Our Downtown District

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the Downtown District was established as Ocala’s commercial center in the 1840’s. Masonry Vernacular is the dominant commercial architectural style used after the Thanksgiving Day Fire in 1883, which destroyed most of the downtown structures. The use of brick in the re-building of the town earned Ocala the nickname “The Brick City”. The district also contains examples of Commercial Vernacular and Art Moderne styles. The Downtown District is home to City Park, also known as “The Square”, where the 1884 and 1907 Marion County Courthouses previously stood. The district is bordered by Northwest First Street to Southwest Second Street and Southwest First Avenue to Southeast First Avenue.