Lawndale is a historic home in Rockledge, Florida, built by Hiram Smith Williams.
The property is registered on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing structure to the Rockledge Drive Historic District. In 1989, the property was purchased by Brevard County.
The house was built in at least two phases – the first beginning in 1874, and the second phase completed in the mid 1890’s, when the house reached its final form.
Lawndale is one of the last remaining examples of Queen Ann style architecture in the county and retains all of the original architectural integrity of the interior and exterior. The irregularity of plan and variety of colour and texture such as the shingles found on the tower characterise the Queen Ann style. The high and multiple roofs and the round turret are also predominant in this period.
The first floor of the house consists of the foyer, 2 parlors, a dining room with a turret, a restroom and a kitchen.
The second floor includes 3 family bedrooms, a bathroom, an library, a guest room and the school room.
It is believed that the school room is one of the first schools that was in the county, providing education for not only the Williams children but also children from the neighborhood.
Docent Laurie Broadway educating the guests with her knowledge of the schoolroom.
Docent Frank Repress admiring the library.
Also on the second floor is the office of H. S. Williams which includes the extensive family library.
Four generations of The Williams family lived in the house continuously until Brevard County purchased the house as part of the Beach and Riverfront Purchase initiative in 1989.
The house has been restored over the course of fifteen years through the efforts of the Preservation and Education Trust, a non-profit located in Rockledge committed to restoring the house as a living history museum, so as to present what life was like in the late-nineteenth century in Rockledge.