Park View Inn construction?

[David]

Does anyone know the status of the old Park View Inn building by Confederate Park? I didn't find any articles on MJ when I did a search.

Here's an old image of the structure from streetview:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32202&sll=30.323193,-81.630908&sspn=0.070236,0.153809&g=32202&ie=UTF8&ll=30.33363,-81.655101&spn=0.002195,0.004807&z=18&layer=c&cbll=30.333592,-81.655135&panoid=IPozfpIcgAGN1zO0sQVH9w&cbp=12,241.12485393437927,,0,-9.822086957051068

Now the balconies and windows are ripped out, looks like it's being gutted.

[The Compound]

Here is an old thread about it with pics. Not sure whats going on now.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,197.0.html

[alta]

I've posted several comments regarding the Parkview Inn over the last couple of months.  Never received a response.  They have been knocking down the walls slowly over the last several months.

[JaxByDefault]

There is no official, immediate demolition plan for the Park View. Officials claim that the visible destruction/demolition is being done by individuals seeking copper and aluminium for scrap.

[David]

Here is an old thread about it with pics. Not sure whats going on now.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,197.0.html

Thanks. I really did like that building in the sense it creates an urbanscape similar to some spots in Brooklyn, NY. I would always go that way on the way to pearl/tsi since it's been there. Imagined it would be residential units one day, but apparently the damage is too severe to the structure. Sad really, it would've made a great artist work/loft space.

[billy]

I thought there was a candidate months back, who was going to renovate the property for workforce housing. Maybe that deal fell through.

[soxfan]

There is no official, immediate demolition plan for the Park View. Officials claim that the visible destruction/demolition is being done by individuals seeking copper and aluminium for scrap.

There is no way that the new demo is being done by copper thieves.. There are entire walls missing. Outside room walls. The porch rails are gone, what was left of the room doors and such. There is too much demo fro this not to be being done by someone official. I just wish someone would come out with it. Why is it such a secret?

[uptowngirl]

I agree Sox, I have been by there multiple times in the middle of the day and there is more than one person working, cops drive by, eat right down the street. If it was thieves I think they would be arrested or at least stopped, the police have always been pretty good about that at the Park View...

[zoo]

If I had to guess, I'd bet preliminary demo is being done by the building owner to prove some movement on code compliance issues, hoping the City will not demo to the slab (which they legally have the right to do, as I type).

I'm glad almost-daily demo attention is deterring some squatters.

[strider]

While many wish this building to go away, it would be much better to utilize it so I hope the city doesn't just knock it down.  I would think (I haven't seen older pics, so I don't know) that it originally looked better than the stucco of today?  In any case, the existing building could certainly look as good as 3rd and Main will. Stucco is stucco and you can do a lot with it to add details to make it look better. Overall, with the roof top pool and parking, it has huge potential.  Has SPAR Council talked to the owner and LISC about it for workforce and affordable housing?

[thelakelander]

Interesting tidbit.

Originally named the Heart of Jacksonville, the hotel was once a favorite stopping point for Elvis Presley.

Said Gaudry, "Elvis used to stay here when he came to Jacksonville to do his concerts."

Built 32 years ago, the structure (covering a full city block) was constructed as a full service hotel with 236 rooms plus administrative space, 170 underground parking spaces, a second floor swimming pool with snack bar, a full service kitchen, bakery and meeting space. The meeting space includes four separate meeting rooms with a capacity of 500.

full article:

Downtown hotel tries to upgrade insides, image
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/1997/08/04/focus4.html?q=parkview%20hotel%20jacksonville

The hotel during better days.

[Lucasjj]

When was this place actually shut down?

[RiversideGator]

It was still in operation as low income housing in 1994-95.  It shut down shortly after that.  In terms of when it was a decent hotel, that would probably be the 1970s if I had to guess.

[zoo]

Location could/should still be the "Heart of Jacksonville." Building certainly is not (though it would make an excellent stop on the Blight Museum tour)...

[ChriswUfGator]

It was still in operation as low income housing in 1994-95.  It shut down shortly after that.  In terms of when it was a decent hotel, that would probably be the 1970s if I had to guess.

Your time frame is a little off, because when I first got to town back in 1999/2000, that place was still open as a ghetto "pay by the week" type of motel, and all sorts of colorful characters were usually hanging out there. It also had this seedy lounge/package store type thing on the first floor with neon beer signs that would shine out of blacked-out tinted windows, and the bar had these huge wooden doors that were always propped open, and I remember thinking those doors didn't fit the style of the building (which was the least of that place's problems...LOL).

It didn't finally shut down until sometime around late 2001 or early 2002, when they had an electrical fire that ignited a bunch of stored mattresses, and the owners could not afford to fix the damage. I remember it made the news, because the city condemned it and started kicking out all the weirdos and prostitutes who had been renting rooms for $50/wk or whatever, and they gave them no notice and no place to go. I vividly remember the channel 4 reporter interviewing this toothless crackhead/hooker who was standing with her suitcase in front of the building. I remember thinking the city was being kind of heartless kicking people out on the street, but I think clara white or that place on North McDuff finally agreed to take most of them in.

There have been subsequent fires, but those were all after the original fire that shut it down.