by Sean McManus
Staff Writer
In 1983 Robert Pavelka thought about renovating the Churchwell building on East Bay Street and moving the family business to a location more suited for dry goods.
At the time, the decision was whether a law firm or court reporters should occupy space in the four-story masonry building, which was built in 1905. It was assumed that a historic building with 24-inch thick walls and original heart pine columns would be perfect for anyone in the legal community who wanted to take advantage of the proximity to the Duval County Courthouse.
Times have changed.
Today, when the buzz about the Bay Street Town Center has almost everybody downtown talking about jazz clubs, art galleries and industrial lofts, Pavelka is entertaining suggestions from law firms last. The owners of the Churchwell building, like many along that section of Bay Street, are working with real estate brokers to fill the space with businesses that stay up late listening to music, not filing depositions.
“Disney World couldn’t recreate this building,” said Pavelka, who is the secretary and treasurer of the firm his mother’s family purchased in 1923. “It’s beautiful and if it housed a neat restaurant or hotel, it would be the kind of place people would remember visiting.”
Having lived in New Orleans for 10 years, a city that values taste above even economic stability, Pavelka wants the Churchwell building to fit into Jacksonville’s new-found appreciation for what’s old.
“Certainly, we’d rather develop than sell,” said Pavelka, echoing a common refrain from the owners of Bay Street property. “But of course, if the price is right, anything’s possible.”
The Churchwell building has sparked interest from developers considering anything from high-end restaurants to New York-style loft apartments. Pavelka said the 45,000 square-foot building, with various-shaped windows and exposed beams could be converted into just about anything.
“Unfortunately, from my experience it takes somebody from another city that has a kind of untainted vision for downtown,” said Pavelka. “And of course deep pockets don’t hurt.”
But the biggest concern on that block is parking, something that Pavelka thinks is a problem, but would be less so if people changed their mindset about how to navigate through a metropolitan city.
“All great cities have terrible parking,” said Pavelka. “We’ve got great weather. People should just not worry about walking a few blocks to get to where the need to be.”
Regardless, the site of the old Lanier building on Market Street, behind Churchwell, is slated for temporary parking until the City-owned lot can be sold to a private developer.
As a downtown property owner, Pavelka has become an activist for downtown.
“I’ve talked to Downtown Vision about bringing FridayFest closer to the river, where people don’t normally go, as opposed to Hemming Plaza, where city workers already are,” he said. “I think in front of the Adam’s Mark would be a great place to have all of those kinds of events — it exposes people to different areas of town.”
He conceded that it also would bring people closer to his building.
The J.H. Churchwell Company also owns a building on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, which they were leasing to a small grocery store until the Sheriff’s Office asked them to evict the tenants, who were selling cocaine in addition to groceries.
“I just hope the city develops that area in the right way,” said Pavelka. “I think that has the potential to be like Ybor City in Tampa or the West End in Dallas, where there are no cars, just rows of bars and restaurants. But I doubt it’s going to work out that way.”
It was in 1957 that, in an effort to curb blight, the City knocked down many of the old warehouses on the river to make room for a new City Hall, now the Annex, and the courthouse.
Today, there’s more forethought.
Citing the Palace Saloon in Fernandina Beach, Pavelka said people now are finally realizing that historic structures add character to a city and make them destination spots.
“When you visit a city, you want to think to yourself that it’s different from anywhere else you’ve been,” he said. “We’ve got some of those kinds of places, as long as we preserve them.”
He said when he visits Chicago, Atlanta or Charleston, he doesn’t want a regular hotel bar, but a spot that is unique to that city.
“And most people are like me,” he said.