Park View Inn construction?

[Lunican]

3 blazes damage downtown hotel after agency fails to heed warning

Sunday, June 17, 2001

By Steve Patterson and Paul Pinkham
Times-Union staff writers

Jacksonville's fire prevention agency didn't act on a state inspector's warning about fire hazards at a downtown hotel later damaged by three fires, records from a state hotel agency show.

The Park View Inn, a low-rent residential hotel at 901 N. Main St., was condemned in December because of fire damage and a slew of electrical and fire code hazards that made the building dangerous to live in.

But eight months earlier, an inspector from the state Division of Hotels and Restaurants tried to tell the Jacksonville Fire Prevention Division about some of the same dangers.

"He told me the place was a fire trap, and he felt like somebody was going to be burned up," said Charlie Conner, an acting fire prevention captain.

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061701/met_6457089.html

[Lunican]

Saturday, October 10, 1998

Downtown hotel becomes Days Inn

By Catherine Crownover
Times-Union business writer

The new operator of the Park View Inn plans to transform the downtown property into a Days Inn.

San Francisco businessman Ashok Kumar, who took over the lease for the Main Street hotel in May, has reached an agreement to operate the 236-room property as a Days Inn franchise.

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/101098/bus_1c11Days.html

[AlexS]

There is another thread with many great pictures.
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/344

[reednavy]

Well, at least the property is being reused, and downtown will have more hotel rooms.

[thelakelander]

^Lunican's last article is over 10 years old.

[Lunican]

Sorry, I was just establishing a timeline.

It's hard to believe the building has been empty for less than 10 years. The place looks like it was abandoned 30 years ago.

[reednavy]

I realized that, after posting. Such a shame that a good piece of property has to go to shambles, and then some.

[RiversideGator]

You are right.  I had forgotten about all that (luckily).  I was out of town for part of that time also.

[ChriswUfGator]

3 blazes damage downtown hotel after agency fails to heed warning

Sunday, June 17, 2001

By Steve Patterson and Paul Pinkham
Times-Union staff writers

Jacksonville's fire prevention agency didn't act on a state inspector's warning about fire hazards at a downtown hotel later damaged by three fires, records from a state hotel agency show.

The Park View Inn, a low-rent residential hotel at 901 N. Main St., was condemned in December because of fire damage and a slew of electrical and fire code hazards that made the building dangerous to live in.

But eight months earlier, an inspector from the state Division of Hotels and Restaurants tried to tell the Jacksonville Fire Prevention Division about some of the same dangers.

"He told me the place was a fire trap, and he felt like somebody was going to be burned up," said Charlie Conner, an acting fire prevention captain.

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061701/met_6457089.html

Yup, that's pretty much what I remembered.

[ChriswUfGator]

You are right.  I had forgotten about all that (luckily).  I was out of town for part of that time also.

Ya, that was back when I had all my rental properties in Springfield, so I drove by it a lot. That's mainly why I remember.

Lunican's first article was exactly what I had remembered, but then I was shocked to read his second article from 1998, talking about the new owners just bought it and were dumping $1,000,000+ into it. Good F*ing GOD, I can't even imagine what all must have taken place in and around that building for it to be in the horrendous condition I remember it being in 2001 or so. It staggers my mind that it could have become THAT trashed less than 3 years after a large renovation in 1998. 

       

[tufsu1]

Apparently now it could become a parking garage

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-05-03/story/park-view-inn-property-avoids-wrecking-ball

[copperfiend]

Which will never happen

[vicupstate]

I question the demand for 400 parking spaces in that location. JEA is kinda close, but they have there own parking.  How full is the library garage?

[thelakelander]

A parking garage (which is already there) and converting the street level structure to retail use sounds like a viable situation to me.  That block has a pretty high vehicular traffic count, which makes retail more viable at that location than DT spots like the Landing, Bay or Laura Street.  For example, I don't know the building's first floor layout or roof height, but if it contained meeting rooms, combining those spaces could be enough to attract something like a Walgreens or CVS to such a location.  Anyway, I don't know if this project will ever become reality, but it beats having another vacant lot, imo.

[MusicMan]

The link to the article and the comments posted there are spot on. That place is disgusting. If it were knocked down then maybe we could restore the cool Klutho right across the street, the old Claude Nolan Cadillac building. That one is worth saving, but no one will touch it with a ten foot pole as long as that disaster sits across the street. If the current owners can get private financing, fine. Spending city money on that site would be a COMPLETE and TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY AND AN INSULT TO THE RESIDENTS OF JACKSONVILLE!!!