Downtown Buildings Altered Beyond Recognition

[Metro Jacksonville]

Downtown Buildings Altered Beyond Recognition



While much of the local preservation discussion focuses on treasures lost or those well-preserved success stories, downtown Jacksonville is still home to several structures that were and still could be architecturally significant in their own right.  Here are six downtown buildings that have been altered beyond recognition.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-nov-downtown-buildings-altered-beyond-recognition

[dougskiles]

We really have succeeded in turning old world charm into new world ugly.  OK - maybe it wasn't "old world", but these buildings certainly had more character than the cold hard look they have now.

[acme54321]

Generally the archetecture of the 50's and 60's left a lot to be desired.  Too bad these old buildings were altered so severely.  It seems of all these 119 & 129 West Adams Street might be restorable to their original appearance.

[copperfiend]

The bastardization of history.

[Tacachale]

Just out of downtown is the old Armory building, one of the area's oldest, which now looks pretty indistinguishable.

A lot of these look like it's just the facades that have been altered. I wonder if the Laura Street facade grants are successful, if the city would be interested expanding something similar to other areas. Adams Street in general is pretty cool.

[Bativac]

What is the deal with the Hogan Building? Did someone seriously look at that rendering, look at the building that was there before, and decide "yeah, this looks much better"?

Proof, I guess, that Jacksonville has been weird about respecting its own history for decades.

[Tacachale]

^Interesting. Perhaps now that the new technology exists, there may be even more of a call to restore the facades.

[Tacachale]

It sounds like there is some definite potential here, especially if the reception of the Laura Street improvements is good, which I hope it will be.

[fsujax]

I remember after TS Fay I was driving down Washington St and saw a bunch of siding that had been ripped off a building, exposing the brick that was under it. I thought to myself why even replace the siding, the brick looks so much better. The siding was replaced and the brick was hidden from view.

[hightowerlover]

This is one of the more interesting series, hope to see more in the future.

[I-10east]

It's funny how people say comments like 'We're bastardizing history' like it's only exclusive to Jacksonville, C'mon yall, this so called 'improved modernization' went on in every major metro all over the country. We all agree that the before pics are better.

[Jaxson]

Whenever I drive down Liberty Street, I think of how the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) building is 'bastardization' of the old Jacksonville Police Department headquarters.  In my opinion it is a bad attempt to make a historical building into something that it should not be.

[Kay]

A lot of times the original facade is under the "new" facade.  It would be great for downtown to see the original facades uncovered on these old buildings.

[Dog Walker]

The Shads did just that on the Five Points Theater Building; ripped off the horrible stucco cover with the big 5 on it and uncovered the original building.  This is a huge improvement.

Taylor Harwick and J. Brooks Haas have a lot of ugliness to answer for.

[billy]

don't forget the Claude Nolan Cadillac facade.....