Riverside Park School was originally a boxy wooden-frame school house built in 1891 with multiple additions (due to population increase) until it was considered a fire hazard and unstable. Duval County voters passed a one million dollar bond in 1915 to build more than a dozen new brick school houses. This one was first known as Public School Number Four but later was renamed Annie Lytle Elementary School, after its former long-time teacher and principal.
Construction was started in 1917, Designed by architect Rutledge Holmes, built by Florida Engineering and Construction Company, and Completed in 1918 . It cost over $250,000 and originally overlooked Riverside Park, before the construction of I-95 & I-10 isolated it in the 1950's.
In 1960 the last student passed through those front doors and the school was closed to the public. It was used for office space and storage after that before being condemned in 1971 and abandoned. It may have also been rented out to a catholic school for a year or two in the early 70s or late 60s but is not confirmed.
The dominant architectural feature of the school is a Neo-Classic pedimented portico supported by colossal Doric columns at the entrance. Time also has taken its toll on the Annie Lytle School. There was a fire in 1995, the roof on the auditorium caved in and the building has been vandalized for years. It has served as a shelter for the homeless, countless thrill seeking youths, paranormal investigators, gang activity, druggies, and rummered even a group of hippies long ago.
On October 29, 1999 Foundation Holding Incorporated purchased the property in order to build "Lytle Place Condominiums" in its place. Due to public outcry and pressure from multiple historic societies, Jacksonville approved historic landmark designation in 2000. It has sat in its current state of disrepair as I-95 & I-10 interchange was built only a few hundred feet from the second story windows. The cost of rehabbing the structure was deemed too much as compared to demolition and new construction so it is currently back up for demolition.
Many rumors surround the school that tell of murders, psychotic janitors, suicidal teachers, affairs, and explosions in the boiler room. Police reports only confirm that a rape did happen once the school was condemned and many different counts of trespassing, vandalism, and B&E have and continue to happen.
Let's take a look inside.
Photos by YourMainParadox
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riverside planner
October 01, 2009, 06:18:34 AMYes, I am told that it was briefly Central Christian School in the early 1970s. My aunt was a student there.
BridgeTroll
October 01, 2009, 06:48:46 AMLooks in pretty bad shape...
David
October 01, 2009, 06:57:56 AMI've always thought the auditorium area would make a great live music venue.
I know it's probably not feasible financially, but out of all the possible uses for Annie Lytle, a club/music venue makes sense to me since most people wouldn’t want to live under a highway overpass. Or at the very least a cultural venue of some sort, museum etc.
blizz01
October 01, 2009, 07:40:23 AMYou could have the best Hall of Terror / haunted house there. Ever. Period.
Hurricane
October 01, 2009, 07:56:23 AMIt would make for one hell of a haunted house for Halloween!
dknighton
October 01, 2009, 08:07:39 AMWhy is it that Jacksonville can't embrace and cherish its historical buildings, instead of abandoning everything like an out-of-vogue strip-mall? I totally agree that this would be a perfect location for a music/cultural/multi-purpose venue, but then again, this city wouldn't understand culture if it stood up and hit it over the head with a large-print, KJV Bible.
That's the legacy of Jacksonville....potential never fully realized.
vicupstate
October 01, 2009, 08:28:35 AMLooks like one of those Detriot schools that was in the link in a different thread.
There is a school VERY similiar to Lytle in Washington D.C. that was converted into a Health Club. Like Lytle it is within splitting distance of a raised highway.
It is popular, functional and totally cool looking.
YMCA, are you reading this ??
SunKing
October 01, 2009, 09:36:45 AMWhy would the Y want to go into there?
Ocklawaha
October 01, 2009, 09:44:37 AMBring that Skyway from Riverside Av to Roselle, and from Roselle make a sharp left coming in with one line on each side of the auditorium, second floor. Below that running crosswise under the Skyway, you create another
Rosa Parks, with streetcar pre installed. Lastly, revamp the diagonal sidewalk in Riverside Park, to accommodate pedestrian and bike traffic, brand it with a name like "Paseo Grande" (Grand Walk).
Inside the building, you do exactly as the others have suggested. Take the auditorium as a fantastic pup and theater. The rest of the building gets built out as TOD shops, art studios, craft and other unusual microbusinesses.
