Wayne Wood Bio for Riverside Avondale Preservation Annual

Laying the groundwork for whether or not the neighborhood continues to thrive.

When Wayne Wood was asked, "Are you surprised by the way RAP has turned out?" his answer was, "No." After all, why would he be? When he began Riverside Area Preservation in 1974, he had a specific vision, and Dr. Wood is nothing if not a visionary. It all started when he and his neighbors were saddened by the demolition of the old homes, being torn down to make way for businesses and new roads. At that time, he was influenced by the history of Riverside and but had yet to become the valued historian of the area that he is today. He set out to learn about the historical architecture of Riverside and Avondale. It was then that he published his first book, "Bicycling and Walking Tour of Riverside and Avondale." He realized all the young yuppies and older hippies were enjoying the idea of living in the familiar and familial homes built a century earlier. In his words, “We tapped into preservation at the right time.” It lit a fire within him then and he shows no signs of stopping now. We are not only fortunate enough to have him as one of Jacksonville’s most influential visionaries but as our champion of the important structures and the lands on which they're built, as well. He doesn’t just dream it — he sees the idea and makes it come to fruition.

The first event RAP held to rally the community in support of these places was never meant to be a huge gathering. But Dr. Wood and his cohorts saw more than 150 people show up, proving to themselves (and the City of Jacksonville) that these enthusiastic residents were serious about preservation. (The membership fee was only 25 cents at the time!) It was clear to Dr. Wood then that he had struck a nerve among the denizens of the Urban Core and that they really cared, too. “We tapped into a nerve that day — a reservoir of people showed up. The city was beginning to think we were at least organized!” In 1976, the organization's new name, Riverside Avondale Preservation, had replaced the old, encompassing a larger swath of streets and parks, and RAP as we now know it began.

Dr. Wood looks back fondly and openly shares with us the memories of RAP’s foundation and rich history. “I will never forget standing in front of a wrecking ball at The Martha Washington (back when it was an old folks’ home) and handing them a check for a down payment on the house. The ball broke on the first stroke and then it was ours.” Known for his over-sized and sometimes over-the-top parties, Dr. Wood goes on to explain his biggest soirée yet, The Station Celebration. Set in what is now the Prime Osborn Convention Center, Dr. Wood held a fundraiser in 1977 in the Jacksonville Terminal Building and managed to secure more than $55,000 to promote RAP. More than 8,000 generous party-goers showed up that night!

          In another maverick move, Dr. Wood proposed creating the Riverside Arts Market in 2009 and recalls walking under the Fuller Warren Bridge and really ‘seeing’ what RAM could become. Today we enjoy RAM every Saturday, rain or shine, and rarely does a resident ever utter the words “What’s that?” in Riverside. RAM has done more than just boost profit for RAP. It has served as a meeting ground, a creative collection of artists and farmers and food artisans, a new tradition in the Urban Core that has come to mean so much to so many. The attendance seems to increase every Saturday; RAM is scheduled to start up again on March 1, after a short winter hiatus.

Dr. Wood believes in the idea of ‘mini cells’ operating independently and interdependently within RAP, which will keep its operations and ideas flowing. Events like the Trolley Nights, Home Tours, Luminaria and various themed parties are aimed at keeping younger people involved. “The key is to get the younger generation to care about preservation,” he says. RAP began as an opposition to negative change that would have damaged the futures of people, places and homes in the area. Keeping that radical notion alive is in the hands of those who began it for their children, and their children’s children. “We have strength here, in that we are diverse, we are young and old, we come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and races, but we all care about this place and its legacy. And THAT is what ties us together as a community.”

If you think Mr. Jacksonville outdid himself with any of these projects, you’d be wrong. And he shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down. It seems that, every day, there is a new project, another book or a radical idea swimming in his head, ready to wow us all over again.

http://www.riversideavondale.org/