The McMillan House was constructed by Margret McMillan in 1880. The home is a good example of the Gulf Coastal cottage style popular after the Civil War. The house was separated into  two rooms, one used as a combinationdrawing room and bedroom and the other as a  kitchen and dining area. The term drawing room was a transition from formal parlors to more casual rooms for family activities. Many low-income families living in homes like the McMillan house could not afford to have an additional formal parlor.

Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis, that hit Pensacola in 2004 and 2005, severally damaged the McMillan house, then situated on Cevallos Street. The storms left the building uninhabitable. The damage came to the attention of the architectural review board and the owner of the McMillan house petitioned for demolition of the building in order to rebuild on the lot. The review board denied demolition because e West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc. offered to relocate and renovate the historic building.

The McMillan house moved to its current location on Zaragoza Street in 2007. The University of West Florida Historic Trust now operates the McMillan house as part of their collection of historic structures in the Pensacola Historic Village. The McMillan house offers an exhibit on World War II and the Pensacola homefront during the war effort.

Credits and Sources:

State of Florida Department of State. Florida Master Site File Site Inventory Form(Pensacola, FL, 1982).

Photographs courtesy of University of West Florida Historic Trust