The Greek Revival architectural movement came decades late to Florida. But it didn’t lose any of its beauty or majesty. For evidence, step inside The Dorr House—a beautifully restored and lovingly furnished jewel of the late 1800s.
Nestled in the Pensacola Historic District (the oldest part of the city that still remains), Dorr House was built by Clara Dorr after the death of her husband— timber industry titan Eben Walker Dorr, of the Ezekiel Simpson Lumber Company in Bagdad.
The house features many of the classic qualities of a Greek Revival, including tooth-shaped molding (called dentil) along the cornices and the tops of the columns as well as the Greek-style free meander on the bay window’s cornice. But the house also has design features to help the residents endure the severe Florida heat, like porches on both floors, very high ceilings and tall windows that can open to permit cooling breezes to flow easily. The house was also built above ground to allow cool air to circulate beneath.
Dorr last occupied the house more than 120 years ago—and it later became a boarding house—so only one piece of original furniture has been saved. But the house is still filled with authentic period pieces that offer a powerful sense of how a late 19th century well-to-do family lived.