At the Sept. 26 Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission (JHPC) meeting, the Committee denied owners of the Bostwick Building—originally know as the Guaranty Trust and Savings Building—permission to demolish the structure. The Commission also instructed staff to prepare an application for landmark status. Landmark status would protect the Bostwick Building from demolition and make it eligible for various funding sources for rehabilitation.
The owners have since filed an appeal of this decision, which will be reviewed by City Council.
The JHPC held a meeting yesterday, during which they determined completeness of the landmark application and scheduled a public hearing to determine whether to recommend landmark status. The hearing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. in room 851 of the Ed Ball Building, 214 N. Hogan St.
Following this public hearing, City Council will hear the appeal of the demolition permit denial. If the Bostwick Building is recommended for landmark status, then a bill will be filed with City Council and the Land Use and Zoning (LUZ) Committee will conduct a public hearing on both the appeal and the Landmark status together. If the JHPC does not recommend landmark status, then the LUZ will consider the appeal as a separate item.
Downtown Vision, Inc., supports the designation of the Bostwick Building as a local landmark and urges the City Council to uphold the JHPC’s denial of the demolition permit.