POOF, when the trains, buses and streetcars arrive the place would take off like Moody's Goose!
OCKLAWAHA
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 09:49:41 AMOck and I had quite the day of it when we took about a hundred pictures of the interior. Its also quite beautiful as well as these scarier photos!
Bob, did any of the really beautiful upstairs vistas come out? Or the interior courtyard where the roof has collapsed?
Where did you find this guy's photos?
DavidWilliams
October 01, 2009, 10:00:32 AMEncounter any ghosts, Stephen?
ac
October 01, 2009, 10:06:20 AMOcklawaha
October 01, 2009, 10:26:23 AMDon't know what file I stuck them in but it's got to be somewhere on the memory card... before the camera went skinny dipping at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma. I'll see if I can recover them and maybe we could do another photo article.
OCKLAWAHA
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 10:41:07 AMNo ghosts, David.
Just me and Ock on a discovery and reconnaissance mission. Its actually a very beautiful building whose bones are as solid as bedrock. The photographer in the series of photos above kind of went out of their way to play up the Blair Witch look of the place, but it looks like the carefully constructed ruins of an english garden through most of it. The collapsed roof of the gymnasium has aired the place out and instead of the old smells of collapse and decay, there is a very wholesome air circulating.
The graffiti is colorful and ubiquitous all the way throughout, and the interior now posesses a very timeless ambiance despite the dilapidation.
Ive been in School Number 4 many times over the decades. Ive seen it pass from abandoned to creepy. It progressed onto dangerous and fully into scary. Ive been there at night and over time it became a gothic setting where the sense of foreboding was palpable and you could hear the movement of unseen inhabitants in the pitch darkness.
That seems to have ended: whatever spirits the building used to house: Dread, fear, wretches hiding from the police and the outside world in the darkness have been exorcised by the clean light of day.
BTW, it was quite the sight to see the two of us hoisting up and crawling through broken windows to enter (Doug, if your reading, thanks for not shooting us!)
JoeMerchant
October 01, 2009, 10:51:00 AMI know it's probably not feasible financially, but out of all the possible uses for Annie Lytle, a club/music venue makes sense to me since most people wouldn’t want to live under a highway overpass. Or at the very least a cultural venue of some sort, museum etc.
I still think that this could easily translate into the P.S.1 of the south:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.S.1_Contemporary_Art_Center
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 11:19:26 AMBTW, it was quite the sight to see the two of us hoisting up and crawling through broken windows to enter (Doug, if your reading, thanks for not shooting us!)
Sorry Stephen. Even though the pictures are tremendous, that was really a foolish thing to do.
Just my two cents. Flame away.
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 11:22:48 AMThanks JBroadglide. And it was wet blankety.
The current owner is Doug Milne, a friend of 22 years.
Luckily we neither burned the building down nor did we get hurt. There arent any trespassing charges involved, but thanks for the helpful suggestion anyhow
I wish we could take credit for the pictures featured, they werent from our foray. I think we probably got better photos that capture the sad beauty of the place instead of the excellent scary ones that are featured.
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 11:31:48 AMSteve, I understand Doug is a friend of yours. But if a Code Officer or a Police Officer had seen you its very likely you would have been faced with trespassing. Right now the cost to make repairs to bring that building up to code is well over 50% of the actual value of the building. I'm not talking historic value, because obviously there is that. I'm talking about the actual dollar value. And for that reason I just don't see it ever being upgraded to anything useful. I wish it could be because right now its a real eyesore on the city considering now that anyone who takes the high ramp from I-95 south onto
I-10 west is well over the rooftop and can really see how bad a condition its in. Don't get me wrong. I am in very much in favor of saving any historic structure if it can be done economically. Just don't see how thats possible with this building.
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 11:38:16 AMWell thats a shame, JB! You should spend some time on a historic restoration sometime.
The Klutho Apartments were in the same condition (actually worse) when Fresh Ministries rebuilt them. Starting with something whose expense would be staggering in todays market (like all those hundreds of thousands of aged bricks that form the already standing walls) takes a huge chunk out of the expense of building.
Historic renovation on that scale isnt really more expensive (to use the same materials as made the building its usually less so) its just more difficult, because you have the logistics of working around already constructed portions.
