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02-19-2008, 04:25 AM
Preservationists lament neglect; developers say plan is viable
By Charlie Patton, The Times-Union
In 1981, the decision by the Ida M. Stevens Foundation to buy the Annie Lytle School appeared to be the perfect opportunity to repeat a preservation triumph in Jacksonville. Instead it has resulted in more than a quarter-century of disappointment and, in recent years, criticism. But the foundation's chairman says he remains optimistic the building will be preserved.
What the foundation originally intended was to convert Annie Lytle, originally known as Public School Number Four, into apartments for seniors. That's what the foundation had successfully done with downtown's old Duval High School, which it purchased in 1977. But tax laws changed, grant money dried up and the apartment conversion plan for Annie Lytle, a public school from 1917 to 1960, fell through.
Other plans followed: a center for nonprofit agencies, a condominium conversion, a storage facility, artists' lofts and most recently a retirement facility. The city's Historic Preservation Commission granted the building landmark status in 2000.
Two years ago, with the consent of Doug Milne, who chairs the Ida M. Stevens Foundation's board, and against the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission, a developer sought permission to dismantle it. That request was approved by the City Council's Land Use and Zoning Committee. But amid the outcry that followed, including a letter from the Southern Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Mayor John Peyton and council President Kevin Hyde, the City Development Co. did not pursue the demolition request before the full City Council.
Milne said he actually agreed with most of the arguments made in the letter by John B. Hildreth of the National Trust to protect the neo-classical building. The one statement by Hildreth he disputed was that the old school's "prominent location along I-95" would make it a "highly visible" symbol of Jacksonville's commitment to historic preservation.
The school used to be highly visible to drivers crossing the Fuller Warren Bridge, sitting on a hill looking across I-95 toward Riverside Park. That changed when the bridge was replaced. Today, the school faces under the bridge and lies in the shadow of a still-incomplete flyover.
City Development Co. still has a contract to develop the property, and the current plan is to renovate the old building as part of a larger structure, company official Lynn Fournier said. She said The Renaissance Group, which redeveloped the Gateway Town Center, is now a partner in the plan to build a 55-and-up residential facility.
Jerry Spinks, president of the Jacksonville Historical Society, who is familiar with their plans, said, "I think there's a good future for Annie Lytle." But on local Web sites where preservation issues are debated, including MetroJacksonville.com and JaxOutLoud.com, Milne and the foundation are sometimes accused of "demolition by neglect" - allowing the building to deteriorate to the point that it can't be preserved.
Tim Kinnear, a print technician who has made a personal cause out of Annie Lytle, launched a thread in December on JaxOutLoud.com, decrying the condition of the school. "This very beautiful, deteriorating piece of architecture has fallen victim to owners who do have the means to fix it up at least to a marketable state, but choose to spend thousands and thousands of dollars ... to board it up, only for vandals to break into it yet again and further destruct it," he wrote.
That was mild compared with some comments that followed, which frustrates Milne. "It hasn't been much fun to endure these barbs," he said. In particular, he said claims that the building's physical condition has significantly deteriorated under the foundation's ownership aren't accurate. The roof over the school's auditorium has collapsed, but Milne has School Board reports from the 1960s and '70s showing that the roof needed replacement then.
Because it was constructed out of concrete and brick, the building remains structurally sound, Milne said. Because water damage is not an issue, he said there is no reason to pay to replace the roof until an overall renovation is undertaken. A bigger problem for the building, he said, has been the ongoing vandalism, which has included cutting through chain-link fences, destroying newly installed lighting systems and even ripping down steel doors secured with chains.
Despite it all, Milne said he believes the current developer has a plan that will finally make the old building viable. "I'm optimistic," he said. "Qualified by I've been optimistic before."
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/021908/met_248312178.shtml
By Charlie Patton, The Times-Union
In 1981, the decision by the Ida M. Stevens Foundation to buy the Annie Lytle School appeared to be the perfect opportunity to repeat a preservation triumph in Jacksonville. Instead it has resulted in more than a quarter-century of disappointment and, in recent years, criticism. But the foundation's chairman says he remains optimistic the building will be preserved.
What the foundation originally intended was to convert Annie Lytle, originally known as Public School Number Four, into apartments for seniors. That's what the foundation had successfully done with downtown's old Duval High School, which it purchased in 1977. But tax laws changed, grant money dried up and the apartment conversion plan for Annie Lytle, a public school from 1917 to 1960, fell through.
Other plans followed: a center for nonprofit agencies, a condominium conversion, a storage facility, artists' lofts and most recently a retirement facility. The city's Historic Preservation Commission granted the building landmark status in 2000.
Two years ago, with the consent of Doug Milne, who chairs the Ida M. Stevens Foundation's board, and against the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission, a developer sought permission to dismantle it. That request was approved by the City Council's Land Use and Zoning Committee. But amid the outcry that followed, including a letter from the Southern Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Mayor John Peyton and council President Kevin Hyde, the City Development Co. did not pursue the demolition request before the full City Council.
Milne said he actually agreed with most of the arguments made in the letter by John B. Hildreth of the National Trust to protect the neo-classical building. The one statement by Hildreth he disputed was that the old school's "prominent location along I-95" would make it a "highly visible" symbol of Jacksonville's commitment to historic preservation.
The school used to be highly visible to drivers crossing the Fuller Warren Bridge, sitting on a hill looking across I-95 toward Riverside Park. That changed when the bridge was replaced. Today, the school faces under the bridge and lies in the shadow of a still-incomplete flyover.
City Development Co. still has a contract to develop the property, and the current plan is to renovate the old building as part of a larger structure, company official Lynn Fournier said. She said The Renaissance Group, which redeveloped the Gateway Town Center, is now a partner in the plan to build a 55-and-up residential facility.
Jerry Spinks, president of the Jacksonville Historical Society, who is familiar with their plans, said, "I think there's a good future for Annie Lytle." But on local Web sites where preservation issues are debated, including MetroJacksonville.com and JaxOutLoud.com, Milne and the foundation are sometimes accused of "demolition by neglect" - allowing the building to deteriorate to the point that it can't be preserved.
Tim Kinnear, a print technician who has made a personal cause out of Annie Lytle, launched a thread in December on JaxOutLoud.com, decrying the condition of the school. "This very beautiful, deteriorating piece of architecture has fallen victim to owners who do have the means to fix it up at least to a marketable state, but choose to spend thousands and thousands of dollars ... to board it up, only for vandals to break into it yet again and further destruct it," he wrote.
That was mild compared with some comments that followed, which frustrates Milne. "It hasn't been much fun to endure these barbs," he said. In particular, he said claims that the building's physical condition has significantly deteriorated under the foundation's ownership aren't accurate. The roof over the school's auditorium has collapsed, but Milne has School Board reports from the 1960s and '70s showing that the roof needed replacement then.
Because it was constructed out of concrete and brick, the building remains structurally sound, Milne said. Because water damage is not an issue, he said there is no reason to pay to replace the roof until an overall renovation is undertaken. A bigger problem for the building, he said, has been the ongoing vandalism, which has included cutting through chain-link fences, destroying newly installed lighting systems and even ripping down steel doors secured with chains.
Despite it all, Milne said he believes the current developer has a plan that will finally make the old building viable. "I'm optimistic," he said. "Qualified by I've been optimistic before."
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/021908/met_248312178.shtml