Looking To the Past To Create Our Future
The Art of the Jessie
By Caitlin Flynn
Buildings echo the past, even as they await the future.
One of Jacksonville’s most iconic buildings, the Haydon Burns Library, had strong historic and architectural roots in the community. But in 2005, after a new Main Library opened, it lay dormant.
Until 2013.
That’s when the ghosts of the past were swept away and the Jessie Ball duPont Fund Board of Trustees invested in its renovation. Partnering with Robbins Design Studio, the space was reimagined as a hub for nonprofits and a community center. The locals, delighted that everything old is new again, dubbed it The Jessie.
Keeping its exquisite mid-century modern architecture by Taylor Hardwick, the newly revamped space, opened in June 2015 and now celebrating its 10-year anniversary, is an energy-efficient LEED Gold Certified building housing state-of-the-art technology. Brooke Robbins, principal architect of Robbins Design Studio, says: “It was always a question of how do we keep the building evolving, while still maintaining the design intent of our renovation 10 years ago—and the original architect’s design intent from 1965?”
Robbins was fortunate to discover a partial set of original drawings for the Haydon Burns Library—some of Hardwick’s designs that were never realized. Robbins says she “designed with the intent of maintaining as much of the original character of the building as possible.” She highlighted original features such as the roof garden, to compliment but never overshadow the foundational artistry.
Though the building itself is a work of art, Robbins left the walls blank. Spaces were carved out for revolving art on the interior. “The Jessie Ball duPont Center wanted to continue the tradition of providing space where art is accessible to the public,” she says. The art surrounding the outside of the building tells the stories of the people who forged Jacksonville’s rich and complex history.