The building could not only be saved, it could become a show place for less money than it would take to build a duplicate structure.
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 11:59:31 AMStephen you are correct. I am not an expert on historic renovation. I'm just relating facts as they are right now. If the current owners want to renovate that property and make it into a showplace I'm quite sure the city would stand back and let them have it. But this property has been in an Unsafe and Condemned state since at least 2001..Probably well before. But if the council person in that area or the Mayors Office starts pushing for Municipal Code Compliance to "do something about that eyesore", MCC would have no choice.
Like I said I personally am in favor of saving any historic structure if its feasible. My personal opinion, and thats all it is, my opinion, is that this structure is beyond saving..my opinion and a dollar will get me a coffee and McDonalds.
JoeMerchant
October 01, 2009, 12:09:19 PMIt does not look beyond saving at all to me, really the roofs could even be built by incorporating a secondary structure system, and not even bear on the existing walls or structure, although the walls look to be in pretty good shape in the pictures.
Would it be cheaper to build a new building on the site and demolish this one? Perhaps. But not to the quality of this one.
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 12:12:21 PMWould it be cheaper to build a new building on the site and demolish this one? Perhaps. But not to the quality of this one.
Exactly Jason. Not to the quality of this one.
It would probably be even cheaper to tear down the structure and build mud huts or a thrilling adobe structure out of clay that we could import from Big Talbot Island.
But when people talk about cheaper to tear down and 'build a new building' they never mean "of the same quality" They mean one of these cheap ass, staple construction, easily destroyed jobs.
Bewler
October 01, 2009, 12:40:20 PMExactly... It would be cheaper if we all drank tap water and ate boiled rice for the rest of our lives.
I mean why "waste" hard earned money unnecessarily on more expensive food and drinks that taste delicious?
Same principle applies here.
And pot is illegal.
David
October 01, 2009, 12:55:18 PMand so is jaywalking.
stug
October 01, 2009, 01:43:10 PMSteven and Ock ... if you ever go in again, bring me!
I had an opportunity to go in once several years ago before it was fenced off (yes, illegally ... don't rat me out, jbroadglide!) and totally chickened out. I'm a sucker for a good supernatural scare, but I was slightly more terrified of the corporeal denizens within. I could live without a rusty shank to the gut.
Dog Walker
October 01, 2009, 01:46:11 PMThe City has not and will not enforce any code violations against Doug Milne. He has not and will not spend any money or effort to secure the school or its grounds. The roof over the auditorium collapsed in 2002 because he would not repair a leak in the roof that caused the support trusses to rot.
All of the work to clean up the grounds and secure the building in the past two years has been done by volunteers led by Timkin, who sometimes writes on this forum. The amount of work he has done almost by himself is astonishing. Because of back and shoulder injuries he can no longer do this heavy work.
The building is structurally quite sound. The walls are solid masonry that is over two feet thick in places. The floors are poured concrete. The interior walls are hollow clay tile. The stairs are concrete. The roof is mostly metal. All of the wooden elements of the building, windows & doors, are deteriorated. The plaster covering on the walls is damaged and covered with graffiti.
The building is shaped like the letter E laid on its side. The auditorium is the middle stroke of the E. The wings on either side have a double row of rooms on the bottom floor and a single row of rooms on the second floor so there are two roof top terraces on the wings. The building was built before air conditioning so the light that comes into the building is fabulous. From the floor of the auditorium to the roof is about twenty-five feet high. It is a great space and the acoustics could be made wonderful because of the high ceiling.
The building is owned by a non-profit LLC which only owns the building and has no other assets. The property is owned by a for-profit LLC. Both are controlled by Mr. Milne.
lindab
October 01, 2009, 01:52:16 PMStephen, you are very right about the quality of the historic construction. Despite the obvious scary paint job on the interior and the vandalism there is so much integrity in the structure that renovation is still a good option. Try Photo-shopping those pictures to remove the graffiti and look at the features that remain. Historic restoration is never cheap because it is so hard to replicate the detail work of past times. However, once it is done the value to the structure and to the community is greater than the cost of the work.
Here are the pluses of Annie Lytle which get overlooked almost everytime:
1.With the exception of the auditorium roof, the structure is concrete with walls that are several feet thick. Sound transmission through roof and walls is minimal.
