Going, going, gone! St George Street property sold at auction

The estate of the late Donna Lee Parks, a St George Street merchant who lived in her parent’s home and converted the remainder of the property to commercial use, was sold Thursday, July 14th at 11:00 a.m.

Parks made an addition to the historic residence at 18 St George Street that included the property at 11 Spanish Street; joining them together as one parcel and connecting the two heavily trafficked streets.

“This property has been owned by the same family for over 80-years and is within a block of the famous Castillo de San Marcos National Monument,” an auctioneer told bidders who had assembled to make their offers.

The approximately 3,366 square-foot building at 18 St George Street was built in 1850, according to the records of the St Johns County property appraiser. The approximately 711 square-foot property at 11 Spanish Street that was used for the restaurant and bar was built in 1940.

The property is zoned Historic Preservation District HP-3 and is contiguous on one parcel that measures about 38-feet on St George Street and about 53-feet on Spanish Street. Altogether the lot size is about .17 acres, or about 7,405 square-feet.

Richard L. “Dick” Parks, served 24-years on the St Johns County Commission, and raised his family in the St George Street residence. Parks’ daughter, Sandra Parks, was a city commissioner for a single 4-year term, and was the last to marry civil rights figure Stetson Kennedy. Daughter Donna, who owned the auctioned property, operated a boutique on St George Street near Treasury Street and continued to live in the residence after her parent’s death.

Donna Parks’ son, Richard “Josh” Parks, became the controversial owner of the bar, “Local Heros Cafe”, operated from the 11 Spanish Street building. Officers responded to a reported 27 noise citations and 19 “closing time” citations in the last year of operation, according to the St Augustine Police Department.

The successful bidder today, was Bill Smith representing Greylock Investments. He won the auction for the historic property for $2.27 million. No plans were announced for the use of the property.