County pulls agenda item on demolition of old St. Augustine jail building that held Martin Luther King Jr.
Published by John on
St. Johns County on Monday pulled an agenda item related to the proposed demolition of a repurposed St. Augustine jail where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was once held.
A prior version of the agenda for a Feb. 10 meeting of the Cultural Resource Review Board listed the “Demolition of 4025 Lewis Speedway, Old County Jail” as the first item up for discussion.
Objectors quickly mobilized against the move in recent days, asserting that the building’s historic import warranted its preservation.
Citing a need for further review, the county tabled the matter indefinitely on Monday.
“St. Johns County understands the significant cultural resource of the detention center annex as it relates to the local and national civil rights movement,” County Administrator Joy Andrews said in a statement.
Officials said the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office requested the demolition, citing “maintenance costs, employee health concerns, and the need for site security.”
The structure was built in 1952.
“We will carefully weigh preservation options alongside the SJSO’s operational needs,” Andrews said. “We are committed to proceeding thoughtfully, guided by a forthcoming consultant’s analysis, CRRB recommendations, and continued robust community dialogue.”
King was held at the jail after being arrested on June 11, 1964, for attempting to eat at the Monson Motor Lodge, which was segregated.
That building is now the Bayfront Hilton.
Other civil rights demonstrators were also held in the facility overnight before being released.
King’s arrest made national headlines and shone a spotlight on St. Johns County at the height of the civil rights movement.
