79 Bridge Street
The Rudcarlie Building at 79 Bridge Street was built in the 1950's by Dr. Rudolph N. Gordon (1901-1959) and named for the members of his family. Rudolph, Carlotta, and Rosalie. It was the first medical/dental office constructed in St. Augustine without racially segregated waiting rooms.
After Dr. Gordon's death, the office was rented to Dr. Robert B. Hayling, a dentist who became a prominent leader of the civil rights movement in St. Augustine. Many of the planning sessions for the movement were held here, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. On one occasion, the owner of a local tourist attraction came to the office with a gun and said he intended to kill Dr. King, "but I can't do it, because when I look at you, I see that you are a God-sent man." Lawyers who came to support the civil rights efforts made this building their headquarters as well. Two of them--Alvin J. Bronstein and Ralph Temple--were honored by ACCORD when they returned to the Ancient City in 2005.
Dr. Gordon's widow, Mrs. Rosalie Gordon-Mills (1907-2004) made history in 1965 when she became the first black woman in 400 years to seek public office in St. Augustine, as a candidate for the City Commission.
This Historical Marker Presented this 2nd Day of July, 2007 by: Northrop Grumman
Marker is on Bridge Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
