Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Courthouse Panel |
Object Name |
Recording, Audio |
Audio Recording |
Click here to view/hear the file. |
Scope & Content |
Courthouse Panel Interview November 16, 2019 Arlene Filkoff, President of Fernandina Beach Main Street for downtown Fernandina Beach was the moderator for this interview. She gave a brief history of the oral history tradition and explained the Museum's Heritage Keepers Program to the audience. She acknowledged audience members Judge Foster, Lindy Kavanaugh and Melba Whitaker. Melba and her husband Bob began the Historic Fernandina Beach Business Association in the 1970's. Downtown FB was a working downtown. The downtown business owners felt a need to revitalize and restore the downtown buildings. They asked Jim Higginbotham to be the lead contractor on the project. Beano Roberts was the Chamber of Commerce Director at the time; Buddy Jacobs, whose family moved here in 1943 to help build Rayonier was going to write grants and ask various businesses for donations. Salvatore Camella was the City of FB Preservation Planner; Kevin McCarthy has been a resident for 51 years and owns Amelia River Cruises; Susan Steger, Suzanne Hardee's daughter and longtime resident; Neil Blalock, a resident for 63 years and manager of Partin's Shoe Store on Centre St. along with Suanne Thamm, a member of the AIMH Restoration Board were all on board to see the downtown restoration through. The question was asked to the panel "What are some of the differences between Fernandina Beach in the 1970's and Fernandina Beach today?" Susan Steger commented that FB wasn't as affluent then as it is now. Neil Blalock said Centre Street was a long, straight street in the 70's. Homes were being torn down and shops were closing. The historic Egmont Hotel had been torn down and the Keystone Hotel was being threatened with demolition. Businesses started to move out from the downtown area, the business owners were also property owners and they were losing their customer base. Residents started to take notice of the significance of Fernandina's history and how these historic buildings were being demolished, so in 1972, with the help of Buddy Jacobs and Suzanne Hardee the Restoration Foundation was formed. The original founding members were: Aubrey Williams; Suzanne Hardee; Mary Agnes and Bob White; Helen Litrico (wrote brochures & grants); Eldridge Partin (Partin's Shoe Store); Melba & Bob Whitaker; Susan McCranie; Rosanna Oliver; Beano Roberts; Grace & Gordon Butler (founded league of cities) and George P. Davies (had a large collection of historic pictures of Fernandina). This was the original Board of Directors of the Fernandina Beach Restoration Society. It was a group effort to get merchants and The Chamber together to raise seed money for grants. Helen Litrico's college roommate was the head of the National Endowment for the Arts. This relationship helped to secure grants for the restoration project. The first grant was for a presentation called "Aint your Downtown Beautiful" to be delivered by Beano Roberts of the Chamber of Commerce. The program consisted of pictures showing the downstairs of the historic buildings and how they became "modernized" for the 70's. The upstairs of the buildings, where no restoration was made, looked as if they were frozen in the Victorian age. The purpose of this presentation was to raise money to hire a city planner to help with the renovation design. In 1973 the committee approached the University of Florida and asked for their help documenting the restoration process in order to have Fernandina Beach listed on the National Historic Register. The City authorized the FBRS $700,000 to complete the 30 block restoration and when a check for $1.3 million dollars was presented to the City Commissioners, everyone was elated! They never thought it could happen. The FBRS had other projects in mind. If they had buildings on the National Historic Registry they wanted to insure the surrounding downtown was authentic as well. Centre Street was prone to flooding so a serpentine street was installed, the drainage was fixed and utilities were relocated underground. There was a negative impact to all the work that was being done to tear up the street but all had the final vision in mind. Changing downtown Fernandina Beach into a "Victorian Seaside Fishing Village" was the goal. It was an unsettling time for the merchants but they took a leap of faith. The south end had been sold to the Sea Pines Corporation for $4 million dollars to develop the Amelia Island Plantation, so it was a transitional time in the community as well. Charles Fraser, the President of the Sea Pines Corporation thought the downtown should keep up with the AIP. The National Historic Preservation Act was signed in 1966 in order to preserve historic buildings and keep them viable by saving communities and the values they embody. The Main Street Project organization was formed in 1983 to keep historic downtowns historically viable and preserved. The Fernandina Beach Restoration Society had the vision long before the Fernandina Beach Main Street Program was formed. Arlene asks the group "If you could have done one thing differently, what would it be?" Buddy said he didn't know what to expect and that he wouldn't have done anything differently. Susan said in 1977-78 Alachua Street was planned to be opened, but it didn't happen for years. She said social media makes it so there's so much negativity before projects get started that it's difficult to sell the vision. You have to listen but keep your eye on the prize for the greater good to be served. FB Main Street is continuing their vision of saving communities and the values they embody. Their office is located at 309 1/2 Centre Street. |
Object ID |
2020.001.003 |
Collection |
AIMH Heritage Keepers Project |
Caption |
Arlene Filkoff |
Interview date |
2019-11-16 |
Interview place |
Nassau County Courthouse |
Interviewer |
Joshua Whitfield/Arlene Fillkoff |
Narrator's name |
Courthouse Panel |
Number of images |
1 |
People |
Butler, Gordon T. Butler, Grace Arno Davis, George T. Filkoff, Arlene Fraser, Charles E. Hardee, Suzanne Davis Higginbotham, Jim B. Jacobs, Arthur I. Litrico, Helen McCraine, Susan Oliver, Rosanna Partin, Eldridge Roberts, Beano Whitaker, Melba Whitaker, Robert "Bob" White, Bob White, Mary Agnes White, Mary Agnes Wolff Whitfield, Joshua Williams, Aubrey Blalock, Neil Thamm, Suanne |
Recording media |
Digital Recording |
Search Terms |
Centre Street Centre Street Restoration Charles Fraser Clerk, City of Fernandina Courthouse Egmont Hotel |
Date |
08/16/2019 |