2.Although the windows are shot to hell, if they were replaced with double paned windows, you would have no problems with noise. We are the closest neighbors to PS #4, live at ground level in a historic mixed use building with the expressway merge ramp about 200 yrds. away and have solved our noise problem the same way.
3.The entire upstairs facing on the back courtyard is windows all along the corridor. It faces north and lets in a beautiful light. It creates a gallery across the back hallway.
4.The school property is large. It goes back to the end of the block.
5.Staircases are pretty destroyed but still retain lovely arches. Your photos capture some of that.
6.The auditorium and upper gallery are well designed for performances. They have the charm of a small intimate stage and seating.
7.My favorite feature is the front facing connection to Riverside Park. You can walk down those grand steps, under the expressway and enter Riverside Park. It is the best asset of the building.
It is hard to be nonchalant about the amount of willful neglect this property has received from the owner. Do you know what kinds of risks kids are taking to get into the building to add to the graffiti or to photograph it? Should someone get injured, there will be a clamor to destroy it.
Most everyone has a good idea about what could be done for the building at some future time. The number one thing is to do right now is to safeguard the structure from further deterioration by weather or visitors.
Bewler
October 01, 2009, 02:06:50 PMBREW
ER
REE!!!
BREW
ER
REE!!!
Are you there Bold City? If your current location ever gets too small or you find yourselves in the position to expand, you know where to look.
untarded
October 01, 2009, 02:15:31 PMAre the owners selling and if so how much are they asking? Or are they waiting for the inevitable wrecking ball?
Ocklawaha
October 01, 2009, 02:19:03 PMBTW, it was quite the sight to see the two of us hoisting up and crawling through broken windows to enter (Doug, if your reading, thanks for not shooting us!)
Sorry Stephen. Even though the pictures are tremendous, that was really a foolish thing to do.
Just my two cents. Flame away.
Statute of limitations has run it's course, remember the "Hippies" camped there in the 60's and very early 70's. 5Th amendment! HA! What else could you expect from The Urban Nabob Gorilla of Jacksonville, and an Old Hippie? Is it 4:20 yet?
OCKLAWAHA
lindab
October 01, 2009, 02:22:08 PMYes, to both.
I have heard the figure of $1 million for sale. It will take about $3 mil to restore. One day I heard the owner say that to the right non-profit, he would give it away.
Dog Walker
October 01, 2009, 02:27:41 PMOck, I was in the school with a JSO officer (bum clean out time) just after the 4:20 graffiti was put on the chimney. Had to ask him what it meant and got a pitying look about how out of touch I was. LOL!
To give you an idea of how STUPID the person was who put that on the chimney: First you have to break into the school and go up to one of the terraces on the second floor. Then you have to find a way to climb up onto the upper roof, another twelve feet up. Then you have to walk on an 16" wide wall that is 30 feet in the air for a distance of 70' to the roof at the back of the auditorium. It's a thirty foot fall on either side to reach the chimney. Now do this in the dark with a couple of beers in you!
Darwin was sleeping that night.
vicupstate
October 01, 2009, 03:35:39 PMThe reason I said this is that a few years ago, the Riverside Ave Y had looked seriously about moving out of their current riverfront property and building new as part of a larger project on the site. The current facility is very space inefficient and dated. The Y specifically stated that if they moved, they would want to stay very close to their current location.
They could sell their very valuable property, and invest the proceeds into a massive renovation/expansion of the Lytle school into their new facilty.
They would probably make money on the deal, as well as get a better facility (not to mention some good PR). Not to mention they would get a very valuable, permanent, free billboard space, by simply hanging a banner across the front, while virtually all of Jacksonville drives by it in any given week.
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 03:45:20 PMDog Walker I'll admit it. I have no idea what 4:20 means either. Please enlighten me..
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 03:49:45 PM4:20 is the average time of day that people smoke pot. After school/work at home before the parents/kids/unapproving spouse gets home, it derives from the original usage in this story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 04:01:59 PMSomebody actually took the time to calculate this??? Boy I am wa-a-a-a-ay out of touch.
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 04:10:33 PMkids have successfully kept this secret code word from their parents for a while now.
