RAP Home Tour continues comeback, approaches 50 years
Tour includes a retail shop, churches and unique homes
The 49th Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) Home Tour, held this year on April 15 and 16, promises to once again showcase the creativity and reverence for history that reflects the character of the Riverside and Avondale neighborhoods. This year, the usual lineup of private homes is joined by a boutique that turned a dilapidated eyesore into a jewel box.
Plush N’ Prana, owned by Claudia Prana, is an eclectic retail space that showcases colors and textures from around the world. But before it was filled with bright silks, the building at 2761 Park Street was a ruin.
“I talked to people who have lived in the neighborhood for decades,” said Shannon Blankinship, RAP executive director, “and no one remembers it not being an abandoned building.” Prior to the renovation, the boarded-up structure had no roof or flooring. Now it features a colorful exterior and bright lighting. The restoration garnered Claudia Prana the 2023 Best Retail Renovation award from RAP.
“People are going to love that space so much,” Blankinship said. “It’s so bright and vibrant.”
Blankinship joined RAP during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Home Tour was on a two-year hiatus. “Last year was very much a comeback year,” she said. “With COVID there was a lot of fear and trepidation about letting people into your home (so) it was a little more challenging last year. We’re excited to see how many people have been working on restoring their homes for years and are willing to share their story, the outcome of the hard work to bring a home back.”
Two of the buildings included in the home tour are turning 100 this year. The Mediterranean-style home at 1605 Avondale Avenue, as well as St. Paul’s Catholic Church, are joining many neighborhood buildings who reach this milestone through diligent upkeep. “We see people being proud of how old their home is,” Blankinship said. “There’s a special level of work involved in keeping these homes in good shape.”
Blankinship has been intentional about including non-homes in the Home Tour lineup, for several reasons. “Number one,” she said, “we’re seeing a lot of the older homes in our neighborhood converted to commercial spaces. When I see that done successfully, I feel it’s something we should highlight. We’re focused on retail spaces through the lens of preservation and craftsmanship.”
“As for the churches, we have some beautiful examples in this neighborhood that are vastly different (from each other),” Blankinship said. “Being able to step into and see the differences between a Baptist church and a Catholic church and a Methodist church, you can see the way that people worship within the architecture. Our churches are community spaces, and inviting people into these communal spaces allows people to learn more about the neighborhood and ways to engage with the community.”
The church and boutique take their places in a home tour lineup that reflects the architectural diversity of Riverside and Avondale, where small bungalows rub elbows with grand houses, buildings stay true to one architectural style or pull from several traditions, new construction stands next to century-old structures.
“Me, I love the tiny homes,” Blankinship said. She is especially excited for people to see the 1922 craftsman bungalow at 1454 Belvedere, which features four doors along the front and four along the back that can be opened up to create one large indoor-outdoor space. “The bungalow that opens up is just so fun and exciting and I hope the weather is good enough for people to actually experience that.”
Just up the street at 1359 Belvedere, another bungalow features pre-air-conditioning touches. There, five French doors open onto the front porch to admit breezes. Over at 1028 Osceola Street, a deep veranda wraps around three sides of the 1911 home, which is a fine surviving example of the use of rusticated stone — hollow concrete that is shaped to look like stone. This fireproof material became popular in Jacksonville during the era of reconstruction after the Great Fire of 1901.
This year’s featured home is located at 3404 St. Johns Avenue. This striking Mediterranean Revival home demonstrates that utility and beauty can live in harmony. The property is actually divided into three separate living areas to accommodate the needs of the family who lives there. The basement of the home was converted into a three-room residence, while a pool house was repurposed as a mother-in-law apartment.
This home is also the site of the Twilight Party, which takes place Thursday evening before the tour begins.
“Twilight started early on in the home tour legacy,” Blankinship explained. “The idea behind it is that some of these homes are more special at night. The party is typically held in the back yard, and it’s a more intimate gathering with twinkling lights or candlelight.” This year, guests will enjoy food from Biscotti’s, spirits from Manifest Distilling, and music from the Stefan Klein Trio under the glow of the 150 landscape lights that dramatically enhance the architecture of the home.
Pre-sale tickets for the tour begin at $25 (The price increases to $30 on April 15). Guided tours are available through Go Tuk’n, ZenCog, and Art Bikes Jax. For more information, including tickets, hours, and a complete list of homes, please visit riversideavondale.org.
By Windy Taylor
Resident Community News
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