Jacksonville Beach May Move Historic Chapel
The relocation of a historic house of worship will be considered by the Jacksonville Beach City Council tonight.
The council is being asked to approve the relocation of the Beaches Chapel from its current location off Florida Boulevard in Neptune Beach to a new location at the Beaches Museum & History Park between Fourth and Sixth streets in Jacksonville Beach.
Jacksonville Beach City Manager George Forbes is recommending the council approve the relocation.
“The relocated chapel will be used for various community events such as weddings, baptisms, renewal of vows and lectures,” Forbes said in a memo to the council. The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 11 Third St. N.
The chapel was built in 1884 and now sits on the campus of the Beaches Chapel Church and School.
While that’s in Neptune Beach, its original location was in Pablo Beach, which is now Jacksonville Beach.
Officials with the school and church agreed last year to sell the structure to the Beaches Historical Society for $1. The society has enough funds to pay for the move, which is scheduled to take place in May.
The Historical Society is asking Jacksonville Beach to waive building permit, water and sewer connection fees. It is also asking for a waiver on fees to Beaches Energy and the police department for the cost of relocating light poles along Third Street when crews physically truck the building to its new location.
Forbes is recommending that if the council approves the relocation, a building permit should be required. He’s asking the council to stipulate the building be maintained in a condition that meets city code at its new location.
In a letter to the city Building Department, Historical Society Executive Direct Maarten van de Guchte said the chapel would be a key acquisition for the group.
“The relocated chapel will add a very attractive architectural mark to the urban landscape along Beach Boulevard,” van de Guchte said.