Most Endangered - Update
AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE FLORIDA TRUST’S MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
Riverview High School (listed 2006, 2007, 2008)
In June 2008, the County School Board voted to demolish the 1958 Rudolph building. The Florida Trust was contacted to potentially join a number of preservation groups as a party to a lawsuit to try and reverse the decision, but the attorney offering his services pro bono backed out due to the possibilities of high legal costs and the potential for a frivolous claim by the School Board. A group of students from the University of Florida is in the process of completing HABS documentation on the school.
Coconut Grove Playhouse (listed 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
In December 2008, the Playhouse’s board released a plan to reopen the theater. The plan calls for the theatre to reopen as a 300-seat theater (down from 1,100 seats) with a footprint set aside for a 600-seat theater as a potential future project. The Playhouse’s debt would be paid down under terms of a development agreement with Aries Development Group which has already lent the Playhouse $1.5 million. As part of that agreement, the developer would be responsible for the “non-theater component” around the building. A design charrette was completed on the building by the University of Miami’s Center for Urban and Community Design. This site still warrants watching due to the potential development around the theater.
Great Southern Hotel (listed 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
October 2008 - The owners of the hotel have recently gone bankrupt but report in the South Florida Business Journal that they still intend to carry on in their redevelopment project. The city is cracking down on code violations and the lack of maintenance to the hotel could become an issue.
Stranahan Trading Post and Camp Archaeological Site (listed 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
October 2008– lawyers for the Stranahan House lost an appeal against the condo slated for the site. The lawyers wanted the court to reverse the decision to grant a COA for the site for the condo, one more lawsuit challenging the condo’s consistency with the city land development rules is planned.
Avery Smith House, Miami Beach (listed 2005, 2006, 2007)
In January 2008, the owners of this historic property informed the City of Miami Beach that they would restore the house. They put up a $400,000 performance bond that will be forfeited to the Miami Design Preservation League if restoration work isn’t completed within 2 years. Partial demolition of the rear of the house occurred in 2007. No additional work has taken place for several months and a recent news article mentioned that the property is in foreclosure. The demolition order on the property was vacated by the courts and the walls have been reinforced with concrete to meet the Hurricane Codes.
Historic Cigar Factories of Tampa (listed 2006, 2007)
There is still a potential threat to the cigar factories that are located outside of the City’s preservation ordinance, so these buildings should continue to be watched.
The Belleview Biltmore Hotel, Belleair (listed 2005, 2006, 2007)
October 2008 – three men from Belleair have filed lawsuits against some of the proposed renovation plans passed in May 2008. These plans concern the redevelopment of the Cabana Club restaurant on Sand Key, replacing it with a 6-floor hotel. It could take up to a year to resolve these issues and the renovation of the hotel can’t move forward until these issues are resolved. The group Save the Biltmore is still very active in seeing the restoration of the hotel through.
Florida’s Historic Antebellum Roads, Statewide (listed 2006, 2007)
No change has been made to the threat from future development of the areas that these roads are located. However, staff at the Division of Historical Resources and the Florida Archaeological Council have been researching how other states are preserving their linear resources. In October 2008, DHR held a training workshop for 75+ cultural resource management staff and a large portion focused on how these professionals should evaluate and treat segments of historic linear resources.
Old City Waterworks, Tallahassee (listed 2005, 2006)
Through State and City funding, the exterior of the Old City Waterworks has been restored and received a Statewide Preservation Award in 2008. The interior still needs to be renovated but based on limited funding opportunities, that has been put on hold. It is considered a contributing building for the redevelopment plan for Gaines Street.