My partner and I have always loved the building at 118 Main. Every time we walk by we talk about how it would be a really cool townhouse and fun to live in. We even talked about a rooftop patio. Then at art walk on Wednesday we saw it was taped off with a big orange "Condemned" sign and our hopes were crushed. Then today I see an article with a facelift of the building and townhouse infill next to it, and I had to chuckle.
So what now?
Well I don't know much about construction, but isn't it feasible to somehow preserve the facade and then rebuild the rest of the building? Rebuilding could actually make it taller and fill in the empty space to the left of it. Has this been done anywhere else in Jacksonville. Or is there a way to build an exact replica of the building?
As far as the rest of the article, just about every vacant building along Main Street could use a facelift. And there are endless opportunities for infill. I really think we should focus on the blocks between 1st and 8th because with clustering, this has the potential to become a neat little district of retail, residential and restaurants. Perhaps we should get the folks at Content Design Group to join a meeting of some of the property/business owners and residents of Springfield for a positive brainstorming session. Perhaps bring in some local contractors, who are bored right now, and get an idea of what some of these ideas might cost. This would not be a whine session, but a positive "What if?"
