Dear CRRB members,
The historic jail annex is a very significant historic structure because of its strong associations with the events and leaders of the St. Augustine and National Civil Rights Movement. It deserves to be preserved, not demolished. Many voices of the movement have passed away and now what is left are the places that help tell their story. The historic SJC jail is a crucial element of that story.
The structure was built circa 1953 in the Art Moderne style by famed Florida architect FA Hollingsworth (1885-1974) who designed other notable structures including the Exchange Bank in downtown St. Augustine. This architectural significance which in itself makes the structures worthy of designation, is eclipsed by the building's history from 1963-64 where it served as a place of punishment for civil rights foot soldiers. To be sent to the jail for fighting to end segregation and fight Jim Crow was a badge of selfless courage. The structure has already been designated by ACCORD who placed a plaque detailing the structure's place in the Civil Rights Movement:
This building, designed by architect F. A. Hollingsworth, opened in 1953 as the St. Johns County Jail, replacing an earlier jail building on San Marco Avenue that subsequently became a tourist attraction. A decade later, this building played a prominent role in the civil rights movement, when hundreds of demonstrators were incarcerated here in 1963 and 1964. At one point, the president of the United States was told that if he wanted to keep an eye on the leaders of the civil rights movement, he should look at the St. Johns County Jail. Photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taken here have become some of the iconic pictures of that era.
The demonstrations in St. Augustine, under the leadership of Dr. Robert B. Hayling, led directly to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the two great legislative accomplishments of the movement. Many famous people spent time in this building, including the St. Augustine Four (teenagers who spent six months in jail and reform school for sitting-in at a local lunch counter); Mrs. Mary Peabody, 72-year-old mother of the governor of Massachusetts; author Sarah Patton Boyle; and those who took part in the largest mass arrest of rabbis in American history. A veritable Who's Who of civil rights leaders including Dr. King, Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Rev. C. T. Vivian, Rev. Andrew Young, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and others passed through these doors.
While many notable people came from outside to support the civil rights movement here, the largest number of those arrested were local residents--the "foot soldiers" of the movement--whom Dr. King hailed as "the heroes of St. Augustine." They displayed extraordinary courage in standing up against racial segregation, and their example helped to change America and inspire the world.
The jail doesn't just represent civil rights history, but Jewish American history because of the rabbis who stood in solidarity with the black community because they "realized that injustice in St. Augustine, as anywhere else, diminishes the humanity of each of us." These beliefs were in response to how the world initially turned its back on the inhumanity of the disenfranchisement and murder of the Jewish people that occurred only 20 some years prior. The County's announcement of the intent to demo the jail on Holocaust Remembrance Day was ill timed.
I advise that the CRRB oppose the demolition of the jail structure because of its strong relationship to the events and people of the Civil Rights Movement. I recommend that the historic structure be rehabilitated or incorporated into a new design to meet the modern needs of the Sheriff's Office while still preserving the facade. This should be done in accordance with the Secretary Standards for Rehabilitation. There are many examples of a historic structure serving as a "base" while a modern addition helps satisfy a need for greater square footage and capability. A Historic Architectural Building Survey (HABS) should be ordered prior to any work or demolition.
St. Johns County is still reckoning with its racist past and preserving this structure is imperative as part of the process of recognizing the importance of our local black history. I must point out that in the County's proposal for the Florida Museum of Black history, the jail is listed as a reason for SJC being selected for the museum (note, wrong address). What does it say if we allow it to be destroyed then? It would be hypocritical to say the least.
Sincerely,
Trey Asner
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2 comments:
I have to order chicken from North Carolina for my restaurant here in St Augustine, and eggs from California. Not a live chicken can be found in the whole county. Billionaires own every egg in America. If I serve people anything but cardboard pizza, I'll not be able to pay my $4,000 a month rent. Hey, at least the egg barrons pay no rent and eat wagu beef every night. I voted for Trump to solve all these problems.
Speaking of things coming and going, I didn't know A1A Ale works downtown closed. Said it was due to "an expired lease." That's a nice and sportsman like way to cover for the rent pigs.. who send every business tits up eventually. Then we have the government destroying things. I thought Republicans were pro business?
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