Cliffs_Daughter
October 01, 2009, 04:11:40 PMI only knew it from a few friends of mine who always took April 20th off work/school/whatever, and they explained it to me.
But yeah, I could totally see this becoming a venue of sorts.
jbroadglide
October 01, 2009, 04:17:02 PMOkay rub it in...I can take a hint..
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 04:23:26 PMOcklawaha
October 01, 2009, 05:44:18 PMStephen never had a clue that my camera had a self portrait timers on it!
Boy did this thread go up in smoke!
OCKLAWAHA
heights unknown
October 01, 2009, 07:16:17 PMLots of work will need to be done even if someone buys it and turns it into........
How about a massive social agency for the entire first coast metro that addresses medical care, counseling, food, clothing, shelter, and employment for those that are homeless and needy; helping them to clean themselves up (if they choose) and returning them to society as useful and viable citizens!?
Heights Unknown
buckethead
October 01, 2009, 08:04:59 PMI always suspected that the inside was as stunningly beautiful as the outside. It is well suted to practically any purpose. It really isn't so far gone that refurbishing would not be feasable. A roof and window coverings would cetainly go a long way in presrving the beauty that still exists. A million clams? Bargain.
It needs mor ein repairs than the purchase cost. Any idea regarding potiental conditioned square footage?
DavidWilliams
October 01, 2009, 08:23:13 PMProximity to the 10-95 interchange (what? 100 feet or so) the damn flyover, at least from a distance looks as though it runs through the structure. That has to be a concern for any investor(s). I know it has been done in other cities before. But, as we all know, we ain't other cities.
DavidWilliams
October 01, 2009, 08:32:46 PMWelcome stoners. Never knew what the 4:20 reference meant. Damn the things I learn on here. Are the stoner tendencies and ad nauseum rail talk inter-related? Inquiring minds want to know.
vicupstate
October 01, 2009, 08:53:44 PMI've seen references to 420, but not 4:20.
Is that just me?
A-Finnius
October 01, 2009, 09:11:30 PMThis building is incredible inside. I have forever wondered about what evil is lurking in the dark corners and long hallways of this ominously spooky piece of architecture. The way it sits beneath the interstate makes the building even more frightening; like a troll hiding beneath a bridge waiting to snatch a passerby's goat and eat it!
Thanks for the great pictures and snapshot of the building's history.
buckethead
October 01, 2009, 09:56:11 PMFishing under cover of the Fuller-Warren. Dry RV storage as well! Hurricane protection... think of all the +'s!
Ocklawaha
October 01, 2009, 11:11:32 PMNo man! The railroad talk is both vocation and avocation forever. Though some people think it was the 4,367 acid trips I took with Tim Leary.
The other part is being a 60's early 70's Hippie, and still being honest and carefree. 90% of the folks my age went through the same thing, but somehow a giant vacuum came out of the mist and erased their minds. I know people from Police, to Executives, to Preachers, that rode that stoner bus. It was fun while it lasted and thank God I survived, but hey, it's part of me, and I'm not going to hide it in some self righteous play. In the old MET JAX site I once posted a OLD HIPPIE thread, and we had a lot of fun with it. Lot's of people knew all the answers to my 30+ question Hippie Quiz, but none had ever tried drugs or broken a single law. These hypocrites always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case they see a snake, which they also keep handy. Their motto: "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." So to all inquiring minds, if we meet someday, bring me a bottle of SOCO (that's really as good as it gets today) and I'll weave some wild tales.
So how did I become a railroad guy and family man? My kids all grew up knowing every detail of that era, and crazy dad, and not ONE wants to ever go near a drug! Drugs? Ha! Vietnam and the VA have seen to it that I don't run out, might as well enjoy it. The only down side is my kids are constantly yelling for me to PLEASE TURN DOWN THE MUSIC...Hee Hee See! Bet y'all didn't think I'd post this...
From the movie "Taking Woodstock", quite good and about as real as it gets... Should be on video soon
OCKLAWAHA
stephendare
October 01, 2009, 11:18:12 PMHere is the actual link and story behind it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture)
Paradox
October 02, 2009, 12:14:22 AMBob, did any of the really beautiful upstairs vistas come out? Or the interior courtyard where the roof has collapsed?
