Lavalle House

205 E. Church St., Pensacola, Florida 32502

Museum Construction: There will be construction at several of our spaces this summer. We apologize for the inconvenience. Pardon our progress as we make improvements to some spaces and restore others:

• Dorr House
• Julee Cottage, set to reopen the week of July 29
• Lavalle Cottage, set to reopen the week of July 29
• Lavalle Kitchen House, set to reopen the week of July 29
• Lear/Rocheblave House, set to reopen the week of July 29
• Museum of History third floor gallery, set to open in August 2024

Zaragoza Street Work:

The City of Pensacola will begin improvements to the sidewalks and roadway on Zaragoza Street with intermittent road closures in Historic Pensacola Village starting Monday, July 8. 

The construction, which aims to enhance the safety and accessibility of Zaragoza Street, will include a raised pedestrian crossing at the Tivoli High House, curb extensions along the south side of the street, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks, and bollard installation at both ends of Zaragoza Street. Visitors may be impacted due to construction noise and intermittent sidewalk and street closures. Traffic will be detoured and guided as needed. The project is expected to be completed in October, weather permitting. 

Tour Schedule

The Lavalle House is on the Historic House Tour Tuesday through Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The Historic House Tour goes through the Lavalle House, Old Christ Church, the Dorr House, and the Lavalle House. *Guided tours may be cancelled depending on staffing and/or events.

An example of French Creole colonial architecture, the Lavalle House was built in 1805 during Florida’s second Spanish period by Carlos Lavalle and Marianna Bonifay. The house, furnished with authentic 18th and 19th century artifacts, recreates the early 19th century frontier lifestyle in Pensacola. 

Charles Lavalle built this house, circa 1805. Lavalle built the house as a two-unit rental dwelling, or duplex, but he probably never lived there.  Some time after he sold the house in 1815, it was converted into a single family home.  

In 1968, the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board (HPPB) purchased the Lavalle House and relocated the building to its present site at 201 East Church Street from the original lot at 111 West Government Street. HPPB began restoration on the house the following year.  The current interior restoration proceeded in 1985, by setting up a two-room living unit, as it might have appeared when a tenant first occupied the house. Though a separate kitchen building once existed adjacent to the house, the Board did not have this building reconstructed.  Therefore, the south or “back” room exhibit became a combination kitchen/dining-living room. The north or “front” room was restored as a bedroom-living room. 

This house is the oldest standing example of French Creole Cottage construction in Pensacola. This style, popular from about 1790 to 1850, may have originated in the West Indies and been introduced to the Gulf Coast by refugees from Santo Domingo. The Lavalle House represents frontier Pensacola during the last period of Spanish rule in Florida. This style, popular from about 1790 to 1850, may have originated in the West Indies and been introduced to the Gulf Coast by refugees from Santo Domingo.