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Mark Schrader (left), Avon Park city manager, and Jamie Bateman, SFSC executive director of institutional advancement
AVON PARK, Fla. – April 22, 2022 – The Hotel Jacaranda was recently approved for a $105,000 façade grant through the Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) toward restoration.
Each year, the CRA takes requests for residential and business façade grants from home and business owners who live or conduct business within the Avon Park city limits. The residential CRA façade grant maximum is $2,000 and the business maximum is $5,000.
The Hotel Jacaranda was built in the 1920s and lies within the Avon Park Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The South Florida State College (SFSC) Foundation, Inc. purchased the “Jac” in 1987, when part of the Hotel became a dormitory facility for student athletes and other students who lived away from home. Shortly after, it became the home to the College’s Culinary Arts program. The Hotel continues to serve as a dormitory facility, Culinary Arts classroom, hotel, restaurant, and community event venue.
SFSC administrators, along with Bill Jarrett, a member of the SFSC Foundation Board, approached the CRA committee with a proposal for a Hotel Jacaranda façade grant. The CRA granted the SFSC Foundation $15,000 per address rather than the usual $5,000 per address for a business. Within the Hotel Jacaranda are seven separate businesses and street addresses, bringing the total grant to $105,000.
The Hotel Jacaranda restoration is underway. Plans are to update windows, window frames, and window sills on the north side of the building, where the dorms are located.
“The Jac has been a large part of downtown for many years,” said Garrett Anderson, mayor of Avon Park. “We’re happy and excited that the CRA funds can be used to restore that building. We’re happy to work with the College and hope to see more such projects and to work with the College in Avon Park.”
“The importance of the Hotel Jacaranda to the city of Avon Park is that it’s a historic building and what it’s meant to Avon park since it was built,” said Mark Schrader, Avon Park city manager. “It’s the centerpiece of Avon Park. I never ran into anyone who didn’t like the Jac, and having the SFSC Foundation owning it and running it, it’s a great partnership.”
“Having a partnership like the one we have with the City of Avon Park is priceless,” said Jamie Bateman, executive director of institutional advancement. “The Hotel Jacaranda has become know as the jewel of downtown Avon Park, having other businesses and city official support is key to keeping our ‘Jac’ around for generations to come. As one of the few historic buildings in Highlands County that is still in operation, we’re proud of our Jac and what it means for our community.”
