Long-time Resident Profile Series

Name: Alicia Dorsie

Age: Unconfirmed

Status: Married to Joe Dorsie for 30 years.

Location: E. 7th Street

Occupation: Retired Naval Officer

Fun Fact: Alicia’s painstaking renovation was documented week by week in the Florida Times-Union newspaper.

Q: What brought you to Historic Springfield?

A: Probably the most obvious reason: the houses. The houses brought me here.

It was 1997 and my husband and I were living in Ortega Forest. One afternoon during a Civil War reenactment festival outside of Jacksonville, I was approached by a stranger who asked if I knew anything about serving English Tea. She had heard that I was familiar with the English tradition and wanted some pointers for a home tour she was organizing in Springfield.

Well, I had never heard of such a place in Jacksonville, but we made fast friends and I agreed to help. So this new friend of mine brought me to the neighborhood, gave me the grand tour, and I was simply enthralled by the architecture and grandeur. Of course the neighborhood was pretty ratty back then, but I could see amazing potential none-the-less.

You see, when I was young, my parents renovated a historic house in Newport, Rhode Island. I always wanted to live in one ever since. So I had been reading Preservation Magazine for sometime, trying to find a suitable historic neighborhood, but they all seemed to be in cold weather states. But here I was in a historic area bursting with potential, right in my own backyard. 

Having helped with the tea, of course I had to go on the home tour as well. And of course we loved it. After the tour, my husband and I started to look for a house in the neighborhood to restore. After making several offers, we started to get discouraged. Low and behold a 1910 beauty came before us, the house that we live in now. No one had lived in it since 1977; it was derelict. We bought it for $10k cash and it needed almost everything replaced or restored. Major fire damage, foundation problems, holes and cracks in the walls and ceilings….it was a big mess.  A big job indeed, but we knew we could do it. 

It took 2 years and 250k to fully restore the house as you see it now. We did a lot of the work ourselves, but also had the help of friends and contractors. That stranger who first introduced me to the neighborhood was Lisa Neary, one of the true pioneers and preservationalists in the neighborhood. 

Q: What concerns or challenges did you have at the time? 

A: I had confidence in Lisa that when she said it was going to be ok, then it was going to be ok. And I was used to living in diverse areas, so that didn’t bother me at all.

But at that time the neighborhood, as a whole, was still quite awful. Druggies, whores, slum lords, and thieves were everywhere you looked. You couldn’t miss them if you tried. 

During our renovation, our tools were stolen on more than occasion. Shortly after we moved in, a boy let himself into our house and stole my wallet from off the table. Then there was the time that a Molotov cocktail was thrown on our back porch at three o’ clock in the morning. Luckily it didn’t explode; it just made a little bit of a mess.

But the worst thing we witnessed occurred just down the street. Someone had just finished restoring a grand 6,000 square foot house. They had just moved all their furniture inside, but hadn’t moved in themselves. No fence, either. Well…someone burned that house to a crisp. It was an awful sight. I always used to tell people that a fence was one of the best investments you could make.

Q: How has the neighborhood changed since 1998?

A: Wonderful changes! Crime has dropped like a rock. Drugs, prostitution, and slumlords are exceptions now, rather than the rule. And the housing stock has vastly improved, with many more homes now restored and new construction houses built.

Also, people are moving to Historic Springfield for the right reasons now. It’s a National Historic District with beautiful homes in an ideal location, and that’s attractive to all sorts of people.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the neighborhood now?

A: I enjoy the revitalization, of course. Seeing these wonderful homes be brought back to life. But I enjoy the people in the neighborhood even more so. 

This neighborhood has always had a fabric of community that no other neighborhood that I’ve ever experienced has had, and I’ve lived quite a few places. Even when we first moved in, the neighborhood always had good people working for it. They watched out for each other and were there for one another if needed. And it’s the same way now, thankfully. Neighbors have an eye out for one another and care for each other. We’re congenial, like a true neighborhood should be. 

I’ve got to tell you, I have friends in Queens Harbor, which is one of the most prestigious gated communities in all of Jacksonville, and I’ve asked them why they would ever choose to live there. It’s not a real community, in the truest sense of the word. And the way they describe it doesn’t appeal to me in the least.

Q: Do you take part in any of the neighborhood events or organizations?

A: Oh yes. I’m very active in all kinds of organizations, inside and out of Springfield.

I’ve always been a member of SPAR Council and an extremely active Block Captain. In fact, I earned the nickname “Colonel” because I don’t put up with any riff-raff on my street. 

