The love of classic and rare cars led to the founding of Art 'n Motion fine automobiles by the father-son owners, Paul and Justin Felker.
Art 'n Motion was dreamed up by the Felker family to appear as an early 1900's industrial-style building. Sitting just within the St. Augustine city entrance, this building needed to fit in with the charm of the nation's oldest city but also stand out as an old "Main Street" building would.
Wanting it to look as authentic as possible inside and out, an amazing team worked together with the owners to create this raw building that seems to take you back in time, including-architect, Anthony R. Harwell,builder, AD Davis Construction, and interior designer, Parramore Interiors. Harwell also won an architectural design award for this building
As long-time business owners in the pest control industry, Paul and Caren Felker decided to branch off from the industry and assist their children, Justin Felker and Erin Murphy, in founding their own businesses.
The site, along with the other two south neighboring properties owned by the Felker’s, was once the home of another car dealership-the Yarborough Olds Cadillac Nissan dealership.
At 283 San Marco, the building was demolished for Art ‘n Motion building to be constructed, and the other two properties were renovated.
Art 'n Motion was created to display classic and rare automobiles that are available for sale. Many of the vehicles are collected by the founders but other car owners will often display their rare car in the building's "showroom" for other car enthusiasts and collectors.
Art 'n Motion's floor-to-ceiling windows facing the main road show off the vehicles and attract car lovers on a daily basis. As a two-story car gallery and dealership, enthusiasts are welcome to come visit the collection, however an exclusive experience is preferred by making an appointment to tour with the founder.
The building also provides the headquarters for Team SLR. Owner and driver, Scott Lagasse, Jr., and Justin Felker formed a friendship with the love of cars and racing, creating the opportunity for both businesses to have a shared space.
The building’s historic ambiance combined with modern amenities also created the opportunity for another business to have a home base-venue spaces for weddings and special events.
Merging the names of The Assembly Room at Art ‘n Motion and The Carriage House, as well as diving deep into St. Augustine’s history, Erin Murphy (Felker) named her newly founded business “House of Assembly Events” to showcase both neighboring venues. Art ‘n Motion acts as the host building for the Assembly Room’s events.
283 San Marco Avenue of St. Augustine is more than just an address-it’s a canvas where history, art, engineering, and community converge. Whether a rare car is being admired, a racecar is being built, or life’s milestones are being celebrated, this address invites you to be part of its story.
Next door at 259 San Marco Avenue, sits our hidden gem, The Carriage House. The main entrance sits towards the back of the property between the white parking lot columns, with a large sliding gate opening to reveal a brick courtyard and garden that perfectly flatters the only barn venue in downtown St. Augustine.
Even though Erin formed an appreciation for classic cars by growing up with car enthusiasts, her passion is horses, so she often finds that her happy place is a barn. The Carriage House was the perfect opportunity to combine her love of barns and the outdoors with her newly found love of event design. The Carriage House was previously known as “The Pioneer Barn” within what used to be Fort Menendez. Fun fact: Erin went to Fort Menendez as an elementary student and reminisces making candles and seeing artifacts at the museum. She never could have dreamt that she would one day own the property for her own business! The fort front walls and arched doorways were kept at the front of the property to keep history in mind.
House of Assembly Events- “A million dreams is all it’s going to take.”
Art ‘n Motion- “Every car has a story.”
