A city gathering place & event venue since 1573, this small park features a pavilion & war memorial
General Information
How to Get There
Head south on Water St toward Mulberry St. Turn right onto Joiner St. Turn left onto A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway/San Marco Ave. Continue to follow A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway. Turn right onto Cathedral Pl. Turn left onto St George St.
Overview
Plaza de la Constitucion is St. Augustine's original town square, laid out by Spanish Royal Ordinance in 1573 and still the city's social heart today. It's bordered by the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, Trinity Episcopal Church, and the Government House, with a central pavilion that hosts concerts and events, plus a public market that's been trading here since the 1500s — local vendors still set up stalls to sell their wares. Look for the obelisk built to honor Spain's 1812 constitution (the plaza's namesake), a cluster of war memorials, the Foot Soldiers Monument commemorating the civil rights movement, and a pre-1700s well recognized as an American Water Landmark. The plaza and surrounding town plan were named a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
A Setting for Historic Events
This small square has seen an outsized share of history. It's where Spain formally ceded Florida to the United States in 1821 and where Union naval officers retook the city from the Confederacy in 1862. Having once served as a slave market, the plaza was also a pivotal civil rights site: dentist Robert Hayling led the first protest here on Labor Day 1963, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested the following year while leading another march through the square.
