Waves of Change

The St. Johns Cultural Council unveiled the permanent exhibition, Waves of Change, at the Cultural Arts Center at the St. Augustine Beach Hotel on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

Waves of Changes highlights the history of St. Augustine Beach, from the construction of the St. Augustine Beach Hotel as a Works Project Administration project in the 1930s, to the wade-ins that provided impetus for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, surf culture, and more.

Visitors may scan the QR code on the panels to visit the St. Johns Cultural Council website for more resources on the Civil Rights Era and find additional Black heritage sites around St. Johns County.

Waves of Change will be part of the St. Johns County Black Heritage Trail that is currently under development and funded by the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, St. Johns Cultural Council, and National Trust for Historic Preservation.

This project was produced by the St. Johns Cultural Council and funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding was provided by the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.