Senator Nelson tours Fernandina Beach Historic Post Office Building

Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
September 5, 2017 5:00 p.m.

 

Senator Bill Nelson greets Restoration Foundation President Adam Kaufman (l) and City Commissioner Tim Poynter (r) as Airport Manager Nathan Coyle looks on.
Postmaster Edwin Lang (back to camera) explains building renovations to Fernandina Observer Editor Susan Steger and FBPD Chief James Hurley.

Senator Bill Nelson, accompanied by his wife Grace and son Bill Jr., made an impromptu visit to Fernandina Beach’s Historic Downtown Post Office late Friday afternoon, September 1, 2017. Postmaster Edwin Lang, accompanied by Dee Carter, United States Postal Service (USPS) Customer Relations Coordinator, provided a brief after business hours tour of three floors of the renovated 1912 building, one of the most significant buildings located in Fernandina Beach’s 55-block National Historic District.

About 25 people joined the Nelsons on the tour including Mayor Robin Lentz, City Commissioner Tim Poynter, City Manager Dale Martin, Amelia Island Fernandina Beach Yulee Chamber of Commerce President Regina Duncan, Amelia Island Fernandina Restoration Foundation President Adam Kaufman, and City Commission candidate Philip Chapman. City and Senate staffers and media representatives also participated. Local attorney and lobbyist Arthur I. “Buddy” Jacobs arranged the visit and entertained tour participants with snippets of the building’s history.

Jacobs reminded the audience that it was as a direct result of an earlier visit by Senator Nelson that the seriousness of the building’s deteriorated state brought about the Postal Service’s heightened interest in restoring the building.

Tour participants marveled at the state of the interior offices and the original federal courtroom, which despite peeling paint, look almost ready for occupancy.  Currently the floors above the lobby are not occupied and accessible only via a single steep staircase.  No photos were allowed above the lobby level.

Commission candidate Philip Chapman (back to camera) and Senator Nelson listen as Postmaster Lang points to an area that needed extensive renovation work within the current USPS work area.

Jacobs referred to the building as “the house that Bill [Nelson] restored.” Nelson’s persistence is credited with the Postal Service’s investment of $1.2M to save the historic building from continued deterioration due to weather and lack of adequate maintenance.

While the building has remained an architectural cornerstone of Fernandina Beach’s historic downtown, Postal Service business has largely shifted to the newer facility at Sadler Road and Citrona Drive, where parking and accessibility for both postal operations and patrons are less of a problem than at the historic facility.

Local Postmaster Edwin Lang said that while for a period the USPS had stopped renting mail boxes at the historic facility, that practice has resumed, adding that there are no current rumblings about eliminating postal service at the downtown location.

Senator Nelson, Postmaster Lang and Buddy Jacobs respond to questions

Senator Nelson seemed impressed with the restoration work that not only fixed building leaks and crumbling stucco, but also meticulously recreated architectural elements that had either fallen off the building or deteriorated beyond the point of repair. Jacobs called attention to the significant work done to repair the windows and save the original glass while replacing rotted muntins and sills. Nelson said he was proud of the Postal Service’s stewardship of the building.

Unanswered at this time are questions about the building’s future ownership and use. In answer to a question, Nelson told audience members that the next step in the process of determining the building’s future will involve “friendly discussions” between the USPS and the city of Fernandina Beach. Nelson continued to stress the building’s importance to the city’s downtown environment and its history. He said, “This is a historically sensitive community. The citizens value their history. That’s why this is such a special place with special roots. It is one of a kind in Florida.”

Post office – Fernandina, Florida. 1939. Black & white photonegative, 4 x 5 in. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/153027>, accessed 3 September 2017.

The USPS restoration of the building was recently recognized during the 2017 Florida Main Street Conference held in Fernandina Beach in August. [See: https://fernandinaobserver.com/2017/08/24/fernandina-beach-main-street-garners-two-2017-statewide-awards/]

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Dave Lott
Dave Lott(@dave-l)
6 years ago

Thanks once again to Sen. Nelson, Buddy Jacobs and all the others involved over the years in getting this work approved and completed.

Steven Crounse
Steven Crounse (@guest_49305)
6 years ago

“This Community is one of a kind in Florida” Bill Nelson. Other Communities have lost their Souls with increased development. City Commissioners must always remember, Sen Nelsons words.