The Dow Museum of Historic Homes has been sold by the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences to millionaire State College, Pennsylvania lawyer DAVID BARTON CORNEAL.
DAVID BARTON CORNEAL is pondering privatizing the museum into a complex of bed and breakfasts.
We'll just see about that.
P.S. Four (4) days after this post, the MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS owned St. Augustine Record got around to reporting, not questioning anything about the deal, hectoring it with a front page press release, not asking how a museum gets privatized before our eyes, knelling, in haec verb:
St. Augustine's Dow Museum of Historic Houses sold for $1.7 million
Posted: November 12, 2014 - 6:13pm
PETER.WILLOTT@STAUGUSTINE.COM The Dow Museum of Historic Houses is on Cordova St. in St. Augustine and features a collection of nine historic houses dating from 1790 to 1910.
PETER.WILLOTT@STAUGUSTINE.COM The Dow Museum of Historic Houses is on Cordova St. in St. Augustine and features a collection of nine historic houses dating from 1790 to 1910.
By STUART KORFHAGE
stuart.korfhage@staugustine.com
After a near miss a year ago, the Dow Museum of Historic Houses of St. Augustine has a new owner.
In a deal that was closed Nov. 5, St. Augustine resident David Corneal purchased the property at 149 Cordova St. for $1.7 million.
The property almost ended up being the site of the Children’s Museum of St. Augustine, but that agreement, which was for a reported $1.5 million, ended when the Children’s Museum decided to pursue other sites. It first tried Riberia Point and is now slated to occupy part of the Shipyard Project.
Corneal said he acquired the property because he wants to preserve a vital piece of St. Augustine’s history.
As proof, he’s already started restoration work.
To make the property financially stable, Corneal said his intention is to make it something of a historic inn. He said there is no plan to alter what is there — only refurbish it.
“I’m not going to modify the buildings because they’re historic,” he said. “We will divide (the buildings) into suites where people can come and stay with their families.”
Plans for this use are still in the early stages. Corneal knows he will have to go through the various city planning boards to obtain authorization to pursue such plans.
But he wanted to start the restoration process as a sign of good faith, proof to city officials and neighbors that he’s serious about preserving history.
“I think that this city is on verge of state of Renaissance, that it’s going to make a huge comeback in historic significance, and I think this is a perfect place for it,” Corneal said.
Corneal has already shown his willingness to restore a historic property in a financially viable way.
He owns several pieces of property in the area, most notably the old M&M Market on Bridge Street. He purchased that from the city and is in the process of turning it into several residential units and a small restaurant.
The St. Augustine City Commission had turned away those interested in returning that property to a convenience store that sold alcohol, tobacco products and lottery tickets.
That commitment to use a historic building for a purpose the community and the government was asking for made Corneal a comfortable choice for the previous owner, the Museum of Arts & Sciences of Daytona Beach (MOAS).
Andrew Sandall, executive director of MOAS, released a statement in support of Corneal, based on his plan to preserve the Historic Houses.
“The Museum of Arts and Sciences has been working with interested individuals and organizations for several years now with the aim of returning the Dow Museum back to local ownership,” he said in an email.
“We are happy that a new owner was found who understood the historical significance of the properties and their unique place in the story of Florida’s most historic city.”
The Historic Houses museum sale went through quickly once it was put back on the market, especially considering the limitations of the property.
Selling agent Rob West of Coldwell Banker Premier Properties, who was assisted by Judith Schuyler, said the historic property wasn’t just going to be sold off to anyone.
“We didn’t want anybody who wanted to knock down the buildings and redevelop it,” West said. “It’s such a unique property.”
West said the property was just listed in September, and he found just the buyer he needed in Corneal.
West said he was able to find out about Corneal’s interest by talking with another local real estate agent. Finding such a perfect fit in so brief a time was a pleasant surprise for all parties.
“This is a really good buyer who is going to do the right thing with the property,” West said. “I was very pleased that Mr. Corneal bought it and was going to preserve it.”
Added Tanya Liebal of Century 21 St. Augustine Properties, the agent for Corneal: “(Corneal) is 100 percent into preservation. It sounds like we really did find the right person (to take over the property). I really hope that the city will support him.”
No comments:
Post a Comment