JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA'S HISTORIC AREA
Last month I had the opportunity to visit the Historic District in Jacksonville, Florida. Cool Huh?! I've been lucky enough to have toured the awesome historic homes of San Francisco, CA; Savanna, GA; Cambridge, Ma; and Key West, FL. Do ya think I love old houses? Oh...lets not forget our very own Tacoma and Seattle!
It just so happens that my Mother lives in Jacksonville (JAX) in an historic Bungalow; one of many that sit in the Willowbranch section of the Avondale Historic District in JAX. The trend, of late, has been to purchase these old bungalows and fix them up, not unlike most rejuvenated historic areas of cities like I mentioned above.
Most of these wonderful Districts are comprised of a myriad of architectural style and spice. Something for everyone, providing you love "old." I've gone on and on about the difference between a restoration and a remodel and I'm certain that anyone familiar with historic homes would agree that the only way to do it is to maintain the integrity of the era of the home while still incorporating the conveniences and amenities of modern living.
It's a wonderful thing when your historic district has a good partnership with its governing organization. I'm not sure if that's the term I should use but, the group of people who are appointed or hired to oversee that the district's resident are maintaining their homes in a way in which enriches the neighborhoods and does not detract from it. Face it people...if you live in an historic district you have a responsibility to care for, maintain and upkeep your home in the manner that conforms to the guidelines of the district. You may not like it but, there it is.
In JAX, the district is overseen by an organization called RAP (Riverside/Avondale Preservation). I strolled in to their offices located in an old historic home, of course, and simply asked to speak with someone who would be willing to answer a ton of questions about their Historic District. Susan Grich came right down. A very cheerful, young woman who made me feel quite comfortable about taking time away from her work day to be interrogated by me.
Susan shared with me the boundary lines for both of their historic jurisdictions and how they work in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville Planning Department. Sound familiar? I asked about what type of restrictions or guidelines they had for their historic neighborhoods and how they are enforced. I was surprised to learn that, just as in Tacoma, RAP really does not enforce them; that is all done through the City of Jacksonville. Everything goes through the City. Any complaints or violation go to the City Planning Department(CPD), and any fines or "Stop Work Orders" (SWO) come from the CPD.
Jacksonville has a design review process similar to what we have in place in Tacoma, although I am not certain who sits on that review committee. I do know that it is a City Planning Committee review so...sounds like it may not be mad up of such a diverse group as what we have here in Tacoma. The process, I was told, takes 30-45 days to go through.
Susan did say the RAP has a Real Estate Professional that works with them (I'm certain that they recommend him/her to anyone inquiring about buying or selling in that area) and is knowledgeable about the restrictions, design review process and other important information for the area.
So taking all of the information that Susan gave me and applying it to my Mom's neighborhood was interesting....
My mom lives in an adorable historic bungalow. Inside it is truly cute and clean with gleaming hardwood floors and a fireplace. She just had the outside painted and it shouts out "Florida Bungalow" with it's rosy coral colored stucco up top and sandstones below. The next project is to make the yard really nice. That's coming. We had the house on the market last year but, short of paying someone to come haul it away, it wasn't going anywhere. One of the things, other than the market, that held it back, were the homes in the neighborhood that were run down and trashy looking. In other words, they definitely were not conforming to the RAP/City guidelines and restrictions set up for the Historic District. One home in particular was right next door to my Mother's house. A rather vagrant older man was living in the house with no furniture, heat or electricity. Every weekend (and some week days) he would have a flea market out on his front lawn and sidewalk attracting many....well....questionable characters. Then he would leave his milk crates and ply wood out on the lawn and sidewalk for the next sale. It was an eyesore! My mother was not comfortable reporting the owner to the City in fear of retaliation. Funny...someone mysteriously turned the guy in last month. Hmmm;-)
I'm hoping to see that Willowbranch neighborhood come back and evolve in to and adorable, eclectic collection of historic Jacksonville Bungalows again.
It just so happens that my Mother lives in Jacksonville (JAX) in an historic Bungalow; one of many that sit in the Willowbranch section of the Avondale Historic District in JAX. The trend, of late, has been to purchase these old bungalows and fix them up, not unlike most rejuvenated historic areas of cities like I mentioned above.
Most of these wonderful Districts are comprised of a myriad of architectural style and spice. Something for everyone, providing you love "old." I've gone on and on about the difference between a restoration and a remodel and I'm certain that anyone familiar with historic homes would agree that the only way to do it is to maintain the integrity of the era of the home while still incorporating the conveniences and amenities of modern living.
It's a wonderful thing when your historic district has a good partnership with its governing organization. I'm not sure if that's the term I should use but, the group of people who are appointed or hired to oversee that the district's resident are maintaining their homes in a way in which enriches the neighborhoods and does not detract from it. Face it people...if you live in an historic district you have a responsibility to care for, maintain and upkeep your home in the manner that conforms to the guidelines of the district. You may not like it but, there it is.
In JAX, the district is overseen by an organization called RAP (Riverside/Avondale Preservation). I strolled in to their offices located in an old historic home, of course, and simply asked to speak with someone who would be willing to answer a ton of questions about their Historic District. Susan Grich came right down. A very cheerful, young woman who made me feel quite comfortable about taking time away from her work day to be interrogated by me.
Susan shared with me the boundary lines for both of their historic jurisdictions and how they work in conjunction with the City of Jacksonville Planning Department. Sound familiar? I asked about what type of restrictions or guidelines they had for their historic neighborhoods and how they are enforced. I was surprised to learn that, just as in Tacoma, RAP really does not enforce them; that is all done through the City of Jacksonville. Everything goes through the City. Any complaints or violation go to the City Planning Department(CPD), and any fines or "Stop Work Orders" (SWO) come from the CPD.
Jacksonville has a design review process similar to what we have in place in Tacoma, although I am not certain who sits on that review committee. I do know that it is a City Planning Committee review so...sounds like it may not be mad up of such a diverse group as what we have here in Tacoma. The process, I was told, takes 30-45 days to go through.
Susan did say the RAP has a Real Estate Professional that works with them (I'm certain that they recommend him/her to anyone inquiring about buying or selling in that area) and is knowledgeable about the restrictions, design review process and other important information for the area.
So taking all of the information that Susan gave me and applying it to my Mom's neighborhood was interesting....
My mom lives in an adorable historic bungalow. Inside it is truly cute and clean with gleaming hardwood floors and a fireplace. She just had the outside painted and it shouts out "Florida Bungalow" with it's rosy coral colored stucco up top and sandstones below. The next project is to make the yard really nice. That's coming. We had the house on the market last year but, short of paying someone to come haul it away, it wasn't going anywhere. One of the things, other than the market, that held it back, were the homes in the neighborhood that were run down and trashy looking. In other words, they definitely were not conforming to the RAP/City guidelines and restrictions set up for the Historic District. One home in particular was right next door to my Mother's house. A rather vagrant older man was living in the house with no furniture, heat or electricity. Every weekend (and some week days) he would have a flea market out on his front lawn and sidewalk attracting many....well....questionable characters. Then he would leave his milk crates and ply wood out on the lawn and sidewalk for the next sale. It was an eyesore! My mother was not comfortable reporting the owner to the City in fear of retaliation. Funny...someone mysteriously turned the guy in last month. Hmmm;-)
I'm hoping to see that Willowbranch neighborhood come back and evolve in to and adorable, eclectic collection of historic Jacksonville Bungalows again.
Labels: FL, Historic Homes, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Historic District, Jax, Martha Mendenhall
posted by Martha Mendenhall | 1:36 PM
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