Doro Fixture Site to be demolished, replaced with Apartments/Retail

[thelakelander]

I didn't think about that but it is likely one of the oldest commercial storefronts in the city still standing outside of the traditional downtown. That's likely an area of historic research that has not been performed to date. I do know that LaVilla has a couple that predate the Great Fire of 1901. I think LaVilla's oldest dates back to 1895.

[thelakelander]

The Doro: Out with the old, in with the new



Completed three years after the Great Fire of 1901, the Doro Fixtures Company complex features the last surviving mixed-use commercial storefront that dates back to the long razed 19th century suburb of East Jacksonville. Its days could be coming to an end as a plan for a new infill apartment development proposed continues to move forward.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/the-doro-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/

[Steve]

Aside from the demolition, the biggest thing that bothers me with this is the driveway on APR. It just doesn't fit.

[thelakelander]

That part is pretty weird. All of A. Philip Randolph should be lined with retail. Big missed opportunity with the open plaza space facing the arena and baseball grounds.

[Captain Zissou]

Do the weird brick patterns mean anything or is that just what they think "street level activation" means?  They put the worst stuff at the most important corner of the development.  Sure the retail facing Intuition is great, but hundreds of events a year will bring people past the corner of APR and Adams and all they'll see is ugly pavers and infrastructure.

[thelakelander]

I'm pretty sure there's some rationale but they can scrap the entire nod to Doro (that's preservation blasphemy more than anything else) and put a retail space (or at least set it up for a future retail space) there. I agree, that's the most desireable intersection for ground floor retail.

[thelakelander]

The Downtown Development Review Board approved final designs May 14  for an eight-story apartment and retail project to replace the George Doro Fixture Co. building, despite objection from local historic preservation advocates.

The DDRB voted 6-1 to clear plans by Valdosta, Georgia-based Rise: A Real Estate Company for a 247-unit apartment building and seven-story parking garage at 102 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.

Plans call for 7,527 square feet of combined ground-floor and rooftop retail, outdoor patio and public gathering spaces.

The board's 2½-hour debate included public comments from more than 20 opponents of demolishing the at least century-old Doro Fixtures building on the 1.63-acre site near the Sports Complex.

Of interesting note, our opinion on this matter is 100% correct. The property is eligible for landmarking because of its historical significance at the local level:

The board agreed to add language proposed by Rise attorney Paul Harden that the hold on demolition pending a permit is a binding condition as long as no one seeks a local landmark designation on the structure.

Full Article: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/downtown-development-review-board-gives-final-approval-to-doro-mixed-use-project

The lesson here for preservationist is to go on the agressive. Identify some of the most prominent buildings in DT that are unprotected, yet surely historic at the local level, and attempt to proactively landmark them. I've scanned what's contributing and non-contributing in the National Register Downtown Historic District, as well as what is already landmarked outside of it. Not surprisingly, the historic black areas of downtown again get the short end of the stick. It's already a major problem in the traditional preservation world. It's even worse in a city that's pretty weak from a preservation standpoint. Anyway, here's 24 unprotected sites that are likely eligible for local landmarking:

National Register Downtown Historic District (historic buildings listed as non contributing)

- 170 Hogan Street (Former Rosenblums store)
- 41 East Duval Street (Paulus Music Store -- Southern Rock site)
- 129 Market Street (Palms Hotel)

Sports & Entertainment District (not individually listed on National Register or locally landmarked)

- 735 East Bay Street (Maxwell House Coffee plant)

Downtown (outside of National Register HD, not individually listed and not locally landmarked)
(Most happen to be in the former Black Bottom, which is now State & Union)

- 937 North Main Street (Claude Nolan Cadillac)
- 17 West Union Street (Moulton & Kyle Funeral Home)
- 801 North Pearl Street (St. Paul's Episcopal Church -- Henrietta Dozier designed building)
- 330 West State Street (Odd Fellows Hall -- A.Philip Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston site)

LaVilla (outside of National Register HD, not individually listed and not locally landmarked)
(preservation is most lax in our historical minority areas of downtown. A small section of LaVilla could potentially qualify as its own small National Register Historic District.)

