were built along University Avenue west of NW 18th Street.  Other University-oriented buildings are found along University Avenue including the Institutes for Black Culture and Hispanic-Latino Cultures.

Zoning changes in the early 2000s resulted in the demolition of many single-family homes and two-story apartment buildings for the new construction of 3, 4, and 5 story apartments geared to student living.  The Standard, that occupies the northwest corner of the intersection of NW 13th Street and University Avenue was completed in 2018 and was permitted at 10 stories.  Some small apartments and single-family homes remain, but the great majority of those are now rentals.

University Park

University Park had its first recorded plat in 1922.  The neighborhood continued to expand westward after World War II when the University of Florida (UF) experienced a sharp increase in enrollment and Gainesville’s population grew rapidly. The neighborhood is comprised almost entirely of single-family residences.  

Its proximity to the UF President's residence, until approximately 2010, lent prestige to the neighborhood.  Numerous University administrators, faculty and staff have lived in the neighborhood, including J. Wayne Reitz and family (namesake of the Reitz Union); Dean Lester Hale and family; Dean Winston Little and family (Little Hall); and Dean L.E. Grinter and family (Grinter Hall).  Another notable resident was Alfred A. Ring, an educator, realtor, businessman and philanthropist whose gifts included funds for the University’s varsity tennis complex, and the land for the City of Gainesville’s Alfred Ring Park (just north of the neighborhood). Singer-songwriter Steven Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young lived here, as does Bernie Machen, former President of the University of Florida.

The neighborhood is home to the highly regarded Parker Elementary School (originally J. J. Finley Elementary founded in the 1930s).  The school serves a diverse student population attracting families from around the world to its English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program.

Florida Park

The first plats in Florida Park were recorded in the 1930s by former Alachua County Property Appraiser Barney Colson, and were found on its east side along what is now NW 13th Street.  Rattlesnake Creek, a tributary of Hogtown Creek, flows through the neighborhood’s rich hardwood hammock creating significant topographic relief.  

This single-family neighborhood includes two log homes that are on the National Register of Historic Places, but the majority of houses are of the ranch style, built post World War II. The UF Historic Preservation Program conducted a mid-century modern architectural study of Florida Park that includes the following description, “The neighborhood has many architect-designed residences set into the landscape, steep grades at lots near creek drainage basins, and a heavy tree canopy cover.”  

At least two noted Gainesville architects designed, built and lived in the neighborhood, Jack Moore and John Grand.  Moore graduated with a BS in Architecture from UF and in 1947 joined the firm of Moore, May and Harrington.  Grand was educated at the Catholic University of America and after practice with various units of the Armed Services he joined the faculty of the University of Florida in 1948.

Other early residents of Florida Park included Percy Beard, namesake of the UF Track Complex; James Richardson, a professor of Business Administration and Gainesville mayor; Courtland Collier, professor of Business Administration and Alachua County Commissioner; and O’Neal Cox, who owned Cox Furniture, which was located on the downtown Courthouse Square.  His log home on NW 11th Road was the first built in Florida Park, constructed in 1936-37.  It was enlarged and improved during the 1970s-1980’s by former Mayor-Commissioner Gary Junior and his family.

A landmark in Florida Park is the clock that stands on NW 10th Avenue.  It sits in front of the former home of Theodore Crom, founder of the Crom Corporation.  Horology (the study of time) was his favorite hobby and he became a world-renowned expert in watch and clock tools, authoring many books and articles on the subject.  Among Crom's many public services to our community, Crom saved the historic Alachua County Courthouse Clock Tower clock from destruction and led its restoration in the Downtown Clock Tower.

Palm Terrace & Elizabeth Place

The cul de sacs of NW 23rd Drive, 24th Street and 25th Street form the Palm Terrace portion of the neighborhood.  Palm Terrace is comprised of smaller houses, mostly bungalows, some of which are advantageously arranged around a sink hole surrounded by majestic oaks.

The neighborhood includes Elizabeth Creek that flows north into Hogtown Creek.  The Hogtown Creek  floodplain runs along the neighborhood’s northern edge providing a naturalized setting and a sense of isolation in the heart of the City. As a result of these creeks and the Palm Terrace sinkhole, the neighborhood enjoys considerable topographic relief.  Benmont Tench, the keyboardist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, lived in this neighborhood and hosted band practices with their first band, Mudcrutch.

The northern part of this neighborhood is also referred to as Shands Woods, which was named for William A. (Bill) Shands. Shands was a graduate of UF’s law school and a successful Gainesville businessman, who served in the Florida Senate for over 18 years, including a term as its President.  Among his many accomplishments was securing funding for UF's medical school.  His house sat on a large tract of land accessed from NW 7th Road that was subsequently subdivided for additional homes.  The houses in Shands Woods and along 23rd Street were among the largest single-family homes in Gainesville built prior to 1975.