Here are the first 10 properties in the Endangered Historic Buildings 2020 list by the Jacksonville Historical Society. The George Doro Fixture Co. Building, 102 A. Philip Randolph Blvd., was built in 1903-04.
The George Doro Fixture Co. Building now.
The Eagle Laundry Building, also known as the Kartouche Night Club, at 618 W. Forsyth St.
Cunningham Furniture Annex, 521 W. Forsyth St.
First Baptist Church Sunday School Building, 125 W. Church St.
Universal Marion / JEA Building, 21 W. Church St.
Post Civil War Cottage, 328 Chelsea St. (originally Cedar, then Charles Street)
LaVilla Shotgun Houses, Jefferson Street
Dr. Horace Drew Mansion, 245 W. Third St.
Claude Nolan Cadillac Building, 937 N. Main St.
JAX Brewing Company manufacturing plant, 1429 W. 16th St.
In observance of National Historic Preservation Month, the Jacksonville Historical Society released its annual list of Jacksonville’s most endangered buildings.
“Historic sites and properties matter to Jacksonville’s people. When historic buildings – such as Fire Station No. 5 and soon the George Doro Fixture Company building – are demolished, we erase another part of the culture, history, and life stories that form our Jacksonville,” said Alan Bliss, JHS chief executive officer, in a news release.
Fire Station No. 5 at Forest Street and Riverside Avenue was demolished in January as part of Fidelity National Information Services Inc.’s $145 million riverfront headquarters building project.
Rise Properties LLC plans to demolish the Doro Fixture Co. seven-structure complex along A. Philip Randolph Blvd., near the Sports Complex, to allow construction of a mixed-use project comprising 247 apartments, retail space and a rooftop bar.
The developer applied in April for a demolition permit. Final approval consideration of the project is on the May 14 agenda for the Downtown Development Review Board, which granted conceptual approval of the site plan and design in March.
“Unfortunately, the property is not part of the Downtown Historic Register District nor is the building a locally designated landmark. The Society’s office is just a couple of blocks away from the Doro Fixture building so we are saddened to learn it will not be part of the downtown fabric for years to come,” Bliss said in the release.
The members of the 2020 Historic Sites Committee are Chair David Chauncey; Michael Fackler, immediate past board chair; Wayne Wood, historian at large; Ed Booth and Harry Reagan, former JHS board presidents; Brian Bush, vice president at the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships; and Amy Palmer, director of grants administration for the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Historical Society was established in 1929. The nonprofit maintains an archival repository of documents, photographs, rare books and architectural artifacts relating to Jacksonville-area history.
With offices in the Old St. Luke’s Hospital building on Palmetto Street, the society raises money for the restoration of local landmarks, provides speakers on Jacksonville history topics and leads walking tours, among other activities.
