Metro Jacksonville

Recently donated to PSOS:

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/Alannahshouse.jpg)

This house, after being wonderfully renovated, suffered a fire last fall.  What a heartache for the owners and for the neighborhood.

And what a beauty this house was, and will be again, thanks to the generous donation by Alannah and her family.  Not only did they donate the house, but gave us the money to mothball it.

This one will be a challenge to mothball, but we have a stellar architect on our side, along with volunteers, Joe's planning and Nicole's organizing.

This will happen.  This house will be saved.

Nicole has the plywood prepped and ready to install here.

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/alannahsplywood.jpg)

Our plan is as follows:

!.) board windows and doors on the first floor

2.) clean out the interior

3.) meet and contract with architect to develop a plan for stabilization

4.) complete stabilization work

5.) complete remaining mothball work

6.) get our mothball COA.

We are requesting six months instead of the usual three months to mothball this house given the extent of the damage.  Our target completion date is by the end of the year.

Armed with architectural drawings, Joe pulled the temporary bracing permit.  This type of repair is meant to stabilize a structure.  And this is exactly what Sam, Ken and Joe are doing.

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/shoringupwalnutcourt1_zps413dd7ba.jpg)

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/shoringupWalnutcourt2_zps9d77d3f7.jpg)

Once the structure is safe and sound, we will begin the actual mothball process.

Wish PSOS luck!!!  (and by the way, the house will be looking for a family to adopt).

And after our mothball process is complete we look to place our fostered and well-protected home into the hands of a forever family. 
Another housed saved (and second time) for the hood.
Hoo Rah.

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/plywoodonalannahs_zps5712fd64.jpg)

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/tarpaper_zps2f240753.jpg)

Still work to do, but it is dry now when it rains.

This house will end up costing about 1/2 the price to mothball it as it would to demolish it.

And now we have saved an important piece of Springfield's historic fabric.

And this house needed serious bracing.

However, if PSOS can save this house, (with much help from the former owners, thank you) there is no reason why the doctor cannot save 1325 Laura Street, IMHO.

Or any house for that matter.

Save the houses.  Even the tough ones.

Mothballing.
Smile.
It almost feels "criminal" in Jax to actually do the right thing.
Do something that actually makes sense. 
A simple practice, backed by love.
Yup.
Save the houses.
Every last one of them. 

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/walnutcourt--after_zpsc5955c29.jpg)

Ready for the next phase.

(http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab165/sheclown/JoeampJoelinspectwalnutcourt_zps328e1904.jpg)

Joe met Joel McEachin and Autumn Martinage at Walnut Court today to do the pre-mothball inspection. 

Hooray!  It is always good to see restorations being accomplished!  Even though this is a reno on a reno, more or less.
Question:  I noticed the heart sign/this place matters.  I have ben noticing many houss in Springfield which have been tagged with a heart.  Is this also some part of a movement or just more mindless graffiti?

Quote from: BIG CHEESE 723 on January 11, 2013, 10:09:33 AM
Question:  I noticed the heart sign/this place matters.  I have ben noticing many houss in Springfield which have been tagged with a heart.  Is this also some part of a movement or just more mindless graffiti?

Giggle. 

You made me smile. 

With great love and viligance we have been doing our best to stand guard and protect our most at-risk homes.  Even houses we don't own.  These houses are plastered with love and down one path or another are being watched and protected from demolition.  You can apply the Broken Window Theory to some of the homes with hearts (the more graffiti style hearts.) This triage protection keeps vandals out of the homes which not only keeps the house safe and in its original state, but also next door neighbors to the vacant home are kept safe. 

Some folks display hearts on their home as a sign of "This Place Matters" and their support of preservation in Springfield. We gave out quite a few at one point.  Need a heart?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/million-hoodie-march-vesta-asteroid-amelia-earhart-evidence-and-more-in-the-day-in-photos/2012/03/22/gIQAMq8lTS_gallery.html#photo=17 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/million-hoodie-march-vesta-asteroid-amelia-earhart-evidence-and-more-in-the-day-in-photos/2012/03/22/gIQAMq8lTS_gallery.html#photo=17)

 :)  I am so glad to know this.  From now on when i see the hearts I will have a big smile in my heart.  I will now realize there is no harm, but only good intended.  You make me proud!

Thanks for the link!  I am so proud of your efforts.

One idea behind the hearts was a hope that we'd get our plywood back when it is no longer needed on the house This has happened on several occasions. 

The other is this.  Those in the neighborhood who may be tempted to break into a house understand that PSOS is watching this house and cares about it.  We have gained a certain amount of street respect for our projects around, not the least of which, our Make It Happen projects.  These hearts say "stay away" and to my knowledge, no one has broken into a house with hearts on it, with the exception of the castle house.

thank you big cheese for the kind words.  See you this summer for our 2013 "Make It Happen" ?  Can you toss in some blood, sweat and tears with us?  We'd love to have you join us.

This is so encouraging.  I kept seeing the hearts, first on the castle, and I think, School #4.  Then I started seing them around Sprinfield.  As I have already mentioned, I was dismayed.  But then I did notice the houses with hearts seemed to be more or less undamaged.  That led me to wonder if it was a good sign.  Now I know it is.  I would love to help out in a limited way.  Due to my age etc., I may be more of a hindrance than a help.  I can try, though. (Fmale, 66 years old, but with a passion for restoration.)

Female old farts rule! I'm not that far behind you in age Big Cheese, but we can still lift a paintbrush, rake and pull weeds.  Plus call and write to City Council, attend meetings, hang one of our hearts on your house or fence, and be generally supportive to preservation efforts. Yes, ma'am we can. There's a lot you can do.

