Cox Furniture Store, historic site in Gainesville, Florida, United States

Cox Furniture Store is a three-story red brick building at 19 Southeast First Avenue in Gainesville, built around 1890 in the form and style of a small Romanesque Revival church. White stone trim runs along the roofline and between floors, and the grey sloped roof carries four dormer windows with white arched pediments and dark louvers. The ground floor has large storefront windows, a corner entrance with a rounded awning, and a sign reading "Cox Furniture" in red script.

The building originally served as an opera house and performance venue before becoming a furniture store that supplied the community for many years. It was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, which helped protect it for future generations.

The building's names trace its uses: Simonson Opera House, Edwards Opera House, New Baird Theater, then Cox Furniture Co. from 1938. Cox was Gainesville's largest furniture store and expanded across north-central Florida before closing in 1991 under increased competition.

The building sits at 19 Southeast First Avenue in central Gainesville and is easily accessible on foot from nearby areas. Parking is available, and it is close to other historic sites in town, making it a convenient stop during a walking tour of the area.

The building has been known by several names throughout its history: the Simonson Opera House, the Edwards Opera House, and later the Cox Furniture Store. This succession of names reflects its changing roles and the various ways the community used it over the decades.