By Jim and Ingrid Guier
A recent St. Augustine Record editorial said that the walls surrounding the Spanish Quarter on St. George Street are hiding the historic attraction from the eyes -- and therefore the pocketbooks -- of visitors. The Record hit the nail on the head, a nail that has been hit over and over for more than four decades.
Whatever one thinks of the walls, they are architecturally and historically correct. And they control paid admissions, which maintain the facility. So don't look for any Reagan-Gorbachev "tear down this wall" moment anytime soon. They are just too important.
The newspaper makes a good point when it states that the Quarter should open "peephole" spaces in the walls to encourage the curious on the street. A glimpse of the activities behind the walls, "teasers" if you will, could be all the enticement a tourist needs to fumble in his pocket for the admission price.
Some of the gates to the Quarter have been left ajar for onlookers to get a quick peek at the grounds and staff inside. A chain keeps the gates semi-shut to bar free admissions. The problem is that behind the gate, there often is little to be seen. For the "peepholes" and open gates to be effective, the Quarter's interpreters need to conduct their talks as close as possible to St. George Street to gather a crowd. The costumed interpreters can then point out the ticket booth to the eavesdropping prospects.
Two local businesswomen visited the Quarter on a recent weekday and came away with mixed views. Mostly, they felt the facility was not user-friendly. Approaching one interpreter, they found her not to be engaging or offering an interesting program. Only after inquiry, she produced thoughtful, well-informed information. However, the spell was broken moments later when she abruptly announced she had to go finish her paperwork. A calligraphy expert a few yards away drew a crowd admiring his work, but ignored them and they drifted away.
Off and on over the years, the Spanish Quarter has positioned staff members in period dress on St. George Street itself, answering questions, posing for photos and of course, pointing out the ticket booth. Government House staff could easily be rotated in that position for one day a week, wearing proper 18th- century clothing.
Old timers in St. Augustine will remember Steve Hanson, an interpreter by day and actor by night. Hanson wore 18th-century finery, carried a cane and maintained the persona of a Spanish caballero during his stints on St. George Street. Or, as the Spanish called it, El Camino Real.
As a landlord renting several 18th-century-style storefronts on St. George Street, the city should require its renters to staff their shops with employees properly dressed in period clothing. The ambience established by such a move openly declares to tourists that they are visiting a special place.
Once a colonial atmosphere has been reestablished, the Quarter should hone its relationships with other agencies, primarily the National Park Service.
Cross-selling between the Quarter and the Castillo de San Marcos, with its millions of annual visitors, might be possible. After all, during our Spanish history, the Castillo and adjacent community were hand-in-glove, depending on each other in countless ways. If NPS rangers cannot be persuaded to sell Spanish Quarter tickets along with their own, they might be encouraged to distribute discount coupons with them. The Quarter might discover, 50 percent of something is a whole lot better than 100 percent of nothing.
Ultimately, the city administration might find the Spanish Quarter mountain to be too massive to climb by itself. Is it too far-fetched to one day say "Spanish Quarter State Historic Park?" Or, "Spanish Quarter National Historic Site" under the auspices of the NPS?
Como no?
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Jim and Ingrid Guier are longtime St. Augustine residents. Jim Guier is an Army veteran, a former journalist, chamber executive and shop owner on St. George Street. Ingrid Guier is a former bank vice president. Both are active in community organizations.
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