Where did you find this guy's photos?
I posted them to my Flickr page and they contacted me about running them. I was already a member of this site and was happy to have them posted here. I took them all around 3am which is why they have the creepy feel to them. Here is the complete set of photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/48912544@N00/sets/72157622300292267/
deathstar
October 02, 2009, 01:11:46 AMQuestion.. with the overpass being as close to the school as it is now.. what happens (IF.. and I say IF.. *KNOCK ON WOOD*) a Semi rolls over on top of it?
Keith-N-Jax
October 02, 2009, 05:22:16 AMIt crashes.
Dog Walker
October 02, 2009, 08:18:02 AMIt needs mor ein repairs than the purchase cost. Any idea regarding potiental conditioned square footage?
42,000 sq. ft in the existing building. Probably 5-7 million to bring it up to code i.e. sprinklers, HVAC, windows, wiring, plumbing. Costs higher or lower depending on amount of remodeling needed to change the usage. There is room on the site for additional buildings as the lot actually runs all the way back to Rosselle Street.
Ocklawaha
October 02, 2009, 01:55:40 PMThe school being on the inside of the curve, the centrifugal force of a semi's motion would topple it on the left side, away from the school. Even in a collision of two trucks, a sudden jerk of the wheel, it would be the most unlikely accident in history.
OCKLAWAHA
Paradox
October 02, 2009, 07:02:40 PMYea it is on a turn as well as the school is not as close as it looks in some of my pictures. It is still several hundred feet from the road and nearly impossible to have a car or debris hit it.
deathstar
October 02, 2009, 11:09:19 PMThat's refreshing to hear. It's something I always though about once I started seeing pictures of how close it was.
DavidWilliams
October 02, 2009, 11:25:15 PMNo man! The railroad talk is both vocation and avocation forever. Though some people think it was the 4,367 acid trips I took with Tim Leary.
The other part is being a 60's early 70's Hippie, and still being honest and carefree. 90% of the folks my age went through the same thing, but somehow a giant vacuum came out of the mist and erased their minds. I know people from Police, to Executives, to Preachers, that rode that stoner bus. It was fun while it lasted and thank God I survived, but hey, it's part of me, and I'm not going to hide it in some self righteous play. In the old MET JAX site I once posted a OLD HIPPIE thread, and we had a lot of fun with it. Lot's of people knew all the answers to my 30+ question Hippie Quiz, but none had ever tried drugs or broken a single law. These hypocrites always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case they see a snake, which they also keep handy. Their motto: "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." So to all inquiring minds, if we meet someday, bring me a bottle of SOCO (that's really as good as it gets today) and I'll weave some wild tales.
So how did I become a railroad guy and family man? My kids all grew up knowing every detail of that era, and crazy dad, and not ONE wants to ever go near a drug! Drugs? Ha! Vietnam and the VA have seen to it that I don't run out, might as well enjoy it. The only down side is my kids are constantly yelling for me to PLEASE TURN DOWN THE MUSIC...Hee Hee See! Bet y'all didn't think I'd post this...
From the movie "Taking Woodstock", quite good and about as real as it gets... Should be on video soon
OCKLAWAHA
Ock, you kill me man....In a good way that is. More hippie stories please!
Side note...did some research on the old Baldwin trains (talked to some real old-timers) once I get the info in some order I will post. The thing that fascinated me the most is that I had relatives that worked at a place called the "Grab". It was a restaurant/flop house (for lack of a better word). It catered to transient railroaders in the 30's 40-s. Pretty cool.
shanshan1218
October 05, 2009, 03:11:09 PMannie lytle is my favorite piece of urban decay that Jax has to offer...
bluesgrass
October 05, 2009, 10:03:01 PMstephendare.... If you know the owners and I can arrange a film crew do you think they would allow a music video shoot...... as long as we were respectful of the building and its condition? And as a side note to any of you out there interested you should also google this "urban readymades" their link is, http://www.goeroes.nl/dev/urm.nsf/frmPress?Open This location is a perfect example of what "URM" is looking for.
stephendare
October 05, 2009, 10:21:02 PMlol. a film crew and video?
dude. theres not a chance in hell that they will go for that.
David
October 05, 2009, 10:59:20 PMjust sneak in at night like everyone else does!