I joined the Women’s Club in 2000, about 10 years ago. At that time the Woman’s Club was ready to go under, but Lisa Neary and I, along with 6 others concerned residents, stuck it out and floated it along until it could be reenergized. 

I was also heavily involved in securing the 2001 overlay, which had me picketing City Hall, among other things. That memory brings a smile to my face now.

Q:  What do you see in the future for the neighborhood?

A: The neighborhood will be fully restored eventually, both residentially and commercially. It will take some time, naturally, especially with the downturn in the economy. But in some ways the downturn has been good for Springfield. Prices are more manageable now, not sky high like a few years ago, which creates a larger pool of perspective home buyers to draw from. 

Q: Anything you’d like to say to someone considering moving into Historic Springfield?

A: Drive around the neighborhood at all times of the day and night to really see it. Stop and talk to people. I mean really talk to them. Find out what they like and they may be concerned about. Current residents are the best resource anyone can have.
 

New Resident Profile Series

Name: Ashley McCaskey & Felicia Luke

Age: 38 & 39

Status: Partners

Location: Walnut Street

Occupation: Office Manager & Wendy’s District Manager

Fun Fact: Ashley and Felicia are passionate about animals; so much so that they create and sell their own line of natural dog treats and cakes. Check out www.thegourmentdog.com

Q: What brought you to Springfield?

A: At the end of real estate boom, in 2007, we thought about buying a house in the neighborhood. We heard that the neighborhood was turning around and we wanted to get in while it was still up and coming. We still weren’t 100% confident about it though, so we rented a house in the neighborhood instead.

During the 2 years we rented, we absolutely fell in love with the neighborhood. We loved the eclectic collection of people just as much as the eclectic collection of houses. We were sold. 

Home prices fell like a rock during that time too, which didn’t hurt. So although we didn’t get in at the ground level, we feel that we bought early enough to see significant appreciation in the future. We bought this house in late 2009.

Q: Did you purchase an old or new house, and why?

A: We looked at some of the new construction houses, and they were nice, but they didn’t quite have the character we were looking for. If we were going to buy in a Historic District, might as well buy a historic house, right? Our house was built in 1912. We got what we wanted.

Q: What did your family and friends think of your decision to move into the neighborhood?

A: My boss, a lifelong Jacksonville resident, said “No, No, No….You can’t!”

He knew the history of the area and what kind of things went on here years ago. But he hadn’t spent any time in the neighborhood recently, of course, so I invited him over to take a look. He was pretty impressed by what he saw. He was definitely surprised. Our visitors have been impressed, on whole. Of course there are still areas that need improving, but that’ll come. We’ve seen a lot of interest in the fixer-uppers on our street alone, which is great to see.

Q: What do you most enjoy about living in the neighborhood?

A: I love the fact that I know more of my neighborhoods here than I’ve ever known anywhere else that I’ve ever lived. We’ve lived in all parts of Jacksonville, and we didn’t see that anywhere else. And that there are all walks of life here, all types of people and personalities. The unifying interest, though, is this unique neighborhood that we all call home. Everyone supports the neighborhood reaching its full potential.

Q: Do you participate in any neighborhood events or organizations?

A: We’ve enjoyed taking part in SACARC (Springfield Animal Care And Rescue Club), First Fridays, the Home Tours, the Wine Society, and most of the public events. The Chili Cook-off, held a few months ago, was a really fun time too. There’s a lot to do in this 1x1 square mile neighborhood!
 

Q: How do you see Historic Springfield changing in the future?

A: The neighborhood has a lot of momentum right now, and I think it’ll keep improving. There are many renovations taking place and new homes being built; it’s exciting to see. Once the housing market recovers a little I think we’ll see even more happening. God love the people who started this process 15+ years ago, they deserve all the credit in the world. Like I said before, we weren’t sure about the neighborhood at first. But after spending time here, we knew we couldn’t leave it.

We do need more businesses on Main Street, though. That’s important. The commercial corridors of the neighborhood need to catch up with the residential areas of the neighborhood. 

Q: What advice would you give to people considering making a move to Historic Springfield?

A: Actually, we just talked a friend into moving into the neighborhood. So we must give good advice! 

The main concern everyone has when they are looking at houses in Springfield is about crime and safety. They hear about how it once was or they drive through and see beautiful houses next to fixer-uppers, and they want to know if they’ll be safe here, or if they’ll have to be worried 24/7. 

Well, we’ve never felt unsafe or uncomfortable here, personally. A plant was stolen off of our porch once, when we were renting. Crime happens everywhere in this city, but just using good common sense is usually good enough here.

If a sense of community is important, and if living in a unique neighborhood is important, then this is the place to be, in our opinion.