Jackson House Foundation seeks engineers, architects to restore historic building

Restoring and preserving the Jackson House

The Jackson House Foundation says it now has the full support of the Tampa city council, and the next step is to find the right group of architects and engineers to preserve the historic Jackson House. FOX 13’s Jordan Bowen reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Jackson House, which housed notable African Americans during segregation, holds more than 100 years of history within its walls. The now-dilapidated building still stands but is in desperate need of renovation and last week the city of Tampa took a step forward in making that happen.

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Plans to restore the historic Jackson House in downtown Tampa are moving forward. After delays from the pandemic and a destructive hurricane season, the Jackson House Foundation says it is the closest it's been to making the restoration a reality.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Tampa's historic Jackson House could be close to restoration

The Jackson House Foundation says it has the full support of the Tampa City Council after meeting with them last week. The foundation is now looking for the right group of engineers and architects who have the right kind of experience to preserve a historic structure like the Jackson House.

The Jackson House was one of the only places visiting African Americans could stay during segregation.

"Whatever is given to us, we're going to work with it, and we cannot, we will not, it is not even conceivably possible for us to wait any longer to start doing something. And that's why we put our RFQ out. We're moving," Jackson House Foundation Chair Carolyn Collins stated.

As Collins explains, the foundation has put out an RFQ to the public, or a request for qualifications, essentially calling on architects and engineers who have experience restoring historic structures. Once it has the right group of architects and engineers, it can start implementing its restoration plans.

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On Saturday, they held their first in-person information session with the public since the pandemic where residents weighed in on how they would like to see the Jackson House restored.
During the segregation era, it was one of the only places visiting African Americans could stay. Well-known figures like Ella Fitzgerald, Martin Luther King Jr., James Brown and Ray Charles have all stayed at the Jackson House.

What they're saying:

"What we are doing is we are returning and restoring history for future generations. I really have nothing to do with starting something new. We are continuing something that's over 100 years old, and we're going to make sure that that history is told," Collins said.

What's next:

Collins said community members want to see music incorporated into the restoration or dedicated to specific rooms. There's also interest in making it into somewhat of a community center with resources as well as a rentable venue for events.

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"What we are doing is, restoring a historic house that has made an impact both economically, musically and in any way, form and fashion from an educational perspective," Collins said.

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen.

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