by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
After the fate of the two historic LaRose buildings and the Rhodes Building turned from bad to worse after a feasibility study indicated that it would be cost prohibitive to move them to another location, another possible alternative surfaced recently which would save the facades of the buildings but not the entire structures.
The facades could be dismantled and reassembled at a different site in the future. The three buildings are located on the site of the proposed new downtown library, where construction is expected to start in a few months.
City Council member Suzanne Jenkins, who is a strong proponent of saving the entire buildings, said she would explore that alternative only as a concession if the mayor’s office deems moving the buildings unfeasible.
“To me, that’s a distant second,” said Jenkins. “If that’s the best we can do, then that’s the best we can do. I want both buildings moved.”
Depending on the engineering of a building, disassembly of a facade can be achieved with varying ease. The basic steps are to take a picture of the front of the building, make a grid that plots the major elements, disassemble the pieces and store them for use at a later time. Individual bricks need not be saved if they can be replaced by reasonable facsimiles.
“You have to analyze it and take it apart in as few pieces as possible,” said Doug Herring, president of E.C. Kenyon Construction Co., Inc., whose company has performed many similar projects in Florida.
Herring said an assessment would have to be done on each building to make sure they are structurally sound enough to facilitate facade removal without collapsing.
But even saving the facades could be a too-expensive alternative for the City. Estimates determined it would cost around $1 million to move the buildings. Mayor John Delaney’s chief of staff Audrey Moran said the cost to save the facades would still be “exorbitant.”
“That alternative was discussed originally and there were concerns that it was not true preservation,” said Moran. “Even doing that to any significance would be very expensive.”
The Jacksonville Historical Society supports saving the facades as a last-ditch alternative to preserve the buildings.
“We’ve got a responsibility as a city that’s been codified by ordinance that we utilize our historic buildings,” said Jacksonville Historical Society member Jerry Spinks. “I think [City Council president] Matt Carlucci’s task force [on Historic Downtown Preservation and Revitalization] has indicated there is a common interest with the identity of downtown.”
The major setback for the buildings came when they were not given historic landmark status. While the mayor’s office doesn’t want to appear insensitive to preservation issues, the fact that they are not landmark status has bolstered its argument to demolish them. Currently, the three buildings are being recorded, which entails photographing and documenting the major architectural and historical aspects for posterity.
Time is running out for the buildings as construction for the new $95 million library is slated to begin in spring for a grand opening in the latter half of 2003. The fate of the buildings will be finalized when library project manager Rex Holmlin and Better Jacksonville Plan chief Joe Miller discuss the issue with Jenkins.