R.K. SHAW-EMBRY HOUSE

The R.K. Shaw-Embry House is widely recognized as one of Quincy’s finest examples of Queen Anne residential architecture — a style that embraces “picturesque massing of a variety of shapes and textures in a non-symmetrical composition.” Built by shade tobacco planter Roderick K. Shaw and subsequently owned by E.B. Embry, who organized the Embry Tobacco Company, the house reflects the wealth and aesthetic ambitions of Quincy’s tobacco merchant class at its most expressive.

Decorative brackets, delicate spindle work on the gable, and scalloped shingles on the roof are of particular architectural significance. In 1998, Mary Alice and Carson Dyal completed an elegant restoration, adding a studio and garage while preserving the essential Queen Anne character that makes this home so historically and architecturally important. The house is now owned by Richard and Lynne Greco.

For visitors to Quincy’s Historic District, the Shaw-Embry House is one of the most visually striking examples of the Victorian residential architecture that defines the character of this extraordinary North Florida community.