Durkeeville 100 year old house in danger of demolition

[iloveionia]

This is a powerful picture on SO many levels.  I can just shake my head in sadness.

[Cheshire Cat]

Very sad indeed. 

[sheclown]

I drove by yesterday to see if the house had been fully demolished and I saw the sisters sitting on their lot.

I pulled over to talk to them and asked them what they were doing. They told me that they were afraid someone would try to take what remains of the property from them. 



What I didn't know was that the sisters had filed an injunction against the city on April 25th.

https://core.duvalclerk.com/CoreCms.aspx

Case 16-2013-CA-003993-XXXX-MA

It goes before a judge.  Let's hope he rules in the sister's favor; however, he couldn't give them back what they have lost.

[sheclown]

6th st

That black stuff is shingle like material that used to be used to cover exteriors.  There is wood siding below it.

This house, belonging to the other sister, has been awarded to a demo contractor.  $8600 and the house comes down.  It could be landmarked and mothballed for this amount and a 100 year house could be saved.  When it comes down, this will be two significant pieces of Durkeville's history gone within weeks.

[sheclown]

I spent the afternoon with the Meyers' sisters.  They showed me the 6th street house and gave me their story.  It is a great piece of Durkeville history.  The sisters are twins.  Their grandfather built the house on west 6th street for their other grandmother.  He built it with his brother's help.  The house is embellished with hand-carved trim illustrated below.  As Lynette says "Grandpa carved his finger prints to remind everyone that this was his house."



This is trim around the exterior on the front door.

[sheclown]

all of the trim on the interior was hand-carved -- much of it is now missing, but some window trim remains



The door casing has been removed, but the carved plinth block remains.

[sheclown]

Check out the baseboard

The chair rail is also carved.

[sheclown]

Although the handrail and balusters are gone (and they were hand-carved as well), the staircase trim remains

[iloveionia]

I'm afraid to ask.
Was this same unique trim in the other home that the city demolished?

Save the houses.
I really, really, love this house.

[ricker]

Drove by this home.
What is the rush to tear it down??
I am not familiar with the supposed reasoning or so-called logic which has resulted in hasty and unscrupulous demolitions.

Someone here please walk me through this

[thelakelander]

Is this house not properly mothballed?  Is it in bad structural condition and beyond repair?  Like ricker, I wonder what's the reasoning or rush?  Is there a legit reason or has code enforcement completely lost their minds?

Their grandfather definitely invested his blood sweat and tears into this structure during an era in Jacksonville when blacks were pretty much limited to housing stock of lesser quality.  From all of the hand cravings, he picked up the skill from somewhere. I wonder what was his name and his story? 

 

[sheclown]

I'm afraid to ask.
Was this same unique trim in the other home that the city demolished?

Save the houses.
I really, really, love this house.

I didn't ask!

But I will.

There was a piano there which grandma used to play for the girls.  She played for awhile at the Apollo club in Harlem.  It was crushed by the bulldozer.

[sheclown]

Is this house not properly mothballed?  Is it in bad structural condition and beyond repair?  Like ricker, I wonder what's the reasoning or rush?  Is there a legit reason or has code enforcement completely lost their minds?

Their grandfather definitely invested his blood sweat and tears into this structure during an era in Jacksonville when blacks were pretty much limited to housing stock of lesser quality.  From all of the hand cravings, he picked up the skill from somewhere. I wonder what was his name and his story? 

 

I have their story and will post shortly.

[sheclown]

The timeline of events leading to this:

The sisters appeared before city council on April 9, 2013 pleading for the houses.

http://media.coj.net/City_Council/Council%204-9-13.wmv
(they are at 2:48:37)

On April 18, 2013 they filed an injunction against the city to stop the demolition.  This is handwritten.  They did this themselves.  Below is a page -- I will type up the complaint for ease in reading. 



The injunction was filed on April 22, 2013



Then they filed an amended "Demand for Hearing"





  From her notes:

"On April 22, 2013, went back to the courthouse to see why I did not hear a response concerning the Demand for a hearing. Called secretary, Priscilla Waters, she did not know and would call me back.  She didn't.  I called and then she said the judge, Judge Beverly, denied it because the other parties were not notified." 

"I walked it to the sheriff's department myself" she goes on to say.

[sheclown]

Their Myrtle Street house was demolished on April 25th.