Address: 804 Atlantic Avenue Date built: 1905 Built by: Fred W. Hoyt Builder: John R. Mann (also built Villa Las Palmas and the Keystone Hotel) Current use: Bed & Breakfast Current Owners: Myrta Defendina and Deborah Gold
G R E AT H O U S E S O F F E R N A N D I N A
The Hoyt House BY DICKIE ANDERSON • PHOTO BY WILLIAM RASER
T
here are many architectural treasures that lay hidden in Fernandina’s historic district. The Hoyt House, a little Victorian gem, is located at one of the busiest intersections on the island, at Centre and 8th Streets, and currently operates as a bed and breakfast. Set back from the street and tucked under a giant canopy of live oaks, it’s easy to miss. The original owner, Fred Willis Hoyt, was originally from Meredith, New Hampshire. Following the Civil War, like many other entrepreneurs, he sought his fortune in the South. Settling in Fernandina, he became a successful by selling groceries, hardware, and building materials to meet the demands of this rapidly expanding seaport community. In 1887, Hoyt saw the need for a bank and became one of the founders and the first president of the island’s First National Bank. When it came time to build his home, he hired the most skilled builder in the area, John R. Mann, who built the home in 1905. Mann would later build many of the finer houses and buildings in town, including Villa Las Palmas and the Keystone Hotel. In addition, he was involved in the building of the Fernandina’s handsome Victorian courthouse and Dungeness, the Carnegie mansion on Cumberland Island. He was also a deacon of the First Presbyterian Church, where a memorial window honors him and his wife. The Hoyt House is said to be modeled after one of the cottages built on Jekyll Island and has been cited in the National Register of Historic Places as “noteworthy for its octagonal two-story bay, cross gable, balcony, hip-roof, hip-dormers, and
bracketed eaves.” Its interior is crafted out of the finest heart of pine and oak. Each of its seven coal-burning fireplaces has a unique carved mantel. The Hoyt House has some unique characteristics, thanks to the transplanted Yankee who built it. Most noteworthy are the “Yankee” doors, double doors at the main entry, meant to keep out the cold. A wraparound porch, typical of many Queen Anne style homes, offers a variety of quiet, cool places to sit. Hoyt and his wife, Kate, had three sons and built an amazing third-floor playroom with a stage, a piano, and a puppet theater. This later became a private apartment. When Hoyt died, the house was sold to Everett Mizell (1882-1955), whose family occupied the house for the next 50 years. Mizell also succeeded Fred Hoyt as the president of the First National Bank of Fernandina. The collapse of the Florida land boom and the great depression put pressure on Florida banks, and there were some rough years. The First National Bank survived thanks to Mizell’s good management. Following the Mizell family, the house served as offices for local lawyers. In 1993, it was opened as a bed and breakfast. It has changed hands several times, and several additions have been made, including a swimming pool and cozy, well-appointed bar on the first floor. In keeping with the history of the building, current owners Myrta Defendina and Deborah Gold offer a Victorian tea complete with costumed servers. To enter the Hoyt House is to go back in time and appreciate the welcoming and intimate spaces created so many years ago by John Mann.
29 AMELIA ISLANDER MAGAZINE • MAY 2012
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