Historic Bostwick Building Demolition Meeting Tonight

[Debbie Thompson]

It is to be hoped.  Although I am THRILLED with this outcome, my fear is that the reason the Council is so gung ho on this building is its location right at the foot of the Main Street bridge on Bay Street.  If it were tucked away in the middle of the CBD, I wonder if they would be so proactive.

That said, I'd so very much love to be wrong, and hope the Council has finally awakened to the fact we need to preserve history in Jacksonville.  It's about time.

[joshuataylor]

Man, this is better than football. And that's as much a comment on the quality and color of the reporting here as on the outcome. Thanks, Stephen and Joshua. A victory for team preservation. Heck, a victory for Jax.

Second that!

Yes, yes, yes - great news, thanks to all involved. Thanks for the great posts last night, I read them all with anticipation. It looks like Jax is looking forward, and beginning to appreciate its treasures. A plan is definitely coming together.

There's nothing more satisfying than filing a report when you know the outcome sides on behalf of the community and the greater good, and not the greed and laziness of absentee landlords. Maybe Jacksonville can have nice things...

[thelakelander]

It is to be hoped.  Although I am THRILLED with this outcome, my fear is that the reason the Council is so gung ho on this building is its location right at the foot of the Main Street bridge on Bay Street.  If it were tucked away in the middle of the CBD, I wonder if they would be so proactive.

If it were in a less profile location it would have been torn down years ago.  Buildings like this have been coming down in neighborhoods like Durkeeville, Phoenix, Eastside, etc. for years.  Zora Neale Hurston's family's Eastside flower shop was taken out by code enforcement a few months ago.  Not a peep was heard across this city and I'd argue it was just as historically significant as the Bostwick.  Nevertheless, whatever the case, I'm happy with the Bostwick outcome so far.

[strider]

The flower shop did not disappear without a peep.  There will be consequences for using NSP funds to demolish it.

[coredumped]

I didn't see this posted anywhere but it looks like the city foreclosed on it last month:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla – The Bostwick Building will soon be up for sale after a judge ruled in favor of the city in a foreclosure lawsuit.

The owners of the building owe more than $70,000 in fines due to code violations, according to Chris Hand, chief of staff for Mayor Alvin Brown.

The minimum price at the still-to-be-scheduled sale would be the fines plus any attorneys' fees.

"It built up over a number of years, steps they hadn't taken to keep the building well-maintained and in good condition," Hand told Action News.

The owners had wanted to tear the building down, claiming it was beyond repair. But city officials oppose that plan.

"Because the market says otherwise," Hand said. "Prior to this court case, there was more than one private owner who wanted to come in and redevelop the Bostwick Building."

One of those developers told our news partners at the Jacksonville Business Journal he's still interested in putting an upscale restaurant and rooftop bar in the building.

The Bostwick family still owns the building until the outcome of that foreclosure sale. If no one bids on the building, the city will take over the title.

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/City-wins-foreclosure-lawsuit-over-Bostwick/zzpjl9dWLk2QcDtLc4TZ7A.cspx?rss=3568

[AuditoreEnterprise]

It's not a topic here, but I commented on a post regarding that. I just don't recall the thread name. I am glad the building will potentially get a new owner let's see what happens to it. I tried contacting the Bostwick's for let's see about 2 months straight about 6 months ago to bring the building up to code, but they never contacted me back so I honestly am glad they lost it.