Jacksonville's Most Endangered Historic Buildings

[Metro Jacksonville]

Jacksonville's Most Endangered Historic Buildings



Recently, the Jacksonville Historic Society released a list of twelve significant endangered historical structures.  Let's take a look at them and suggest a few more.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/463

[JJ]

Aside from it's history, there is nothing special about the Seminole Club building.

[thelakelander]

The same goes for Mount Vernon (Alexandria, VA) and the Lorraine Motel (Memphis, TN).  However,  there is one significant fact that separates it from the other endangered buildings shown here.  It's owned by Chris Hionides.  That means it has a snowball's chance in hell of seeing anything positive happen with it soon.


Lorraine Motel

[Eric B]

Stop fooling yourself and be realistic. Ask 100 people in Jacksonville what the Seminole Club is and 100 will tell you "I duh know". It does not carry the historical signifigance of the two buildings you mentioned.

[Eric B]

That Florida Baptist Convention Building is hideous looking.

[thelakelander]

No one claimed it has the same historical signifigance as those buildings.  However, it is one of downtown's most endangered historic buildings and it's history is unique locally.

Aside from it's history, there is nothing special about the Seminole Club building.

Again, aside from their history, there's nothing architecturally unique about neither Mount Vernon or the Lorraine Motel.  For example, you'll find several Lorraine Motel styled buildings on Philips Hwy.  I'd also wager that if you asked most Jacksonvillians about them and the Seminole Club, the answer towards each would be exactly the same...."I duh know".

[Piranesi]

#16 wasn't historic either.  since peyton was born before that church was built, right Ennis?   You and your crew are just choosing to think that because you have some grudge.  You don't have enough information about the subject to keep riding them like you have been.  Anyway it's too late because the church is coming down right now.  and also,  I'd be careful if I were you with the slander, being a graduate architect and all...btw..what does that mean?   That you are trained to stay up til 3:30am writing blogs about other architects?  Come on.  You really need a girlfriend or something to better occupy your time.  Ciao...

[Steve]

Are you the K, B or J in KBJ?

[RG]

Written by Eric B, Friday, June 08, 2007 at 12:25:51 AM

That Florida Baptist Convention Building is hideous looking.

The FL Baptist Bldg is IMO a fairly significant structure which was designed by Klutho, I believe.  I like the brick facade and I think it has great potential for adaptive reuse.  It would be nice as either offices or apartments in my view.  I suppose you think the old Haydon Burns Library is good looking too.   :'(

[I-10east]

^^^Right on. As far as FL Bapt Bldg being hideous (Eric quote), black boarded-up windows, and a dirty facade will do that to a building. Like RG said, I think that it has great potential.

[jerry Cornwell]

built immediately after the fire, 324 is a amazingly intact livery stable, aquired by tax arrears by the city in 1994. after the aquiestion(sic) the city dissappeared and its roof nearly collapsed. convenient locale for vagrants. city insisted its value of over $300,000, but the building needs 400 gs in renovation just to make code.

[Richard Bowers]

The Ambassador Hotel has a plaque showing campaign headquarters for the Claude Pepper-George Smathers Senate race in the early 50's.

If there is a use or reuse for old buildings, every attempt should be made to save them with facades intact. However, sometimes the economic life of a building has come to an end. For example, removing asbestos may be too costly etc.
In that case, the Historical society and the library should make an effort to photo document the building before it is demolished. The state archives has one of the Seminole busts from the Seminolle hotel , for example. Sometimes, you just have to move on. If you got to York England, and to the York Minster, you find, inside a current Church of England, below that the remains of a Saxon church, below that the remains of Viking occupation, and below that, the remains of Roman occupation.
It is nice to save buildings if you can, if it makes economic sense. For example, the downtown Morroco temple, the Elks club, and Snyder Church(which has the potential to make economic sense). If not, make a record, and let the city move on.

[cinch2win]

Somehow, the Rhodes building was missing from the discussion. Perhaps because it was torn down to make way for the new Library complex, so that land is being used once again for all  of the right reasons. If the Seminole Club just sits and deteriorates, someone will knock it down and do something more with the location and the parking lot next to it. There is no reason to keep a building, just to keep it for historical sake, use it for a public or private purpose. Empty buildings should either be torn down or reused, Laura Trio, BBI building, Haverty's buildings all come to mind.

[thelakelander]

While, it looks like I landed a right hook to Pirenesi's jaw.

While if it makes him/her feel any better, I meant what I said and I'll gladly say it again...

What KBJ has done is an injustice to the city and reeks of short sightedness.

Anyway, over the past week, I've been in Charlotte, Charleston, WV, Columbus, OH, Detroit and Toronto.  Its been amazing to see how these places have dealt with many of the same topics we're discussing right here.  I'm loaded with photos, so the upcoming weeks should create a lot of debate and dialouge about the direction of our city, in regards to urbanism.

[jerry Cornwell]

residential growth is bad in the minds of those who control downtown development; residents will only complain for services needed to sustain urban living. the parking lots are a economic disaster w/o the public projects mainly county couryhouse (still projected) and other commerical office space where both workers and customers vacate after 500pm, m-f--- the loss of 1st christ church to public parking---eviction of boomtown nightclub,ect  this should put notice to all that those in power not the least of which is jedc, are not making these choices by stupidity, but to maintain personal corporate profit. which will be impaired by residental growth downtown,  Believe it!