by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Love it or hate it, the Haydon Burns Library is certain to illicit a response from most people. It seems everyone has an opinion on the building that has stood at the corner of Ocean and Adams streets for 38 years.
The latest debate surrounding the library, which will be replaced by a state-of-the-art facility across from Hemming Plaza in 2005, is what will become of the Haydon Burns building.
Last fall, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission issued a Request for Proposals for the library property and has received three responses. The open-ended RFP didn’t specify whether the library structure should remain or be demolished, and the three respondents call for varied uses of the property.
While two of the plans call for reuse of the building, one proposal calls for its demolition to make way for upscale condominiums. And while there are a few years yet until construction could begin on any project at the site, the JEDC is getting an idea of the interest in the area.
“The property has a significant amount of quality interest,” said Al Battle, managing director of the Downtown Development Authority. “We can afford to take our time at this point and the value of the building will probably go up based on the things happening around it.”
The plan submitted by John Rood, president of Vestcor Companies, calls for the demolition of the library. Vestcor’s current project is the transformation of the Lynch Building into loft apartments at 11 E. Forsyth Street and his Haydon Burns Centre plan would extend the residential use of the area.
Vestcor’s proposal calls for the City to clear the site, and contribute it free and clear of liens as incentive to build the tower.
“Our plan is for mixed-use residential and commercial,” said Tammy Dockins, a spokesperson for Vestcor. The company would build a 15-story structure, containing 80 units. It would have the mass of a 23-story building because of 19-foot ceilings and second floor lofts.
“Each unit will have expansive glass windows,” said Dockins. “We aren’t going to try and make a modern building look old, but it will blend it with the surroundings.”
The units will have an average cost of $400,000 and residents will have access to a roof pool, fountains and a fitness center. Four hundred garaged parking spaces will serve residents and the public visiting the commercial space on the first two floors. Vestcor plans to fill the retail space with offices, restaurants and shops and will provide a two-story arcade for activity to spill out onto the sidewalk.
The Vestcor plan projects that developers would close on the property six months after the new Main Library is open and would strive to finish the project within 24 months of the start.
The plan for the Metropolitan Design Center, submitted by Mark Rinaman, president of the JAX-Metropolitan Group, would convert the library into commercial and retail space.
“The theme is for design and art-related business,” said Rinaman, adding that the space would be perfect for architects, interior designers or professionals in related fields.
The project would serve as an extension of the Brooklyn Arts and Design Center, which currently has campuses downtown and in Riverside.
Rinaman’s plan also makes use of the parking space that lines Forsyth Street as a possible extension of retail or restaurant space, and the main entrance to the building.
“It would be a great transition space between the public and private sector,” he said. “It should be an inviting and friendly space.”
Preserving the artwork by local artist Ann Halloway Williams in the library’s elevator corridor is also important to Rinaman.
“It offers such a clear picture of where we were historically,” he said.
The biggest change Rinaman’s plan would make to the library is the addition of modular office space at the mezzanine level, a way to recover space lost on high ceilings. The 36,000 square-foot basement will also be converted into a parking garage.
Rinaman, who has enlisted the help of Taylor Hardwick, the library’s original architect, included an idea to add additional floors for office or residential use.
At this stage, however, no plans have been made for expansion.
A plan submitted by the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund also calls for reuse of the existing library structure.
“Mayor Haydon Burns was the first of a series of dynamic mayors that we’ve had here in Jacksonville,” said John Keane, the fund’s administrator. “We want to preserve his memory.”
The plan is to convert the property into general office space and convert the basement into tenant parking.
Keane believes the fund’s experience with a similar project makes them fully capable for the job.
“Our trustees purchased property at Main and Adams streets, one block west of the library, that was renovated into class-A office space,” he said. “It’s improved the value of the district.”
Keane plans to preserve the interior mosaic work, but the plan states that the “core structure will be largely retained and rehabilitated to conform to a more traditional exterior that is more consistent with the appearance of a general office setting.”
The JAX-Metropolitan Group and Fire Administration plan may garner the support of some members of the community who are already speaking on the library’s behalf.
The Jacksonville Historical Society, headed by Emily Lisska, has passed a resolution to save the library.
“It may not seem important right now, because it’s 38-years-old, but it’s an outstanding example of its time and we need to be aware of buildings that can be landmarked for the future,” said Lisska. “Whether a person thinks of the building as beautiful and attractive may be an issue, but it’s important to consider its history, how it might be used. It’s important for our city to recycle buildings whenever possible.”
Lisska said she recently led a group of architectural students on a tour of downtown and realized the importance of the Burns Library.
“They showed more interest in that building than in any of the others,” she said. “And it is one of the only buildings that incorporates such dramatic mosaics into its exterior structure.”
City Council and Historic Preservation Task Force member Jim Overton, also has strong thoughts about saving the library.
“I think the building ought to be reused in its present configuration with its present architecture,” said Overton. “People have always been critical of the building, but I think it clearly represents a certain time,” he said, noting that if it is reused, “it will have to be for something with a little funk to it.”
The JEDC, however, remains neutral.
“At this point we don’t have an opinion on whether it should stay or go,” said Battle. “We’re presented with almost completely different alternatives in each scenario and it makes it more interesting to evaluate the possibilities.”