"You're a day late and a dollar short." The phrase resounds again and again as the plight of the Galvin/Jaudon house at 201 Victoria St. is determined.
Community folks gathering around retired schoolteacher Ruth Dean, her son Byron Dean and local activist Michael Carducci are living the adage as they desperately round up support to save the historic house which was once home to Brandon's founder, John Brandon.
The site is also of historical value. Victoria Street was named after the wife of John Brandon and is in the original plan of the Brandon Township.
The house, circa 1900, is surely one of the oldest structures in Brandon. Charles Slowey sold the property in July 2002 to the First Baptist Church of Brandon. At the time, it was among 288 properties that were targeted by the county's Historic Resources Review Board as having historic potential.
The cruel reality is the people representing the community - the Historic Resources Review Board and the County Commission - have disappointed them.
When the house was up for sale, both owner and buyer attended an HRRB meeting where it was fully disclosed that the property needed to be preserved.
The church says the board was split; members could not make up their minds about the value of preservation.
A letter from Parviz Moosavi, the county's Historic Preservation Planner, says otherwise. In the letter dated May 10, 2002, Moosavi reminds the church's Realtor, Leland Byrd of Kilgor Real Estate, "the property has historic significance to the Brandon area and is important to be preserved."
Both sides agree that church officials made it known they would not buy the property if it became a historic landmark. The landmark consideration ended. HRRB allowed the sale to proceed.
Unfortunately, the residents of the ever-growing Brandon area knew little about what was happening to a piece of their history. As they now become educated, they have awakened to the reality that once this slice of the past is gone, it cannot be re-created.
Dr. Thomas Green, senior pastor at First Baptist, has other plans for the site. The church has been patient, giving the county six months to find a place for the structure.
If not for Green, the property would have already been demolished.
The pastor is satisfied with his actions for several reasons. No one ever convinced him there are more than a handful of people in the community who care about the Galvin/Jaudon house. He says some members of his church are descendants of the Jaudon family, which also owned the property, and none of them care about its fate. His congregation has voted on the purchase, understanding the historical value of the property and they just don't see destroying it as a problem.
Does it matter to Green that some folks in the community are now interested in saving a piece of history? No. In fact, the pastor said he wasn't sure why the Stowers Funeral Home was still standing. (It is one of only two historical landmarks in the area.) First Baptist has repeatedly tried to buy the property.
The church has a right to its opinion.
The congregation continues to expand, and the church will continue to buy property to accommodate the growth. The number of church members has almost doubled from 2,400 in 1996 to more than 4,700 today. The church's neighbors "love them" for cleaning up other old dilapidated buildings around the area, Green said, and he plans to continue.
The church's patience is running out. The property in its current state is a liability; if someone were hurt there, the church would be responsible.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Pat Frank revived the debate over the future of the Galvin/Jaudon house. Frank said several factors influenced her: inadequate notice to the community, the HRRB letter and questions of conflict of interest by church members serving on the commission and HRRB. Commissioners voted 3-2 to refer the issue back to the HRRB for a recommendation.
If the community is looking for a savior for the Galvin/Jaudon house, its only hope lies in the church. First Baptist would have to appeal to its congregation to sell the property back to the community. The commission cannot take the house back from the church and neither can the HRRB.
"An olive branch will have to be extended to the church," Commissioner Jim Norman said Tuesday.
Will the church change its mind? No one knows.
Hopefully, before it's too late, the folks in the community who care about preservation will act to save other properties that have been designated historically significant. Those who care should speak out to the HRRB and our county commissioners.
Citizens of this area must come together and make their voices heard before the future is decided.
If you care, give Green a call at 689-1204. Contact our county commissioners at the following numbers: Pat Frank at 272-5735, Thomas Scott at 272-5720, Kathy Castor at 272-5470, Ken Hagan at 272-5452, Jim Norman at 272-5725, Jan Platt at 272-5730 and Ronda Storms at 272-5740. Reach the Historic Resources Review Board through Parviz Moosavi at 276-7371.
- Billie Smith is general manager of the Brandon Times . Reach her at 661-2438.
