Every city has a heart.
At the turn of the last century, Gainesville's was downtown. There was little competition. There were no malls, no cars and no Interstate 75. In 1899, Gainesville had yet to welcome its most significant economic engine, the University of Florida, which didn't arrive until 1905. A magnificent courthouse, built in 1885, and its square were the center for Gainesville's approximately 4,000 residents.