by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The several “Condemned” signs placed on the Roosevelt Hotel on West Adams Street last week are not an indication that the building is coming down soon. It’s more of an attempt to keep people out of the dilapidated structure.
Tammy Dockins, a development associate with Vestcor Companies, said the signs were placed on the buildings by the City’s Property Safety Division at the request of Vestcor and in no way indicate the building will be torn down.
“That’s why we boarded up the building and condemned the parking garage,” said Dockins, explaining that certain aspects of the 13-story structure currently make it unsafe for human habitation. “We are working with the City to keep it locked up and people out. It’s truly not safe for people.”
That may all change in a couple of years. The Roosevelt Hotel is part two of Vestcor’s foray into downtown housing. Part one, 11 E. Forsyth, which features 127 loft apartments, should be complete by next spring. Both projects, along with Mike Langton’s W.A. Knight building restoration, represent the first major renovations of historic downtown buildings into loft apartments. They also represent the first major deal struck between the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and a developer to convert an empty piece of Jacksonville’s architectural history into a thriving downtown residence using economic incentives.
Dockins said progress at 11 E. Forsyth is coming along well and construction is on pace to be complete within the next six months. After that, per its agreement with the JEDC, Vestcor has 24 months to purchase the Roosevelt Hotel. Plans are to convert it into 99 loft apartments that will become The Carlington, a name reflective of the Roosevelt’s original name — The Carling.
“We hope to roll from 11 E. Forsyth to the Roosevelt Hotel,” said Dockins, stressing the agreement with the JEDC is a purchase agreement, not a renovation agreement; meaning, Vestcor could still opt to not buy the hotel if they decide renovation costs would be too high.
Dockins added that Vestcor chairman John Rood has no intentions of abandoning his Roosevelt plans.
“Like John has always said, we will roll from one building to the other,” said Dockins. “We are working on putting together the numbers. If we do not roll forward within 24 months, the City will take control. We are meeting with the City soon to start the ball rolling.”
At 11 E. Forsyth, the interior of the 17-story building has been gutted and most of it has been reframed and dry walled. The windows have been replaced and the parking garage should go vertical within the next 30-60 days. Dockins said none of the floors are 100 percent complete at this time.
“We hope to be done by the end of the first quarter of next year,” said Dockins. “We will have our first occupants about the same time.”
Considering the building is about 70 years old, some findings — asbestos and lead paint, for example — weren’t surprising. However, when workers tore out the first floor ceiling a pleasant surprise was revealed.
“Our big finding was the tray ceiling, which we are going to restore,” said Dockins. “And, metal plates we found outside were great. We peeled back the limestone that was covering them and are restoring them. It was a great find.”
Dockins said with so many different construction aspects going on at once the site is very busy.
“At any given time we can have 200-250 workers at the site,” she said. “We call it our zoo. It’s an ant hill of people.”