There is a brick building on San Marco Avenue that most people drive past without a second glance. It does not look like much from the outside - a handsome but modest 19th century structure tucked alongside the public library. What happens inside is a different story entirely. The Waterworks is St. Augustine's most active and beloved cultural venue, and if you have not been yet, you are missing some of the best events in Northeast Florida. Where It Started Built in 1898, The Waterworks was once the pumping station for the first water utility in St. Augustine. It remained in service until a new water plant opened on West King Street in 1927. The site developed into Davenport Park in 1928, and the building continued use as the Little Theatre, then a home for the St. Augustine Arts Club, and later as the St. Augustine Garden Club. This conversion of the Waterworks into a community center was one of the earliest adaptive use projects in the history of St. Augustine. The building was closed in 2005 out of safety concerns, sat vacant for years, and was eventually restored through grant funding. The Waterworks was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 because of its association with Jo Conn Guild, a nationally significant engineer, and F.A. Hollingsworth, one of St. Augustine's most prominent architects. In 2022, the St. Johns Cultural Council leased The Waterworks from the City to dramatically increase access to arts, culture, and heritage programming for residents and provide much-needed space for St. Augustine-based organizations to meet and host community events. What's Happening There Now The Waterworks is a historic venue where guests can experience high-quality cultural events, concerts, educational programming, art classes, literary events, and more. The programming calendar is genuinely impressive for a city this size. The Gamble Rogers Concert Series brings regional and national folk and Americana artists to the stage monthly throughout the season, celebrating the legacy of St. Augustine's own legendary songwriter and storyteller Gamble Rogers. The St. Augustine Music Festival's Sundays with SAMF series presents world-class classical musicians in an intimate setting unlike any concert hall. Poetry open mics, literary events, jazz nights, art exhibitions, costumed life drawing workshops - if something creative is happening in St. Augustine, there is a good chance it is happening at The Waterworks. A Classic Theatre - Some Of The Hottest Tickets In Town One of the most exciting regular presences at The Waterworks is A Classic Theatre, known as ACT - a St. Augustine-based professional theatre company that produces some of the most compelling live theatre in Northeast Florida. ACT performs multiple productions at The Waterworks each year, bringing fully staged professional productions to the intimate brick-walled venue in a way that makes every seat feel like the best seat in the house. ACT'