Porcher House in Cocoa, Florida

The Porcher House at 434 Delannoy Ave. is a coquina rock home in Cocoa, completed in 1916 for citrus grower and inventor Edward Postell Porcher and now owned by the City of Cocoa (City of Cocoa Porcher House page; Florida historical marker for the house).

The state historical marker placed in 2017 calls it the grandest house in Cocoa when Edward Postell Porcher and his wife, Byrnina Peck Porcher, moved in on October 31, 1916 (Florida historical marker for the house). The City of Cocoa page says construction started in 1914 following Mrs. Porcher's design (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). The house sits in the heart of the Cocoa historic district, and the city lists it on its own history page as a historical site among the landmarks of Cocoa (City of Cocoa Porcher House page; City of Cocoa History and Culture page).

Today the City of Cocoa Leisure Services division manages the Porcher House along with the Civic Center, Riverfront Park, Taylor Park and Myrt Tharpe Square, a job the division has held since it was set up in 2005 (City of Cocoa Leisure Services page). The second floor is leased to local businesses as office space, and the house is open to the public to view and available to rent for special occasions (City of Cocoa Porcher House page).

Edward Porcher was a Merritt Island citrus grower from South Carolina whom the City of Cocoa credits as the first grower to grade fruit for shipping (City of Cocoa Porcher House page).

The City of Cocoa page says Edward Porcher came to the Cocoa area as a young man in the late 1800s and bought property on Merritt Island, where he and Byrnina Peck of Atlanta grew citrus and raised a family (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). He did well with Deerfield Groves, invented a machine to wash fruit and was a founder of the Indian River Orange Growers Association (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). The National Register record lists his areas of significance as architecture, invention and agriculture (National Park Service NPGallery record).

Before the coquina house, the family lived from 1895 in a three-story wood frame house that stood where the Cocoa Civic Center now stands (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). The marker adds that a large packinghouse on the river bank behind the 1916 house processed produce boated over from the family groves on Merritt Island (Florida historical marker for the house). The family lived in the house until Edward's death in June 1939, the marker says; the estate passed to his son Arthur, who died the next month (Florida historical marker for the house).

Byrnina Porcher loved the game of bridge, so stones cut as clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades were set into the front of the Cocoa house (City of Cocoa Porcher House page; Florida historical marker for the house).

The Florida marker describes the house as a unique example of Neo-Classical Revival style interpreted in coquina rock, with ten bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a partial basement and an attic (Florida historical marker for the house). The City of Cocoa calls it an excellent example of 20th century classical revival architecture adapted to the Florida climate, built from native coquina rock, with a teak staircase, oak floors and cedar wainscoting and trim (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). Some parts of the Porcher House are original, others are accurate restorations and some are new (City of Cocoa Porcher House page).

Several pieces of the 1916 estate are gone. The marker lists a porte-cochere on the north side, a swimming pool and the large riverside packinghouse among the lost elements of the Cocoa property (Florida historical marker for the house).

Official sources give three different dates for the City of Cocoa taking over the Porcher House: 1945, the early 1950s and May 7, 1956 (Florida historical marker for the house; City of Cocoa Porcher House page; 2018 Cocoa CRA Plan Update).

The two accounts of the family years also differ: the marker says the family lived in the Cocoa house until Edward died in June 1939 and that the house was then sold and briefly used as a hotel (Florida historical marker for the house), while the City of Cocoa page says the family lived there until after World War II and lists hotel use and a home for boys among its later roles (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). This guide states each version as its source gives it.

The 2018 Cocoa CRA plan carries both of its own dates. Its historic structures section says the City of Cocoa purchased the home in 1945 and it became City Hall, and its section on Riverfront Park land says City Ordinance No. 1404 records the acquisition from the Estate of E.P. Porcher on May 7, 1956, together with the adjacent Taylor Park area, for a public park and grounds (2018 Cocoa CRA Plan Update).

Yes, the Porcher House in Cocoa is on the National Register of Historic Places under reference number 86000023, listed in 1986 (National Park Service NPGallery record; Florida historical marker for the house).

The National Park Service record lists the Cocoa house under two criteria, architecture and engineering and the person associated with it, with Classical Revival style, architect unknown, periods of significance 1900-1924 and 1925-1949, and 1916 as the significant year (National Park Service NPGallery record). The record names Edward Postell Porcher and gives the location as 434 Delannoy Ave. in Cocoa, Brevard County (National Park Service NPGallery record).

The City of Cocoa says the house was restored with money from two state grants plus city funding (City of Cocoa Porcher House page), and the marker says city and state historic preservation grants paid for the work, after which the house served as event space and office space for local businesses (Florida historical marker for the house). The 2018 Cocoa CRA plan lists the Porcher House and the Aladdin Theater under Cocoa structures on the National Register (2018 Cocoa CRA Plan Update).

Yes, the City of Cocoa opens the Porcher House to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, except when a special event has reserved it (City of Cocoa Porcher House page).

Evenings and weekends are kept for reserved events, so a weekday daytime visit is the reliable choice for anyone who wants to see the rooms (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). The Porcher House page gives 321-639-3500 x4 as the Leisure Services contact for the house (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). The Leisure Services office lists its physical address as 430 Delannoy Avenue, with the same weekday hours (City of Cocoa Leisure Services page).

The house is also a rental venue: the City of Cocoa lists meetings, weddings, parties, luncheons, afternoon teas and card parties, with seating for up to 85 and standing room for 125 (City of Cocoa Porcher House page). Rates and booking rules sit on the Leisure Services pages, and this guide does not repeat them (City of Cocoa Leisure Services page).

The grounds tie into the Cocoa riverfront. The 2018 plan counts the Porcher House and Civic Center area among the land conveyances that make up Cocoa Riverfront Park, which the city has dedicated to public use (2018 Cocoa CRA Plan Update). The Riverfront Park and Lee Wenner Park guide and the Historic Cocoa Village guide cover the rest of the walk.

Last verified: October 21, 2026, by re-reading the City of Cocoa Porcher House and Leisure Services pages, the National Park Service NPGallery entry for reference 86000023, the 2017 Florida marker text, the 2018 Cocoa CRA Plan Update and the city History and Culture page.