Green Gables | |
 Green Gables in 2014 prior to restoration | |
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| Location | 1501 South Harbor City Boulevard, Melbourne, Florida |
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| Coordinates | 28°5′6″N80°36′22″W / 28.08500°N 80.60611°W |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000269 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 18, 2016 |
Green Gables, also known as the Wells House, is a historic home at 1501 South Harbor City Boulevard in Melbourne, Florida, United States. The house fronts the Indian River and is one of a few Queen Anne style homes that still exist in Brevard County.
Local businessman William T. Wells purchased the property from the Strobah family, who were early landowners in Melbourne. [2] He built the Green Gables in 1886 with his wife Nora Stanford Wells as a winter home. [3]
Green Gables is an example of Queen Anne style architecture, and it is believed to be the first home in the area with indoor plumbing and an indoor bathroom. [3] It was also one of the first homes in Melbourne to have electricity. [4] It is a two-story, six-bedroom house with an octagon-shaped porch. [5] On May 18, 2016, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. [6]
The original property was 150 acres that included the area now occupied by Wells Park and the Melbourne Public Library on East Fee Avenue and Hickory Street. [4]
Green Gables was scheduled for demolition in 2015, but a group of local historians and community volunteers are working with the owners, fourth generation family members, to save the house due to its historical significance to the area. [3] In May 2018, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation included the house on its "11 to save list". [5] The community needed $500,000 to salvage the house as of April 2020. [7] In July 2022 Green Gables was awarded a $500,000 Special Category Grant from the Division of Historic Resources from the State of Florida. On June 12, 2023, Ownership of Green Gables was transferred to the non-profit organization of Green Gables at Historic Riverview Village. [8]
