The University of North Florida held an event Friday afternoon to celebrate the newly opened Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History, located on the second floor of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library.

The center was made possible by a $3.5 million principal donation from philanthropists Allen and Delores Lastinger, who are longtime donors to UNF, according to a university press release. The family also contributed their own collection of rare books, historical maps and Floridian artifacts to the collection. 

UNF President Moez Limayem and the Lastingers attended Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with other members of the campus community.

Limayem thanked the Lastingers and said their donation is “transformational” for the university.

“The center is more than just a space. This is a hub of excellence,” Limayem said. “This is a destination of choice for everyone interested in the history of our nation.”

Allen Lastinger said the idea for a collection of Florida history has been in the making for several years. Most of the collection consists of maps, artifacts, and documents he’s collected over his lifetime.

“My objective was to make a collection of Florida maps and books generally available,” Allen Lastinger said. “After 50 years… I am confident and comfortable that what I have accumulated is in the right place.”

Both Allen and Delores Lastinger have been longtime supporters of UNF since 1990 and Delores, a Class of 1975 alumna, according to a university press release. 

One of the family’s recent gifts supported a research grant for Chance Courtney-Durrett, a junior anthropology major, who spoke at Friday’s event.

Courtney-Durrett said the grant has allowed him to work in UNF’s archaeology lab and realize his future as a graduate student at the university.

“The lastigner student research grant has made my thesis plans possible,” Courtney-Durrett said.

The librarian overseeing the center, Hillary Streifer, said the center will be a place for students to browse, request material, or use the space for quiet study. She said the collection will be digitally available at the Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History website. 

“I want [students] to feel comfortable coming in and using the resources,” Streifer said. 

One of the center’s highlights is its diverse collection of historical Florida maps, according to Streifer.

“I love looking at the maps and seeing how the idea of this new world has transformed over the centuries,” Streifer said.

The center is open Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Mondays by appointment only. Streifer said only some of the collection is available to browse at the center and the rest must be requested in advance.

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