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Daniels calls for change to Jacksonville council term limits
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Times-Union parent turns a profit in 3Q
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heights unknown
July 06, 2009, 06:55:52 AMI think it is a brilliant idea to improve, modify and extend this thing because it's obvious from the crowds that now accumulate that it will only continue to grow and get bigger, and, I just love the cultural aspect and potential of this thing relative to the image of Jacksonville. This could become a tourist attraction for Northeast Florida and a small tourist attraction for Visitors from the outside.
Heights Unknown
lindab
July 06, 2009, 07:41:15 AMWhat potential for reuse of Annie Lytle Public School #4 to fit into the scheme of this grand vision. It's location on the edge of the park is first rate.
archiphreak
July 06, 2009, 08:06:07 AMOh they'll just bulldoze Annie Lytle. The city will never allow someone to develop that property. I drive by it every morning on my way to work and I can't help but get angry at what that site COULD be with even the smallest bit of imagination. But oh well.
Jason
July 06, 2009, 08:37:26 AMFinally, the city is working to connect the urban neighborhoods to the core. This is a great start!
5PointsGuy
July 06, 2009, 08:41:38 AMUnfortunately that building has a alot of structural problems now due to that lack of maintenance. The price would probably be extremely high to buy the building and rehab it...
hightowerlover
July 06, 2009, 09:19:25 AMthat water doesnt look safe for people to be walking near - looks like a cestpool of disease. and i <3 all that surface parking. just think how many more people could park there once that old school is knocked out of the way.
RiversideLoki
July 06, 2009, 09:26:07 AMIt's a great idea and a very good use of the space under the bridge. I like the tie-in to Riverside park. I hope RAM numbers remain stable and can support the project. I know numbers fluctuate wildly with the weather. More parking will definitely be appreciated.
I wonder how they're going to address the issue of people crossing Riverside Ave right there. I know it's a sticky spot even on bike.
TheProfessor
July 06, 2009, 09:52:11 AMMaybe someone can turn the Annie Lytle building into an art museum space. I was at P.S.1 in NYC over the weekend and MOMA turned an old school into a contemporary art space with weekend outdoor parties amongst the sculptures.
hightowerlover
July 06, 2009, 10:10:07 AMyou would think the coj could afford to get a photo of the downtown skyline that actually shows the hyatt, or at least the adam's mark. the wachovia building still says first union lol
Dog Walker
July 06, 2009, 12:09:27 PMThe Annie Lytle School is structurally very sound. The interior has been trashed by a couple of generations of graffiti vandals and the roof over the auditorium fell because the owner neglected to fix a roof leak that he was warned about when he bought the place. He left the leak unrepaired for twenty years so the huge roof beams rotted and dropped the roof in one place.
The building is solid masonry. The floors are poured concrete even on the second floor. Parts of the second floor roof are also concrete. There have been a couple of fires started inside the building, but since all of the interior walls are masonry, nothing was there to burn.
The building just looks like heck because the owner will not keep the building secured or maintained. It would make a fabulous art and music education and performance center or a transportation hub. There is plenty of room on the school property for other buildings or surface level parking.
Someone with vision could have done something with this great building a long time ago.
5PointsGuy
July 06, 2009, 01:04:10 PMThat's good to hear DW, I was definitely referencing the roof cave in and thought there might be a heavy dose of water damage. Something can still be done with it, its just going to cost a good amount to obtain the rights to the building and then repair the defects.
Ocklawaha
July 06, 2009, 04:32:17 PMJust add streetcar on or in Park as an element and to tie the entire community to the site.
OCKLAWAHA
Dog Walker
July 06, 2009, 06:26:18 PMThe City has put NO barriers in the way of redeveloping/renovating the school other than the Historic Preservation Commission denying the owner's request to demolish it.
The owners have now received more money from the FDOT for the sliver of land taken from the front of the property for the interchange expansion than they paid for it twenty odd years ago. The ownership is a strange mixture of profit and non-profit LLC's. He should just donate the school and land to someone since he hasn't been able to do anything with it in two decades.
Deuce
July 14, 2009, 09:50:49 AMWith the expanding art market under the bridge, it seems like a commonsense use to turn the old school into a place for artists. This would be a great opportunity to do something like the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Va. This would fit well with the Cummer nearby.
grimss
July 15, 2009, 10:10:17 PMRiversideLoki questioned how the pedestrian traffic on Riverside would be managed with the extension. The mayor's office is apparently willing to consider closing off this section of Riverside Ave. during market days to divert traffic around the site and facilitate a festival street atmosphere.
And, hey, did anyone notice the mayor mentioned the Riverside Arts Market during his budget address as an example of the vibrant urban environment Jax COULD have?? Very cool.
Prax_N_Jax
July 24, 2009, 10:19:26 AMMy gf & I went to RAM a few wks ago & we loved it. It was def something different and well received. It's a great addition to that area. Hopefully the art community will embrace the restoration Annie Lytle.
Dog Walker
July 24, 2009, 04:56:00 PMThe owner has refused any suggestion of artist's use of the building. He is evidently holding out for big bucks from the government for a subsidized senior housing center.
fsu813
July 25, 2009, 08:28:34 PMgrimss,
Since he's not running for anything anymore he can focus on leaving a legacy. He wants to fix Jacksonville's downtown and make it a vibrant, urban area with lots to do. He said as much a few months ago. This is a very good thing, especially since he ingnored the arts/social services/ downtown revitalization for the majority of his tenure.
Fallen Buckeye
July 25, 2009, 10:45:49 PMIn my hometown, some of the older unused buildings were turned into artist colonies where artists live and work with an apartment and studio space that is open to the public. It's really gotten to be quite an attraction for tourists and locals where people travelling through come and can see several different artists do their thing all in one small area. One of these artists in the district is a sculptor who has probably a dozen statues displayed outside his studio, so you know right away that downtown around 6th St. is the place for art in the area without even leaving the car. Talk about public art and niching and so on.
By the way, this was all done in a small city in one of the poorest areas of the country. I believe the local government had some small hand in getting it started, but once the seed was planted it's been able to stand up on it's own merit. Point being is that if that can happen there why not here? That school seems like a perfect opportunity for something similar.
Also I have to say that the RAM was a great idea. If you could get an artist colony started nearby they would naturally feed into each other.