Debbie, you are so right.  There are a lot of things I can't do but I intend to fully support the cause  One thing I  am working on is to  educate my granddaughters on the importance of our old friends-the beautiful  things from our past.  I have an 11 year old grand who has the makings of an activist.  lol

For the record, the city of Jacksonville's building inspection department passed the temporary bracing work on the house today so the house is moving onto the next step, mothballing to preserve it for a new future owner.

Excellent work!

Quote from: strider on January 23, 2013, 05:51:21 PM
For the record, the city of Jacksonville's building inspection department passed the temporary bracing work on the house today so the house is moving onto the next step, mothballing to preserve it for a new future owner.

We all knew it would, you and Gloria are both excellent at what you do!

how have i missed all that you guys have been doïng?  clearly i spend too much time at work.

Improving your block: one house at a time!

Whatever it takes.  Just keep trying.

PSOS has found a new home for this house!!  Steve, builder and roofer, has adopted this house and entered into a committed relationship with it!!  He has three years to bring it to a certificate of occupancy, which he says will be more than enough time.  You may have recognized his blue truck running around the neighborhood.  "The Palace Company" has been working on old houses in and around Springfield for a long time.



We have more houses which are free to a good home.  Contact us and ask how.

http://www.preservationsos.org/

and just look at the progress Steve has made!

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/436WalnutCourt.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/436WalnutCourt.jpg.html)
Photo by Johannes Ullrich

Update:  Steve and his construction company "The Palace Company" are making this into his new home.  It looks lovely.

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/Walnutcourt2.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/Walnutcourt2.jpg.html)

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/Walnutcourt3.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/Walnutcourt3.jpg.html)

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/walnutcourt7.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/walnutcourt7.jpg.html)

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/Walnutcourt4.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/Walnutcourt4.jpg.html)

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/walnutcourt8.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/walnutcourt8.jpg.html)

This Place Matters.

One of the few rusticated block homes remaining in Spfld.
Great save!

I just want to say that while most of us lurkers and posters are expressing our opinions, desires and plans, you guys are on the battlefield, working, getting your hands dirty, doing actual stuff. I am extremely jealous; I have two investment duplexes on the Southside and although they're fun to work on, it pales in comparison to the great historic preservation you are doing every day.

Those houses in Springfield are unique, and years from now I have no doubt this will be a sought-after area where people will be on a waiting list, just happy to get the opportunity to own or rent.

Good work, a source of pride for Jax!

We just found out that this "great save" is a recipient of a 2016 City of Jacksonville preservation award!!! 

While I think it's great that this save is the recipient of the 2016 COJ preservation award, I find it a bit strange that the city on one hand does a great job (helping) to destroy old building fabric but on the other hand has a preservation award. Kinda like IS giving out a religious tolerance award.

You sort of have to understand the city and how it works, to get how and why this semi-organized schizophrenia exists. They're divided into what're basically little fiefdoms that are usually headed by lifelong/career employees. Each department is assigned its own attorneys/advisers by COJ's office of general counsel, and they're mostly advised as though they were an independent entity. The work is billed out as though they're an independent entity. They operate mostly autonomously. The mayor and the council have some control, because they have control over the funding, obviously. But with the neighborhoods department, it's a little more complicated. They're more autonomous than most, because they applied for, received, and have continued to renew, a slew of federal grants under the federal NSP and CDBG programs that have paid for most of their activities.

In COJ-speak, this is a successfully run department, even though in reality it's a train-wreck. That's because, in the city's collective consciousness, they aren't sucking up a bunch of money, and what money they do suck up, they've figured out a neat way to get somebody else to pay for it. And for the administration and the council, this is the most relevant criteria for coming under any sort of scrutiny.

So what you have is one part of the city (neighborhoods) that views itself as at war with PSOS, for whatever reason. All we're trying to do is save historic architecture, but they really despise us for it, you'd think we kidnapped their baby or something. Then you have other segments of the city that say, "hey, good job!". We've had councilmembers try and help us in the past to get legislation through, etc., but at the end of the day the rest of the council didn't show much interest because that department runs a tight budget, courtesy of passing the buck to the feds.

The feds, who you'd have thought would be at least somewhat interested in 9 figures of their money being misspent, showed some initial interest, and made the city pay back +/-$1mm after we complained, but then promptly called it a day, forgot about it, and moved on to something else.

This is the background against which we work. Unfortunately for us, the way the city runs, we make little or no sense to the parts of it that matter, mainly because we're advocating for a position other than whatever's the cheapest option at the moment.

And speaking of the Neighborhoods Dept.
http://jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547296

Thanks, that was enlightening and saddening at the same time.

If he really cared about neighborhoods, he would get fire Kim Scott, and get somebody for code enforcement that cares.  Does environmental cover improper demo practices?

He'll make $142,000 leading the department, a bump from the $115,000 he made with the courts.

Curry also announced other parts of the Neighborhoods restructuring Monday. They are:

• Kim Scott as operations director.

• Diana Seydlorsky as chief of housing and community development.

• Monica Cichowlas as customer service manager of 630-CITY.

• Bryan Mosier as chief of municipal code compliance.

• Melissa Long as chief of environmental quality.

• John Shellhorn as chief of mosquito control.

• James Crosby as Animal Care and Protective Services interim head.

(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/sheclown2/preservation%20award.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/sheclown2/media/preservation%20award.jpg.html)

2016 Preservation Award for the "Great Save"

Thank you HPC!

^^ Who are the recipients and what was their project?

Now that I have had my coffee, I realize their project is 436 Walnut Court.

:)

Preservation SOS
Pat and Alannah Daly (the original owners who donated to PSOS with seed money)
Steve Heykins, the owner who did the rehab.

Congratulations!!!   :)