I remember after the last big fire people were saying that most of the original structure was destroyed. Is that accurate? Looking at some photos from 2009 I can see some obvious deterioration in the auditorium.
Lets just say, do not believe everything you hear
The initial report as published in the TU stated , from JFRD that 90% of the structure was destroyed.. We are talking about a structure made of Poured Concrete , steel and minimum 18 inch thick brick walls...Destroyed from a fire , where arsonists , putting some type of fuel ( I presume) , and igniting the wooden rafters of the remaining 1/3 of the Auditorium roof which was still in place. Some how, even though this was an isolated fire 35 feet in the air, which was extinguished fairly quickly , "the structure was 90% destroyed".
Well... That was not even close to accurate.
For years , myself and volunteers have worked on the grounds of The Annie Lytle School. and in that time the changes we have made to the grounds , and the interior of the building , speak for themselves.
I would like to thank the Photographer who did this piece for these great pictures. They just did myself and my crew a great favor, and that was to show , in pictures, where this building stood , condition-wise , shortly following the fire. The debris shown in some of these pictures , is gone.
With regard to "Preserving the structure", we are also doing our level best , in that regard.
On the main building , even though the base roof is poured concrete, and intact, there is a build-up roof , made of wood . Most of it has a metal covering , and even though nearly a century old, most of the metal covering is intact, preserving the build-up structure.
Above the FRONT of the School , sometime since an initial fire, set at the front entrance to the building, a newer build-up roof was done, covered with rolled roofing. Rolled roofing , not holding up as long as metal does, deteriorates. We have repaired it as best we could without materials , but at some point will install a fresh rolled roofing to it.
The Auditorium , except for the portion over the stage, is completely void of a roof. Because it is also constructed of Poured concrete and brick, it remains intact.
We will, at some point, dismantle the remaining portion of the roof over the stage , as it is failing anyway.
For now, we continue every weekend to remove debris from the building. A monumental task , would be an understatement.
To answer the question of the stability of this structure...In short. It isn't in danger of collapse in any way, without some profound assistance. .. meaning demolition.
The point of our effort has been and will always be, to help save this landmark from the fate so many buildings in Jacksonville have faced, because they are, supposedly, "Structurally Unsound" or "Non-adaptable to another use". Both reasons would be about the farthest thing from the truth in this instance.
I would invite the photographer to tour the School again at some point. I think they ( and you) will be surprised at what a group of dedicated , hard-working people have accomplished.
I am certainly proud of my crew and our endeavor to save Public School Number Four.