- 521 West Forsyth Street (Cunningham Furniture Annex)
- 618 West Adams Street (Fire Station No. 4)
- 420 Broad Street (Richmond Hotel)**
- 318-324-326 Broad Street (Broad Street Biz District storefronts)**
- 525 Beaver Street (Lawton Pratt Funeral Home)**
- 801 Jefferson Street (The Whetstonian)
- 801 West Forsyth Street (Jax Chero-Cola Bottling Works -- George Stevens Saloon and Bordello)

** - Along with Clara White Mission, Old Stanton, Center Hotel, Masonic Temple, etc. there may be enough concentration of qualify as a National Register Historic District

Brooklyn (outside of National Register HD, not individually listed and not locally landmarked)
(Another underrepresented community almost gone from gentrification -- There are a dwindling number of individual residences unprotected as well)

- 1 Riverside Avenue (Florida Times-Union office building)
- 328 Chelsea Street (Post Civil War Cottage)
- 354 Park Street (ALSCO laundry plant)
- 365 Park Street (The Dance Warehouse)
- 339 Park Street (former Trophy Shop)
- 301 Park Street (Catlin Studebaker Automobile Dealership)
- 260 Park Street (Pennock Floral)

[marcuscnelson]

Let's be radical here.

We're talking about lobbying for the city to designate these buildings as landmarks. Thanks to you, Lake, there's a list of buildings to at least start with.

So why don't we do what many lobbyists do, and in the words of Bernie Sanders, just "write the damn bill(s)?"

Here's a link to the most recent landmarking bill, for Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Is there a group of people here who would be interested in taking this bill, and adapting it for each of the buildings on that list? I'm talking about doing the dirty groundwork so that all Council has to do is sign off. Who'd be down?

[billy]

What about New Springfield/(north Springfield)industrial area?
Coca Cola bottling plant, Suttig (sic)Door and Sash, etc..

[thelakelander]

That list was only for downtown specifically. But there are thousands of buildings across the urban core that are eligible for landmark status.

[aubureck]

Let's be radical here.

We're talking about lobbying for the city to designate these buildings as landmarks. Thanks to you, Lake, there's a list of buildings to at least start with.

So why don't we do what many lobbyists do, and in the words of Bernie Sanders, just "write the damn bill(s)?"

Here's a link to the most recent landmarking bill, for Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Is there a group of people here who would be interested in taking this bill, and adapting it for each of the buildings on that list? I'm talking about doing the dirty groundwork so that all Council has to do is sign off. Who'd be down?

That's a great thought in theory, but potential local landmark designation requires several more steps than just legislation to council and a sponsor.  Someone has to request the property to be landmarked to HPC, staff has to do a research/report, HPC has to vote on it, THEN it goes to council for consideration.

[thelakelander]

This appears to be moving forward soon:

Developer Rise: A Real Estate Company applied for building permits for The Doro Downtown that show a construction cost of $46 million for the apartment and retail project and parking garage.

It also will create space for ground-floor restaurant with a rooftop bar with views of the river, Downtown and TIAA Bank Field and surrounding development.

Marshall said Oct. 1 that the company is obtaining building permits from the city. He expects demolition of the existing Doro structure and site work to begin later this fall.

Marshall said construction will take about 22 months.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/city-reviewing-permits-for-construction-of-the-doro

[jaxlongtimer]

Sad.  More of our uniqueness diminished and another example of the City leadership's lack of standards, vision, planning or just plain backbone at every level.  Curry really has wounded this City during his term and it will be a scar that lasts for decades to come.

It also furthers the perception that most developers (at least in Jacksonville) are just plain greedy with no real care for the communities they impact.

[thelakelander]

Permits issued for construction of Doro's garage:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/parking-garage-permit-issued-for-doro-site

[jaxlongtimer]

I see this project as a "canary in the coal mine" for Lot J.  If Lot J can't break ground in less than 3 years, it would seem prudent to me to evaluate its feasibility after the Doro is on-line.  If Doro were to fail or under-perform, I would think that would give the Lot J team some serious pause.

Given all the options now available or in progress in the urban core, I am trying to figure out why someone would want to live near the isolated and desolate stadium complex, still in proximity to significant industrial activity, vs. on the river, in Brooklyn/Riverside, San Marco, Springfield or the heart of Downtown.  From what I see of Lot J, I don't think that, by itself, it is going to fix those issues.