Historical Society’s Lambius House garden concept wins board opinion; archaeology coordination required

The Historic Architecture Review Board on April 16 provided an opinion of appropriateness for conceptual landscape work at the Fernandez (Longbius/Lambius) House, a National Historic Landmark property stewarded by the Saint Augustine Historical Society.

Designers proposed several linked ideas: reuse of existing brick pavers where possible, areas of crushed coquina shell for flexible event space, new berms at the site edge to allow shade trees without deep excavation, and a relocated storage/event structure in a rear corner to support programming. Staff and the board repeatedly stressed that the property sits in Archaeological Zone 1C; any ground‑disturbing work will require archaeological review and coordination with the city archaeologist.

Board members generally supported the concept but requested refinements: reduce large continuous hardscape lines that visually dominate the garden; prioritize shade trees that provide comfort for afternoon events while using root barriers and minimally invasive planting techniques to protect subsurface deposits; provide detailed plans showing exact locations of coquina concrete versus crushed shell; and show how relocated shed construction and any seat walls will avoid or mitigate disturbance to archaeological deposits.

Megan Altus, director of the Saint Augustine Historical Society, and the design team said the plan is intended to restore historic garden character while increasing resilience to flooding and creating revenue‑generating event capacity to support long‑term maintenance. The board voted to approve an opinion of appropriateness with the noted comments and suggestions for the design team to implement in future permit drawings.