By Cindy Jackson
Reporter
July 7, 2020
Excitedly announced at the July 6, 2020, meeting of the Board of County Commissioners was news that the National Park Service awarded a grant in the amount of $28,180 (with no matching monies required), to complete a historic structure report about Evan’s Rendezvous, a long-abandoned jazz club in American Beach.
Several members of the American Beach community were there to applaud this effort.
Nassau County acquired the property known as Evan’s Rendezvous in 2004 through a partnership with the Trust for Public Land and the State of Florida, according to a County memo.
Evans Rendezvous was a jazz club that showcased many musicians including Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway.
Such a “historic structure report” provides documentary, graphic, and physical information about a property’s history and existing condition,” explains the National Park Service on its website. “Broadly recognized as an effective part of preservation planning, a historic structure report also addresses management or owner goals for the use or re-use of the property.”
A historical structure report is long overdue for the building. With all the development around and in American Beach and intentional negligence by the county in allocating funds for such studies and other measures for preservation of the area, whose heritage is being (and long has been) erased?
No one is trying to erase anything!! “Broadly recognized as an effective part of preservation planning, a ‘historic structure report’ also addresses management or owner goals for the use or re-use of the property.”
This is another step in the (long) process of preserving this property. Hopefully, it will be restored and will remain to be seen as the spectacular piece of island history that it represents.