Third Spaces Throughout Gainesville's History

3 Locations | Curated by Mark Boyle

The "third space" is a place distinct from home (first space) and work (second space). It is a place for people to gather, distinct from the more traditional settings of work or the home. It gives an opportunity for people to foster a sense of community with one another. The concept originally comes from sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Oldenburg warned that physical third spaces are disappearing and that this is a major cause of disjointed communities. Take a look at how Gainesville’s third spaces have changed from the 1920s to today. We will look at examples of a bookstore, a theater, and a brewery and how they are a larger part of their community.

In the first half of the twentieth century, there were there is record of seven different bookstores in Gainesville. Mike’s Bookstore, in downtown Gainesville, opened in 1920. Originally it was a combination newsstand, tobacco shop, shoeshine parlor, and fruit stand. The store was a staple of the…
View Story | Show on Map

Founded originally in 1972, the Hippodrome was not originally in its current iconic building. The Hippodrome was officially established on April 18th, 1973, with a converted hardware store as its original location. They moved to a larger space, an empty warehouse, in 1975, marking a period of…
View Story | Show on Map

Founded in 2012 by four friends, First Magnitude Brewing Company is one of three production breweries in Gainesville, Florida. They opened their doors in 2014 located near downtown on South Main. The brewery gets its name from the 33 first magnitude springs scattered across Florida. What sets First…
View Story | Show on Map

Oldenburg's The third place 1982
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986754

Twitch and the Transition to The Digital Third Place
https://ufdc.ufl.edu/ufe0058020/00001