75-year-old showroom joins Brooklyn renaissance

[thelakelander]

Nice. At least one old building on Park Street will be upgraded to be a part of Brooklyn's renaissance!

By Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

Chris Ware strides swiftly around the Brooklyn showroom and warehouse, conferring with the construction foreman about the heart pine tongue-and-groove ceiling, the brick walls and the glass-block above the large display windows.
Those are just a few of the many details in renovating the 75-year-old building.

"There's a lot of family history involved in the property," said Ware, whose late father previously owned the vintage 1940 building at 500 Park St. that first housed an A&P grocery store and then a tire company. The elder Ware moved a Johnstone Supply city sales branch to the site in the 1990s.

Ware bought Johnstone Supply from his father in 2004 and acquired the 500 and 522 Park St. properties, on 1.49 acres, from the family trust this year.

He had promised his father, who died two years ago at the age of 88, he would keep the refrigeration, heating and air conditioning supply business on the block. It's a convenient location, just off Interstate 95, for contractors around Northeast Florida.

That promise is one of the primary reasons Ware is investing at least $2 million into renovating the structure, which more recently was a tire showroom, warehouse and offices.

Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=545648

[acme54321]

I expect we'll see a lot more of this in that area in the years to come.

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

They are just renovating the tire showroom? That won't do much for activity on Park. I guess it's good they aren't allowing the building to fall apart but this is free press for really no reason. 

[thelakelander]

They are renovating the space into a showroom for their business. It's a good use for the space. It's also a good thing for the neighborhood to be able to retain some of its long time businesses. This is the type of thing that builds character in older communities.

[Dog Walker]

One less vacant building on that stretch of Park is a good thing no matter what the use is.  It's great to see activity there after seeing vacant storefronts for so long.

There is a neat, new skateboard supply store that has opened along there as well.

Somebody needs to re-open 616 Park St. too.

[mtraininjax]

I expect we'll see a lot more of this in that area in the years to come.

This is not news, this area is close enough to Riverside/Brooklyn to get business. Look at the Jimmy Johns down the street, the credit union at the corner of Park and Rosselle, tire store there, LDI not far as well. Not as hot as 5-points, but not dead either. The old McDonalds at Park and Rosselle could use some love.

The area Northeast of Forest/Park, that is the real challenge, where the dead Dept of Children and Families building sits, along with the old Trophy store and only the washing facility for uniforms and the meth clinic at the corner of Forest and Park, that is the stretch to La villa that needs the most love and TLC. And Brinton's will sell you all the paint you need for the makeover, as they are on this stretch of Park.

Hoping the new apartments spurn the renaissance along Park Street, but not holding my breath either.

[CCMjax]

Love this building!  So simple yet has a lot of character.  Nice space on the inside as well.  Keep the momentum going Brooklyn, would love to see that extend into LaVilla.  These are two areas that everyone can see when passing through Jax on I-95.  If those areas are spruced up it may get non-locals passing through to actually notice Jacksonville.