As the conversation on saving Downtown Jacksonville’s historic buildings continues, Livability.com has released its latest list of the Top 10 Cities for Historic Preservation. You may be surprised to learn that Jacksonville is sandwiched between two of the top 10, St Augustine at #5 and Savannah at #10.
These two cities recognize and embrace the importance of saving historic buildings in the Downtown Core. In the article, Nancy Sikes-Kline, a city commissioner and member of the Citizens for the Preservation of St. Augustine, states, “Our historic buildings are a core value to our city…It’s why a lot of people move here.”
Over the last 50 years, preservationists in Savannah have saved more than 350 historic properties from demolition.
Both of these cities win numerous accolades for livability, tourism and economic development.
If you’ve read our previous posts on this blog, you’ll know that Jacksonville has lost 27 of its historic buildings in the past 15 years to demolition or collapse. Of the remaining 88 historic structures, 25 (28 percent) have been designated as local historic landmarks.
Join in the conversation and share your thoughts on the importance of saving our historic buildings in Downtown Jacksonville.
You can read the full article here: http://livability.com/top-10/top-10-cities-historic-preservation