Faded Beauty: The Parkland

Here's a cool little Mediterranean Revival four-plex on Seminole Road in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood just waiting for someone to come along and rescue it from the effects of time and neglect.  The good news is that it's still standing!

Parkland Apartments, 1503-1509 Seminole Road, Jacksonville, Florida.  This four unit apartment house appears to date from the mid to late 1920's and is typical for the time and the Riverside neighborhood.  I have no information on the architect or builder.  Based on similar buildings, the Parkland likely contains two bedroom, one bath apartments.  As you can see, all units have a porch or balcony overlooking the front.   

Is anyone home at the Parkland?  As far as I could tell, no; the building appears unoccupied.  This is unusual for the neighborhood and especially here, on the busy corner of Seminole Road and Park Street.  Even with the economic downturn, there are signs of renewal and restoration everywhere in the Riverside neighborhood, so it's sad to come across a neglected structure like this.  The good news is that this is the exception and a great opportunity waiting for the right person.

A wheelbarrow on the front porch is one sign that work on the building was underway at some time, but it all seems to have come to a  halt.  We can hope this is temporary and the owner is ready to resume restoration, but it didn't look that way to me. 

As is usually the case with neglected buildings, if you can look past the peeling paint, dust, and emptiness you can find interesting details that are reminders of a more respectable past and a lovely building that could, with the right attention, provide a comfortable home again.  These are the kind of embellishments that elevate an ordinary building and make it special.

Next to the building, a one-time garage that was converted at some point into a fifth apartment.

So the Parkland waits for the right person to bring it back. 

In addition to the attributes of the building itself, there is the location.  The Parkland looks out on a very pretty stretch of Seminole Road where the road splits around a line of beautiful oak trees that provides a cooling canopy.

If I had the means and know-how to save the Parkland I'd do it!  Here's hoping someone will do just that.  This is a building worth saving.