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Before: Way Truth & Life Ministry on the SW corner of Laura and 4th Streets.
Originally constructed in 1955, the single story masonry building at 1354 North Laura was characterized by windowless block walls. It was built for Kinkade Radio Supply. During the 1960s and 1970s, the 7,420 square foot building was occupied by Aetna Office Furniture. While vacant during the 1980s, the building housed a church called Way Truth & Life Ministry in the late 1990s before being purchased by Jack Meeks and JoAnn Tredennick in 2003.
The two year conversion of the old warehouse into an accounting office involved saving the building's structural components (i.e. masonry walls, etc.), while adding a new 1,500 square foot second floor. The adaptive reuse project was completed in December 2005. Today, this office building houses the offices of Meeks, Ross, Selander & Associates, on the first floor. The second floor is home to the Law Offices of Moulton Bosshardt, LLC along with additional available leasible space.
After: Designed by Anthony Jarzyna, with Jarzyna & Associates Architects, the project's design was heavily influenced by the American Arts and Crafts Movement.
American Arts and Crafts Movement
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, and decorative arts style popular from the last years of the 19th century through the early years of the 20th century. As a design movement, its popularity remained strong until the 1930s, although in the decorative arts it continues to experience numerous revivals until the present day.
Common American Craftsman Style architectural design features include:
- Low-pitched roof lines, gabled or hipped roof
- Deeply overhanging eaves
- Exposed rafters or decorative brackets under eaves
- Front porch beneath extension of main roof
- Tapered, square columns supporting roof
- 4-over-1 or 6-over-1 double-hung windows
- Frank Lloyd Wright design motifs
- Hand-crafted stone or woodwork
- Mixed materials throughout structure
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Craftsman
The second floor addition can be seen from the back alley in the image above.
Gustav Stickley
The interior of the building features Craftsman style flooring, lighting, textiles, tile, pottery, and Gustav Stickley designed furniture.
Quote
In New York, Gustav Stickley was trying to serve a burgeoning market of middle class consumers who wanted affordable, decent looking furniture. Using factory methods to produce basic components--and craftsmen to finish and assemble-he was able to produce sturdy, serviceable furniture that sold in vast quantities and still survives. Stickley likened his artistic aesthetic to the experience of nature;
"...plan and arrange the room that the sense of space and freedom is always felt, and so to preserve the relation between the natural background of the walls and floor and the more prominent furnishings in the room that each part is given its own value and falls into its own place as naturally and inevitably as the trees, hills, valleys and brooks..."
Today Stickley's furniture is prized by collectors, and his factory still exists, producing reproductions of the original Stickley designs.
"...plan and arrange the room that the sense of space and freedom is always felt, and so to preserve the relation between the natural background of the walls and floor and the more prominent furnishings in the room that each part is given its own value and falls into its own place as naturally and inevitably as the trees, hills, valleys and brooks..."
Today Stickley's furniture is prized by collectors, and his factory still exists, producing reproductions of the original Stickley designs.
The lobby of Meeks, Ross, Selander and Associates
In addition to 1354 North Laura Street, the firm is redeveloping a residence next door which was constructed in 1901. Located at 1342 North Laura Street, when complete, this structure will LEED certified and house office space.
In the last fifty years, our community has overlooked the potential of investing and redeveloping existing structures. Meeks, Ross, Selander and Associates stands as a shining example of what can be done with existing structures, when creativity is embraced and implemented.
For more information: www.mrsjaxcpa.com
Article by Ennis Davis
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aaapolito
August 17, 2009, 06:15:30 AMI recently went to Portland, Oregon and that city's downtown is a great example of renovating existing buildings to adapt for modern usage. I am not a native of Jacksonville, but I image that preservationist-types would have liked to see the same approach for Jacksonville's historic buildings downtown (which are now mostly gone).
vicupstate
August 17, 2009, 07:36:11 AMBeautiful building. The owners are to be commended not only for the excellent job they did but for investing in Springfield when they did.
strider
August 17, 2009, 07:38:25 AMBy the way, that gorgeous staircase was done by Rob Lytle. He had to go as far as New England to find lumber long enough to make the stringer trim in one piece. Sort of odd because the lumber most likely came from Florida to begin with! Rob also is a Springfield resident and has does beautiful work on many houses in Springfield and all over Jacksonville.
Overall, the building came out great.
Wacca Pilatka
August 17, 2009, 08:28:09 AMI really like the fact that they used the "Tree of Life" window design that I think comes from a Wright house in Buffalo and appears on the Klutho Apts. on Main.
Deuce
August 17, 2009, 08:48:28 AMI always drove by this place and was awestruck by the exterior until I had them do my taxes and I saw the interior. I had to pry my jaw off the floor with a crowbar. Absolutely amazing. If every commercial venture spent the time and money to make their place look like this, we'd be the top neighborhood in JAX (in my humble opinion). Jack Meeks gets it. His attention to detail is what reeled my in. I'm a stickler for details.
stephendare
August 17, 2009, 10:08:17 AMTree of Life Windows by Frank Lloyd Wright, from the Martin House (for everyone who didnt spend four years in architecture/design college.)
Also here is an excellent story about the construction of the house, including the windows.
http://www.oakbrookesser.com/pages/newspieces/news_flw_martin_a.html
Cliffs_Daughter
August 17, 2009, 10:48:01 AMSimply beautiful...
stjr
August 17, 2009, 04:57:14 PMThis is a wonderful and beautiful building. I realize everyone has different tastes and someone out there probably likes something different. That's not the point. Variety is good as long as the various examples are good representations of their architectural styles.
This building has great style but most Jax buildings don't. I have been in some rather mundane businesses in other parts of the country and found more detail and effort in their buildings than most any of the post WWII buildings in Jax. Style doesn't have to cost, it just mostly takes imagination and vision. I think the lack of it in post WWII Jax architecture and the destruction of our pre WWII architecture says a lot about the mindset of this city and why we are not nearly as advanced as we could have been.
Style is part of our environment and a representation of who we are as a community and if we care about that then we should care about architecture - both the new and the old. Our community should demand a lot more. Historic preservation, stylish public spaces and structures (see Fuller Warren Bridge MJ thread discussion for an example of the lack thereof), and more than boxy commercial office and retail structures.
By the way, as implied in a post above, style can go a long way toward "selling" your business and/or community too. Thus, there can be an ROI. Apple is a great example of using style to one's economic advantage.
GideonGlib
August 18, 2009, 09:15:50 AMI like how the building add a vibrant mixed use element to the neighborhood, without looking so commercial that it distracts from the overall residential feel of the street.
Captain Zissou
August 18, 2009, 09:58:56 AMThese are the kinds of buildings that make great streets and neighborhoods.A street that I love is Kings Ave north of I-95. There are no buildings this well done, but as a whole the neighborhood really gets it. I can't wait to see the work Meeks does to the home next door.
Sigma
August 18, 2009, 10:46:21 AMyou should see his personal house at 2nd and Hubbard.