Bewler
October 06, 2009, 12:23:08 PMdude. theres not a chance in hell that they will go for that.
Why not? Lots of important clients gonna be staying there for awhile?
This sounds like a awesome idea. I guess this is why film makers moved to Hollywood.
stephendare
October 06, 2009, 12:27:42 PMlol. Well Doug is a conservative Republican Attorney.
All that rhymes with Summary Judgement For the Plaintiff, if anything goes wrong.
Plus you would actually have a video record of the whole thing.
Hes a very very nice man, but the liabilities associated with a dangerous and condemned building and musical group members, producers, directors, lighting guys, and video production crews running amok unsupervised are formidable.
Might as well ask him to dress up like Glen Beck and run around on the white house lawn with a submachine gun.
Bewler
October 06, 2009, 01:13:06 PMYou think he would ever allow the Ghost Hunter guys to do an episode there?
Ernest Street
October 11, 2009, 11:09:12 PMThe Owner/ Attorney Doug Milne has let the school crumble so far into neglect that he WILL NOT be responsible for any injuries or anybody trampling around.
No Chance to any Videos unless you drop major coin on him. And JSO is still busting people even if the fence is open....
deathstar
October 14, 2009, 01:41:40 AMThe thought of the auditorium in School Four becoming a venue spot got me thinking of a video I had seen in the 90's quite a lot. I'm sure most of you remember "Unsung" by Helmet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHt2qjGhcA0
Not a venue, but interesting to see a band use what looks like an old stage from either a venue or an auditorium of sorts for a performance based video. Imagine what School Four could become if the right individual(s) had a fire lit up their ass and threw hundreds of thousands of dollars into getting it out and rebuilding from the inside out. It could become the next generation's Milk Bar, catering to the underground, alternative, etc.. genres of music. The place would be a hit with the young crowd, I know I'd go.
Timkin
November 13, 2009, 09:01:39 PMAccording to Doug.... Plans to develop PS #4 and adding a new building , non-attached at the back of the school to create a 133 unit development for Apartments for 55 and up is SUPPOSED to be in place. With all due respect, I'm not holding my breath for that to become reality. I personally think if it were a viable plan to make that building into Apartments for whatever use, it would long ago have taken place. A destination spot makes much more sense .. Mixed use , a variety of small businesses, including a music venue in the Auditorium area. I look at it this way: YES the building is in horrid condition as it stands right now.. but the building itself, Thick brick walls and Concrete , in construction make the skeleton of the building still... nearly a century later VERY savable. If it had been maintained, it would still have to have costly and extensive remedial work to bring it to modern code.. But one could NOT demolish it and replace it with something of similar construction (the 20 inch thick brick walls and concrete) and accomplish that from a NEW BUILD standpoint for less money than it would take to renovate that building. I remain hopeful, though i am physically no longer able to do the maintenance work I once did gladly there, that it will somehow , some way be spared. I like Mr Milne, personally... but I do wish he and the proposed developers would think outside the box of residential.. It just simply IS NOT a fit in that location.
Timkin
November 13, 2009, 09:04:40 PMI also happen to know that a Florida Band approached Mr Milne about a year ago , wanting to use the property to do a video. He denied that request, and I do not blame him. Anyone who has recently been in the building would know quickly that it is just far too dangerous to do any such activity. I long for the day when its renovation becomes a reality.
deathstar
November 16, 2009, 01:41:46 AMHonestly, the work you've done in the past seems to be the most love anyone has given it since it's closing. I brought up the topic of School Four in the break room awhile back, and said that this guy Doug Milne is just letting the school sit and rot, and a fellow associate, an older elderly lady, said you shouldn't judge until you walk in his shoes.. and that she knows him. I said, I'm not judging, I'm just sitting back hoping and praying that he doesn't let get it demolished. Can you imagine the backlash he'd receive if he let it crumble? I'd HATE to be in his shoes.
I understand him turning away a band wanting to shoot a video there, but good lord, imagine if the place WAS a full, solid, up to code and safe, soundproof, air-conditioned wall to wall building, and a band DID shoot a music video there. Imagine if that music video made it to MTV during it's renovation, and was consistently shown on MTV morning, noon, and night..
