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DOCOMOMO Florida Tour Day 2011
Two Jacksonville Events Attract Nearly 200 Attendees Each!!
Chalk one up for the Modernists!
DOCOMOMO US/Florida teamed with the Jacksonville Chapter of AIA and Old Arlington, Inc., a neighborhood preservation group, to produce two well-attended tours on October 8th, 2011.
The morning tour was launched at 9:00 a.m. with background presentations the National Trust’s Christine Madrid French, University of Florida Assistant Professor Marty Hylton, chapter President Richard Shieldhouse, and Bill Bishop, an architect who also serves as Vice-President of Jacksonville’s City Council.
The 180-seat sanctuary of Robert Broward’s 1965 Unitarian Universalist Church was standing room only for the one-hour series. Tourgoers were then set free to explore six examples of houses from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the church, a fine example of organic architecture.
The houses — all in Jacksonville’s Arlington neighborhood — included a range of styles and remodelings — some clearly more successful than others. One of the sites visited was a pristine example of a Cemesto, redwood, and glass structure which is still occupied by its original owner.
Another is a nearly complete renovation of a 1967 waterfront residence by William N. Morgan. This house was on the verge of collapse two years ago. Its new owners saved the structure from certain demolition and are sensitively providing it with new life.
In the afternoon a second tour offered visitors a chance to visit the former Ford Motor Company assembly plant on the other side of the St. Johns River. This 1924 Albert Kahn design, though structurally sound, is in generally dreadful physical condition.
It is presently in use as a repair facility for wooden pallets and for trailer storage. A variety of marine and other clients make use of adjacent property. Its owners aspire to an adaptive reuse for the building, although there has been little traction with that regard. The threat of demolition remains, especially in light of recent expansion of bulk-material facilities along the St. Johns River waterfront.
A copy of the booklet distributed to attendees is available by clicking HERE
