Note: All tours will depart from the front of the Main Library, on Laura Street at Hemming Plaza. The downtown walking tour begins at 12:30, Sunday, with a repeat tour offered at 2:30 pm. The driving tours will depart for Springfield and Riverside Avondale at Noon and 12:15 pm, and then again at 2 pm and 2:15 pm. Conference participants may choose two of the three tours.
WALKING TOUR OF DOWNTOWN ARCHITECTURE:
Maybe the best thing that ever happened to Jacksonville was the Great Fire of 1901!
Come join us as we stroll around Hemming Plaza and down Laura to the corner of Forsyth Street . Take the opportunity to observe and enjoy the notable and often magnificent architecture of the historic buildings along the way. Step back one hundred years and learn about the people who helped rebuild this city and who walked these same streets in triumph and frustration. And, then decide for yourself, “Was the Great Fire a tragedy or a new awakening?”
« After receiving a masters degree in American history, tour guide Pam Edwards-Roine taught history for over 30 years. Upon retirement, Pam along with her husband, Pedro, purchased and restored a home in Historic Springfield. Since then, Pam has been active in various organizations dedicated to preservation and community revitalization. She currently leads historic tours of downtown Jacksonville on the monthly Art Walk and conducts private tours of the downtown area by appointment.
Tour Guide: Pam Edwards-Roine, “It’s All About Jacksonville” Tours (904) 358-9535
GUIDED TOUR OF RIVERSIDE AVONDALE:
The Riverside-Avondale Historic District is a textbook of Florida's architecture from the 1890s to the early 1940s. No other neighborhood in the state has such a diverse and extensive collection of architectural styles. This tour will visit some stand-out examples of the district's architectural heritage, including a terrific restoration of a turn-of-the century apartment building, a vibrant example of commercial adaptive reuse, and a couple of stellar homes, one a work-in-progress and the other a restored gem. Tour is approximately one-and-a-half hours.
Tour Guides: Elaine Starling and Margie Yarborough
GUIDED TOUR OF SPRINGFIELD:
Jacksonville's first nationally designated historic district, Springfield is a front-porch community where two-thirds of the residences predate 1921. From Bungalow and Prairie styles to fanciful Queen Anne and Colonial Revival residences, the district's architectural features will be showcased in this tour, with inside visits at several notable structures. Tour is approximately one-and-a-half hours.
When the tours are over, why not end your day with a throwback baseball game in Springfield? Sporting old-time uniforms and vintage equipment from the turn of the last century, the Eastside Reds will take on the Westside Giants at 3:30 Sunday at Klutho Park. Food and refreshments will be available.
Architects: The tour component of Restore Jacksonville is eligible for up to 3 AIA continuing education units.
