A FLORIDA HERITAGE LANDMARK
sponsored by
Archbold Biological Station
and the
Florida Department of State

ARCHBOLD BIOLOGICAL STATION AT RED HILL

  These buildings were designed and built during 1930-1935 by Alexander Blair for the Red Hill Estate of John A. Roebling II, son of Washington A. Roebling, who built the Brooklyn Bridge. The industrial vernacular buildings (structures meant to house industrial activities) were constructed of poured concrete to withstand hurricanes and the humid sub-tropical conditions. The largest building, with its distinctive saw-tooth roof, features an original seven-unit storehouse and attached two-story residence. Other buildings include the garage, generator building, and the deep-well pump house. In 1941, Roebling donated the buildings and surrounding estate to Richard Archbold (1907-1976), a famous aviator, explorer and patron of science. Here he founded Archbold Biological Station, a world-renowned facility dedicated to ecological research and conservation. The Roebling buildings were converted to laboratories and offices. The Station manages a 9,000-acre preserve of international conservation importance, and harboring the Florida scrub, a globally threatened ecosystem. Archbold Biological Station at Red Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007, for its historical significance in architecture, science, and conservation. (Text of an official sign that will be installed at the north end of the Station's Plaza during 2009.)