Fire downtown at Forsyth and Jefferson

[coredumped]

Not many details yet, here's a tweet and pic from action news

@BrentAS360's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BrentAS360/status/538569357849542656?s=09BrentAS360: Huge fire downtown on Forsyth and North Jefferson.  Right in middle of pic is all the smoke.

[coredumped]

Another good pic: @MikeMcCall's Tweet: https://twitter.com/MikeMcCall/status/538565833354936321?s=09

He's saying Bay and Jefferson

[coredumped]

Damn, looks huge:
@WJXTAdrienne's Tweet: https://twitter.com/WJXTAdrienne/status/538570783199473664?s=09

[coredumped]

Times Union picked up on the story: http://m.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2014-11-29/story/fire-breaks-out-late-friday-night-building-downtown-jacksonville#gsc.tab=0

[I-10east]

Forsyth Street is closed, and the building will have to be demoed ASAP.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/downtown-fire-under-investigation/29978546

[I-10east]

Now here comes the MJ-esque "Great another downtown lot" or "That building could have easily been saved" or posting a pic of some building in Kansas City somewhere that was saved by fire for comparisons sake. 3...2..1... now.   

[YellowBluffRoad]

That was the Davis Furniture building.
Article and photo here: http://www.news4jax.com/news/downtown-fire-under-investigation/29978546

Ironically, when I looked at the building frontage on Google Maps street view this morning, Google's drive-by shots reflect an April 2014 date, and show the building with last year's downtown development promo posters plastered to the left of the front door: "Downtown is on Fire". Not quite the image that campaign was going for.

[thelakelander]

Now here comes the MJ-esque "Great another downtown lot" or "That building could have easily been saved" or posting a pic of some building in Kansas City somewhere that was saved by fire for comparisons sake. 3...2..1... now.   

It does suck. One by one, LaVilla's history goes up in smoke. That block is (was) one of the last of LaVilla's storied Railroad Row to still be somewhat intact. It really is sad to see. I suspect this was arson? Here's a couple of pictures for you too!

The Davis Furniture Building in 1929 (three story building in center of image):


The building a few years ago:


If I recall, there was a plan to revamp this structure earlier this year. However, it died due to restoration costs.....which I believe did not include incentives.

[Tacachale]

Terrible. I think this was the building Steve Williams wanted to turn into an art studio. Now, nothing.

[thelakelander]

^Yes, that was it. Here's a 2009 MJ post about this building:

These 100-year-old buildings are a few that, up to this point, have survived the LaVilla demolition craze.  Once a part of a massive warehouse district that spring up around the railroad terminals, these warehouses have housed everything from furniture companies to nightclubs, including the Paradome, Milkdome, 618, DV8 and Club Kartouche.

Today, what was once one of Jacksonville's most interesting urban scenes is now a wasteland of isolated warehouses surrounded by vacant and surface parking lots.  With the new county courthouse finally underway, be on the look out for additional demolitions to happen in the area in anticipation of future development taking their place.

It now joins its lost neighbor "Uncle Dave".



http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-downtowns-most-endangered-historic-buildings#.VHnQP4vF_Cs

[Noone]

A shame.
Was there insurance?
At a recent DIA meeting and the discussion of a benefit as the result of an action.

[whyisjohngalt]

105 year old historic building destroyed by Christmas fireworks display.

[whyisjohngalt]

First call to fire department at 11:30 pm and the building less than 3,000 sq. ft away?

Hopefully the replacement infrastructure serves as an example to the historical society as to what downtown could look like if downtown's future isn't held hostage by "historical", vacant buildings.

[Charles Hunter]

Ah yes, like all the infrastructure that has been built on all those formerly vacant lots downtown.  It's hard to see any flat ground downtown - except for the streets - with all those buildings.

And where do you get the "news" that it was started by a "Christmas fireworks display"?  Just checked all three local TV news sites, and none of them have anything on cause.

[Jumpinjack]

Good question, Charles. Especially directed to someone who thinks historic buildings hold development "hostage".