by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
One of Jacksonville's most prominent architects is hoping the destruction of one of his buildings might help generate enough attention to preserve his downtown masterpiece.
Taylor Hardwick is the man responsible for some of the City's most distinct structures including the Haydon Burns Library and Friendship Fountain. Over the past two decades, Hardwick has watched as many of his 1960s-era modernist buildings have given way to more conservative structures built to accommodate more tenants and better technology.
Every time Hardwick watches one of his designs fall to the wrecking ball, he said he feels like he's lost a child. But he understands some of his buildings simply can't accommodate the needs of contemporary developers. That's the case at the 1661 Riverside Avenue Medical Building where the block-long, single-floor structure will be torn down next year to make way for Midland Development Corp.'s mixed use condominium loft community.
Hardwick designed the medical complex in 1957 as an answer to the era’s gloomy, intimidating doctor’s offices. He hoped the building’s zig-zag roof design and prominent use of windows would turn a visit to the doctor’s office into a fun errand. He was heartened when Riverside residents dubbed the complex “Disneyland” shortly after it opened.
Despite the warm memories, Hardwick accepts that the complex will have to be bulldozed to make way for bigger and better uses. He will even preside over a Dec. 20 ceremony that amounts to the property’s changing of the guard over to Midland. But he said there’s no reason the 39-year-old Haydon Burns Library has to suffer the same fate when its replacement opens early next year.
"The City’s population growth has made my building almost obsolete," he said. "But I designed it to be flexible, durable and require very little maintenance. There’s no reason it shouldn’t last another 60 or 70 years. It represents the creative energy of that period."
Anyone who’s walked through downtown’s urban core is likely to have given the Haydon Burns a double take. But Hardwick said people might not know that the building’s distinctive design elements were built as solutions to practical problems.
The signature triangular fins bracketing the exterior were built to support the building’s three-inch thick cement walls in hurricane winds. On calm days, the fins trap breezes to reduce heat from the sun’s glare and shade the library’s reading rooms.
The City will likely soon seek private developers for the Ocean Street building. Befitting the building’s versatility, the City has already heard interest from developers with a wide range of ideas. Everything from printing presses to a culinary academy to a Wonka-esque chocolate factory complete with a cocoa bean garden has been suggested. Hardwick is open to all of them as long as the design is largely left intact.
The green Italian tile exterior serves only an aesthetic purpose, but Hardwick said the fin supports couldn’t be altered without weakening the building. As is, the building has a number of features that should appeal to developers, said Hardwick. The basement could be converted into a hundred-car garage and Hardwick believes its the only building downtown with a block-long loading dock. The ground floor was built without partitions, creating an almost department store feel that would fit a large retailer, he said. The building was also designed to easily add a fourth floor.
“I think it’s very versatile and could support a number of different uses,” said Hardwick.
A recent appraisal commissioned by the City valued the building and property at $4.5 million. The one-plus acre of land is worth $2.2 million while the building is estimated at $2.3 million.
Despite Hardwick’s innovative design, the building’s location is viewed as its most marketable asset, according to the appraiser’s market analysis. The real estate market surrounding the building has been bolstered by successful developments like the nearby 11 E. apartments and the Haydon Burns is along for the ride, according to the appraisal. However, that analysis concluded that any future developer would have to “substantially renovate” the building to make it profitable, largely due to a lack of parking.