Downtown Demolition?

[Coolyfett]

Lake you should change your name to Spiderman!!!! You're on point with the flicks man. Good stuff.............. 1901?!?!?! was that before or after the fire? I gotta know??

[thelakelander]

Thanks.  The building site sits on the edge of the fire line, according to the map in the Jax Architectural Heritage book.  I would not be suprised if that block of structures were constructed immediately after the fire.

[thelakelander]

What happens with condemned 100 year old buildings in cities like St. Augustine, Charleston or Savannah?  Is there something special about theirs that keeps them standing until a new use can be found?

Hundred years comes down

A three-story building originally built in the early 1900s was demolished on the western edge of Downtown, leaving several residents combing through the ruble for choice bricks. Joel McEachin, planner with the City’s historic preservation division, said he didn’t know what the last use of the building was but that it was long abandoned. Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Deputy Director Paul Crawford said his office issued the demolition permit because the building was condemned and had no significant historical value. Although no redevelopment application or other use for the property has been submitted, Crawford said he doesn’t expect the land, directly adjacent to the proposed County Courthouse property, to stay vacant forever. “I imagine there’ll be a development plan coming forward in the next couple of years as we get closer to construction of the courthouse,” he said.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=49714

[jbm32206]

It's called responsible leadership...and in our case, the lack there of. It's a real shame that this city will take these buildings down, when most other large cities will do everything they can to save them.

[downtownparks]

I dont even know if it so much bothers me that it was torn down, what gets me is, it was torn down with no plan.

Without a building, the city now has no real recourse on making them keep the property up (not that they did before) and its just another empty lot around the westend. It will be over grown and crappy looking in no time.

[thelakelander]

I dont even know if it so much bothers me that it was torn down, what gets me is, it was torn down with no plan.

This is what hits me the most.  Its one thing if something that enhances the downtown environment is planned to take it's place, but empty overgrown lots hurt the core's image more than blighted boarded up buildings do.  They also eliminate the possibility of urban pioneers moving in and renovating one space at a time, which is how true urban revitalization happens.  Instead, we're continuing to limit ourselves to the hope of a Cameron Kuhn or LandMar coming in to build some mega development in the middle of hopelessness.

It will be over grown and crappy looking in no time.

If you want to see what it will look like, just take a look at the rest of the block.  The same owner tore down the building on the corner of Adams & Broad a few years back and its looked like overgrown trash ever since.

[reednavy]

What a shame. This city practically laughs at the word historic if it isn't in Riverside/Avondale, San Marco, or Springfield. I surprised they haven't filed to implode One12/ Old Barnett Bank Bldg. Something will eventually come along and change this, I just don't see much hope before 2011.

[downtownparks]

2011 wont make much difference unless we get someone in office that is at least friendly to downtown concepts. Dan Davis will be no friend of downtowns. Regardless of what kind of person he may of may not be, he is a suburban developer by trade.

[thelakelander]

I'm just hoping we have a significant amount of downtown's currently vacant historic building stock left by 2011.  As for Springfield, buildings come down like a poorly constructed deck of cards there too.  

[jbm32206]

Every time you turn around, the city's contracted someone to knock down another house in Springfield....so they're not helping us at all!