Oh wait.. it's already happened.. with a school across the river.. and yours truly is in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK6V6kxq-UQ
While shooting the video at the school in 1 long 10 hour day, you could see renovations going on. 6 months later, it opened as Condos.
sandyshoes
November 16, 2009, 09:05:15 AMtimkin, bless you for taking care of that Grande Dame of a building - how lucky you were to have seen it back in the day we can only envy. So was there any truth to the legend that a boiler exploded long ago? The way they have it painted would sure scare the bejeezus out of me, were I to happen upon it with a flashlight. Tell us more?
Dog Walker
November 16, 2009, 11:41:32 AMNo boiler explosion, no homicidal janitor, no ghosts. However, the school is haunted...by vandals, homeless, and stupid thrill seekers who are going to get themselves hurt or if they are lucky, arrested.
There is another, benign, reason for the haunting rumors. For a while there was a barn owl in residence which explains some of the strange noises that have been reported as they hiss, whistle and click their beaks. The owl's presence also explains why there are no rats or squirrels in the building (other than their human varieties, of course!).
Timkin
November 16, 2009, 09:21:12 PMSandy..... Thank you.... Actually it was my late Mother who attended the School. I certainly recall a time when it still had windows and doors ...but even then it was vacant.
I am about ready to gather as many adult volunteers as I can possibly muster, as I CANNOT do this by myself anymore. If we could get 10-15 people down there on a Saturday we could accomplish much towards tidying it up. The "Lawn Mowing" that it is getting these days are at best, CRAPPY... When I mowed it, The building looked cared for...at least the lawn. My health took a turn early this year and while I am doing WAYYYYYYY better, again I cannot do the work I once did. My buddy Victor has a replacement Flag. DW .. if I can use your extension ladder , we will hang a new flag.. I ll bring mowers , chainsaws , trashbags , etc.. But I will need help. Milne is getting me a gate key again so I will have access. Just improving the outward appearance makes it much easier to see if someone is on the property at night.. removal of the vines , etc will help..
Anyone interested.. Please post here with email contact info...I will get in touch with you.. and THANK YOU IN ADVANCE for helping me on this
Paradox
November 17, 2009, 02:15:06 AMIf you read the article I wrote about this along with the pictures it talks about those urban legends and that only a rape and trespassing/B&E/vandals have been in police reports... ever
sandyshoes
November 17, 2009, 09:19:58 AM"only a rape"
Ernest Street
November 17, 2009, 09:30:57 AMThe version I heard was the rape didnt occur in the School. There used to be a covered walkway over to the park...and it occured there. Both victim and perp were Homeless.
Maybe Dog walker remembers the structure?
ac
November 17, 2009, 09:39:44 AMSportmotor
November 17, 2009, 10:17:02 AMAtleast its not murder
Dog Walker
November 17, 2009, 11:00:45 AMMaybe Dog walker remembers the structure?
Geez, Ernest! Even I'm not that old! The connection to the park was cut off when the original Fullar Warren Bridge was built in the early '50's. Wait! I AM that old! Horrors! However, we were living in Atlantic Beach at the time so I don't remember any covered walkway.
There was a bandstand and tennis courts that were taken out by the approach to the bridge, however. Oddly enough, the latest rebuild of the Fuller Warren Bridge (originally the Gilmore Street Bridge) has elevated the approaches to the bridge so that it is now possible to reconnect the school to the park under the expressway.
It is my understanding that Mr. Milne did receive an easement from FDOT under the expressway to the park that he can use when the construction of the I-10/I-95 interchange is complete. FDOT is using the space under there for storage and staging of construction equipment and materials. I can just imagine a landscaped walkway and bike path from the front of the school into the park which then connects to 5 Points and the rest of Riverside. Nice!
Paradox
Yesterday at 08:46:56 AMI didn't mean it to make rape sound like a small deal and yes it was with two homeless people that had been squatting in the building and I can't recall but I think it happened inside the building. Rumors tell of a boiler explosion killing students, suicidal teachers, killer janitors, ghosts, and murderers which never happened but are the first things you hear about but police reports and news articles don't confirm any of that so it is just kids making up stories about a spooky building. I was actually surprised to find the small amount of things happened inside it considering how open it is.