by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
If the Osborn Center is to ever become the multi-modal transportation hub that several City leaders envision, then that plan has made it past an initial step.
Last month, the Historic Preservation Commission gave its approval to a conceptual design for a pedestrian bridge and baggage tunnel that would connect Amtrak’s tracks to the Osborn Center. Because the old train station-turned-convention-center has been established as a local and national historical landmark, any alterations, no matter how minor, to the exterior of the building will have to get approval from the HPC.
The architectural firm of DMJM & Harris, Inc., presented a design to the HPC that included a new pedestrian bridge and accompanying platform. Lisa Sheppard, a preservation planner for the City, said the design was well-received by the HPC board members and unanimously approved.
“This is just step one to the multi-modal system,” said Sheppard, adding that there are still many, many elements that have to be addressed before the transportation hub becomes reality.
In approval the design, the HPC awarded DMJM a Certificate of Appropriateness, a designation that has a time limit and can be altered as the architects or HPC see fit.
“We approved a specific plan,” said Sheppard. “They [DMJM] could amend it and I suspect that is probably what will happen. The COA is good for one year unless we extend it. If they make a lot of changes they would have to bring it back to the Commission.”
Should the transportation hub receive the blessing of City leaders and Florida Department of Transportation officials, the pedestrian bridge, platform and baggage tunnel would need approval from at least the Downtown Development Authority’s Design Review Committee. At last month’s DDA meeting, DMJM presented the Authority with an extensive, multi-year plan to convert the Osborn Center into the transportation hub of Northeast Florida.
Sheppard said the HPC is pleased with what DMJM has shown them so far. The design is fairly simple and retains the current aesthetic and historical components of the former rail hub.
“They used a lot of design elements in keeping it a historical building,” said Sheppard. “They used arches, canopies and limestone for the exterior. If they [City officials] are interested in bringing train service back downtown, this would definitely be a big step.”
Although there are multiple steps planned for the Osborn Center over the next decade, according to Sheppard, not every design plan or change will have to pass the HPC board first. Only work to alter the exterior of the building will have to be approved by the Preservation Commission, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy process. Because the Osborn Center has been designated landmark status, three levels of preservation standards may have to be met depending on how extensive the work is.
“There is a set of national standards that reviews these types of projects,” said Sheppard. “The historical integrity is kept in tact as much as possible so the changes will blend in well. The same set of standards is used by the state historical preservation office who also reviews these projects. There is a pragmatic agreement that is tripped when you do work on a building that is on the national register.”
Locally, Sheppard said, the HPC has adopted a version of both the national and state standards for historical buildings.