Love Comes to Spfld's Dancy Terrace

[sheclown]

Work began this week.

And now we're ready for paint!

[sheclown]

Heat index of 109 today didn't stop us from getting this bungalow ready for paint. 



Volunteers scraped and prepped.



Next step!  Blue paint. Black windows.  Faux sashes!

[Timkin]

Nice!!

[Elwood]

Another gem that many, including myself, probably didn't know existed. Great work.

[Debbie Thompson]

http://learnyeats.com/DancyT/index.htm
Read more here.  We are trying desperately against huge odds to save this amazing historic treasure. We think it's one of the oldest, largest remaining cottage courts in the US. 

[sheclown]

In 1911, 24 small-scale look-alike bungalows were built on a section of land midway between Main Street and Hubbard Street in Springfield, the oldest residential neighborhood in Jacksonville Florida. Arranged in two rows of 12 houses each running south to north between 9th and 10th Streets, the little vernacular frame houses faced each other across a sidewalk-way (instead of a street), with small lawns on either side.

Architecturally such a complex was known as a Bungalow Court and this particular bungalow court was known as Dancy Terrace (sometimes called Redell Street). DancyT and "the T" are my short-terms for Dancy Terrace, which is important to me personally because (1) it was home to my Mother (Joan (Jo-Ann) Thomas) and her Thomas family during the 1920s and 1930s, and (2) DancyT was the setting of many of the Jack and Judy stories my Mother told us (my brothers and me) as we grew up in Murray Hill.


Bungalow Courts

Bungalow Courts are an interesting phenomena in the history of North America architecture. Somewhat of a merge between apartment buildings (none too private and frequently "no children") and the single family bungalow (out of the question due to high cost and maintenance for many people), they represented an innovative approach to changing urban housing requirements of the first few decades of the 20th century.

Whether originally housing workers in the film industry in California, the shipbuilders and harbor workers of Seattle or the railway workers, tradesmen, small business owners and professionals in Jacksonville, Bungalow Courts were intended for residents who wanted more independent lifestyle yet within a protected more focussed environment, with some yard or garden. Architectural styles varied from region to region, court to court as did the arrangement of the houses within the court itself. DancyT, was laid out in the "parallel bar formation", an early arrangement preceding that of the U-shaped courts of the later 19-teens and 20s.

Today, all over North America, bungalow courts are being landmarked and preserved. DancyT, now known to be one of the earliest bungalow courts in North America as well as one of the largest, has now been added to that list. Following many years of neglect, abuse and the more recent attempt on the part of one owner to have the entire court demolished, DancyT is now being renovated by the new owners who are working according to Preservation Guidelines to produce an up-scale high quality gated community. The new name will be Dancey Terrace II

http://learnyeats.com/DancyT/index.htm

Although the up-scale high quality gated community didn't work out, the bungalows are still there and waiting for their next reincarnation. 

[hooplady]

Hey sheclown,
Look at the layout of the Thomas house as diagrammed at learnyeats.com...looks almost exactly like a mirror image of #1946.  As we walked through the house yesterday we were trying to figure out if it was really three bedrooms originally.  Could it be that the third bedroom in the back was originally the kitchen?

Also, is this one of the blocks where the numbers decreased by 200 at some point?  The Thomas house is stated to be #2117, does that mean it is actually today's #1917?

[Timkin]

In 1911, 24 small-scale look-alike bungalows were built on a section of land midway between Main Street and Hubbard Street in Springfield, the oldest residential neighborhood in Jacksonville Florida. Arranged in two rows of 12 houses each running south to north between 9th and 10th Streets, the little vernacular frame houses faced each other across a sidewalk-way (instead of a street), with small lawns on either side.

Architecturally such a complex was known as a Bungalow Court and this particular bungalow court was known as Dancy Terrace (sometimes called Redell Street). DancyT and "the T" are my short-terms for Dancy Terrace, which is important to me personally because (1) it was home to my Mother (Joan (Jo-Ann) Thomas) and her Thomas family during the 1920s and 1930s, and (2) DancyT was the setting of many of the Jack and Judy stories my Mother told us (my brothers and me) as we grew up in Murray Hill.


Bungalow Courts

Bungalow Courts are an interesting phenomena in the history of North America architecture. Somewhat of a merge between apartment buildings (none too private and frequently "no children") and the single family bungalow (out of the question due to high cost and maintenance for many people), they represented an innovative approach to changing urban housing requirements of the first few decades of the 20th century.

Whether originally housing workers in the film industry in California, the shipbuilders and harbor workers of Seattle or the railway workers, tradesmen, small business owners and professionals in Jacksonville, Bungalow Courts were intended for residents who wanted more independent lifestyle yet within a protected more focussed environment, with some yard or garden. Architectural styles varied from region to region, court to court as did the arrangement of the houses within the court itself. DancyT, was laid out in the "parallel bar formation", an early arrangement preceding that of the U-shaped courts of the later 19-teens and 20s.

Today, all over North America, bungalow courts are being landmarked and preserved. DancyT, now known to be one of the earliest bungalow courts in North America as well as one of the largest, has now been added to that list. Following many years of neglect, abuse and the more recent attempt on the part of one owner to have the entire court demolished, DancyT is now being renovated by the new owners who are working according to Preservation Guidelines to produce an up-scale high quality gated community. The new name will be Dancey Terrace II

http://learnyeats.com/DancyT/index.htm

Although the up-scale high quality gated community didn't work out, the bungalows are still there and waiting for their next reincarnation. 

 What is the situation with this place?

I know SOS rescued one... the above one , I presume which is about to be painted. 

Who owns the rest of them?   Given their age, I would imagine these are well-built structures. 

What is the asking price for one in as-is condition?

[movedsouth]

Sadly, after the last owner went under, the bungalows got split up as a result of the foreclosure. There are now about 6 or so different owners, with two of them holding larger pieces and the rest owning one or two. I don't think anyone of them is actively marketed right now, so it is hard to guess how much they would sell for. But in their current condition, I would think maybe $1,000.

One thing some of the current owners may not realize is the fact that the path in the middle is private. The only public access to the "landlocked" bungalows is via the alley in the back. These bungalows only make sense together.

I hope the current owners will sell at a reasonable price or work on making these inhabitable, maybe finding a legal structure to combine these bungalows again.

[iloveionia]

I will be submitting 8 more COAs for mothballing this week to HPC for 8 of Dancy Terrace's bungalows.
Grin.

[sheclown]

I will be submitting 8 more COAs for mothballing this week to HPC for 8 of Dancy Terrace's bungalows.
Grin.

Nicole has spent an enormous amount of time tracking down and contacting owners, talking by phone and email, explaining, begging, deal-making, friend-making, and mostly helping not hindering.



All in a effort to save the houses.

[sheclown]

We're getting there!

[Timkin]

Go, SOS !!!!

[sheclown]

Hey sheclown,
Look at the layout of the Thomas house as diagrammed at learnyeats.com...looks almost exactly like a mirror image of #1946.  As we walked through the house yesterday we were trying to figure out if it was really three bedrooms originally.  Could it be that the third bedroom in the back was originally the kitchen?

Also, is this one of the blocks where the numbers decreased by 200 at some point?  The Thomas house is stated to be #2117, does that mean it is actually today's #1917?

I think you are right hoop lady.

Well, now we know.

[Timkin]

Your efforts are just incredible , folks <3