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| 1/15/2008 8:00:00 AM |
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| KERI RASMUSSEENDAILY
COMMERCIAL Mount Dora's downtown is shown in
this Jan. 10
photo. | | Register eyes downtown
Taylor
Vernarsky
Staff
Writer
| MOUNT DORA - Downtown is lined with
buildings and homes reminiscent of the city's past. With
rows of antique shops and homes, Mount Dora tries to
preserve its historical character, city officials
said.
With their city's past in mind, Mount Dora
officials think their historic district has the mettle
to be listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. A Jacksonville-based firm is surveying
structures to evaluate historic buildings in accordance
with specific criteria for the national
register.
"It's just great," said District 3 City
Council Member Judy Smathers. "It'll be another draw to
our little city if it meets all the criteria. Mount Dora
has an image of trying to preserve its past, so this
would make it that much better."
The National
Register of Historic Places is administered by the
National Parks Services, which itself is part of the
U.S. Department of the Interior, according to park
service officials. Under the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register
coordinates and supports efforts to identify, evaluate
and protect historic sites.
Mount Dora already has a downtown
historic district and a historic preservation board
appointed by the city council. If a portion of downtown
is listed on the national register, it will not affect
property appraisals or taxes, Smathers
said.
Instead, it will enhance the city as a
prime tourist destination for out-of-state travelers and
add a layer of historical significance to Mount Dora,
Smathers said.
"It's a very prestigious honor to
be listed on the register," said Gus Gianikas, Mount
Dora assistant planning and development
director.
Gianikas is overseeing the survey.
Commercial buildings in the district will be eligible
for federal income tax credits for building
improvements, he said.
Several Mount Dora
buildings and homes are already listed on the national
register, he said, including the Donnelly House in 1975,
the Lakeside Inn in 1987 and the Mount Dora Area Chamber
of Commerce, formerly the Mount Dora A.C.L. Railroad
Station, in 1992.
What makes this project
different is a huge portion of downtown is being
surveyed, not just a certain selection of buildings,
Gianikas said. Along with the downtown district,
registry nominations for the Milner-Rosenwald Academy
and Witherspoon Lodge are being prepared.
Bland
and Associates, an archaeological and historical
consulting firm based in Jacksonville, began the survey
last week. Surveyors will look at more than 700
buildings meeting different criteria, including the
original owners, how each building was used over time,
when were they built and if they hold any additional
prominence.
BAI Principal Myles Bland said the
buildings and layout of Mount Dora hold great stories
just waiting to be discovered. He said the city's
historic district has what it takes to be on par with
Savannah, Ga. and Charleston, SC.
"It'll be like
the big time as far as the historic aspect of Mount Dora
goes," Bland said. "With buildings like the Donnelly
House and the Lakeside Inn, those are already well
known. What the surveying team is looking for are the
diamonds in the rough."
Surveyors are inspecting
the buildings residing in an area bordered by 11th and
Liberty Avenue and Highland and Helen Street. This could
be changed at a later date for a national historic
district, he said. They will also do extensive research
on each building that was evaluated.
Bland said
he expects a draft report of the team's findings is
expected by summer. The Mount Dora Historic Preservation
Board will review the results and pass along a
recommendation to the city by the end of 2008, who will
then apply for the register through Florida's
historic-preservation program, Gianikas
said.
"It's a very long process," he
said.
If successful, Mount Dora will join Eustis
has another Lake County city with a national historic
district. The National Register added Eustis' Commercial
Historic District in 2005.
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