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|Title Page
|Table of Contents
|List of Tables
|List of Figures
|Purpose of research
|Evolution of the historic context...
|Literature review
|Research methods
|Disaster planning for historic...
|Mitigation coordinated with rehabilitation...
|Mitigation responsibilities of...
|Searching for design compatibility...
|Recommendations and future...
|Appendix A: GIS partial data...
|Appendix B: Photographic survey...
|Appendix C: Damage assessment...
|Biographical sketch
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|Table of Contents
Title Page
Page i
Page ii
Page iii
Page iv
Page v
Table of Contents
Page vi
Page vii
Page viii
List of Tables
Page ix
List of Figures
Page x
Page xi
Page xii
Page xiii
Page xiv
Purpose of research
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Evolution of the historic context in Cedar Key
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
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Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Literature review
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Research methods
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
Disaster planning for historic resources in Cedar Key
Page 61
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 65
Page 66
Page 67
Page 68
Page 69
Page 70
Page 71
Page 72
Page 73
Page 74
Page 75
Page 76
Page 77
Page 78
Page 79
Page 80
Page 81
Page 82
Page 83
Page 84
Page 85
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Page 88
Mitigation coordinated with rehabilitation standards
Page 89
Page 90
Page 91
Page 92
Page 93
Page 94
Page 95
Page 96
Page 97
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Page 99
Page 100
Page 101
Page 102
Page 103
Page 104
Page 105
Page 106
Page 107
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Page 109
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Page 112
Page 113
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Mitigation responsibilities of the historic preservation coordinator
Page 115
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Page 117
Page 118
Page 119
Page 120
Page 121
Page 122
Page 123
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Page 126
Page 127
Page 128
Page 129
Page 130
Searching for design compatibility in Cedar Key's historic district
Page 131
Page 132
Page 133
Page 134
Page 135
Page 136
Page 137
Page 138
Page 139
Page 140
Page 141
Page 142
Page 143
Page 144
Page 145
Recommendations and future research
Page 146
Page 147
Page 148
Page 149
Page 150
Page 151
Page 152
Page 153
Page 154
Page 155
Appendix A: GIS partial data set
Page 156
Page 157
Page 158
Appendix B: Photographic survey of Pensacola after hurricane Ivan
Page 159
Page 160
Page 161
Appendix C: Damage assessment form
Page 162
Page 163
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Biographical sketch
Page 172
|Full Text
Copyright 2006
Jennifer Marie Wolfe
This thesis is dedicated to my wonderful husband Matt. Your constant love and support
has made all of this possible.
I want to first thank my thesis committee for their support over the duration of my
graduate studies and thesis research. Professor Peter Prugh was my first experience with
the University of Florida's preservation program during my study at the Preservation
Institute: Nantucket. He began as a teacher, introducing the concepts of historic
preservation with class work and field trips but quickly evolved into a mentor by
exposing me to the historic preservation profession through conferences and research
projects. When I began to investigate Florida's Gulf Coast for thesis research
opportunities, Professor Prugh guided me toward productive endeavors and offered
insightful perspective. The committee chairperson, Dr. Charlie Hailey, challenged my
thought process but also provoked my interest in coastal communities with a preservation
technology emphasis. Professor Susan Tate was also an instrumental figure who helped
to formulate a meaningful study for which I am very grateful. The dedication of this
committee was an invaluable component for the success of this thesis.
During the course of my research, I encountered other individuals that contributed
to the work presented in this thesis. The staff at Cedar Key City Hall and the Historical
Society were especially informative, particularly Dr. John Andrews, who facilitated the
initial project that developed my unique interest in Cedar Key. From this initial project I
also had the pleasure of working with Ursula Garfield, whom I have to thank for creating
the analytical maps that illustrated the findings of my study. I am also grateful to Richard
Brosnaham of West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc. for guiding me through the
Historic Pensacola Village after Hurricane Ivan struck the Florida Panhandle in 2004.
These relationships were influential to the direction and application of my thesis.
My employers and the administration staff of the School of Architecture deserve
recognition for the flexibility and guidance afforded to me while I pursued my graduate
education as a working student over the last four years. Finally, I would like to thank my
family and friends for their continued support of my educational pursuit. I must also
include my dog, Bailey, for providing necessary distractions and constant comfort
especially during the final months. Most importantly, I am indebted to my husband,
Matt, for his abiding encouragement and loving support. His faith in me delivered the
endurance and confidence I needed to succeed in this endeavor.
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S ................................................................................................. iv
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................... ix
LIST O F FIG U RE S ............... .......................................... ...x.... .. .... .x
A B S T R A C T .................................................................................................... ........ .. x iii
H isto ric a l S k etc h ............... ......................................................................................... 14
1839-1861: B before the Tracks ....................................................... ............... 15
1862-1884: Railroad and Reconstruction...................................... ............... 17
1885-1932: D decline and D estruction............................................. ............... 18
A architectural Sketch ...... .. ................................ ........................................ 24
H historic C om m ercial Sector ........................................................... ................ 27
Island H hotel .......................................................................................... 2 8
F.E H ale Building................................................................................. 30
Schlem m er buildings................................... ...................... ................ 30
P rescott B building ............................................................. .... .............. 32
Lutterloh Building and Lutterloh Store ..................................................32
H historic R residential Sector ............................................................. ................ 34
Coachm an H house ....................................................... ............. 36
O ld B lock H house ............. ................. ............................................. 37
R ey n o ld s' H o u se .......................................................................................... 3 7
Kirchaine H house ............................................................ ............ 39
W .R H odges H ou se ....................................... ...................... ................ 40
John Richburg H house ........................................................ 41
Christie's Pottery ........................................................................ .... ........ 41
S en se o f P lace ............................................................................................................. 4 3
Framework to Engage Historic Preservation with Disaster Management Planning...48
H historic Preservation Principles ......................................................... 51
M litigation for H historic R sources ......................................................... ................ 54
Current Preservation Policies: Comprehensive Plan and Land Development
R eg u latio n s ............................................................................................................ 6 2
E v a lu atio n ............................................................................................................... ... 6 6
P planning M ethodology ..................................................................... ...... ................ 68
Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan...............................69
Levy County Local M litigation Strategy......................................... ................ 78
H historic Resource Inventory and GIS............................................. ................ 80
D division of R esources....................................................................... ............. 86
M a in te n a n c e ................................................................................................................ 9 2
B building Interventions ............................................. ............... ....... .. ..... .. .......... .... 96
Building Interventions Evaluating Five Degrees of Mitigation ..................101
Basic Property Improvements .......... .........................101
R etrofi tting .............................. ............................................ 10 1
E lev atio n ..................................................................................................... 10 9
R location ..................................................................... ............ 112
D em olition ......................................................................................... 113
Planning R solutions .............. .................. ................................................ 115
Preparatory Phase .................. .................... ........ ...................123
R ecov ery P h ase ......................................................................................................... 12 5
Rebuilding Phase .............. ............................ ..... 127
Visual Com patibility Standards...... ............. ............ ..................... 134
H eight .................. .......... .. .. ...................... ............... 134
Rhythm of Solids to Voids in Front Facades...... .................. .................. 137
Rhythm of Entrance and/or Porch Projections ....................... .................. 138
S cale o f a B u ild in g ............................................. .. ........................ ............... 13 8
Approach to Design Compatibility...... ........ ...... ..................... 141
R eco m m en d atio n s ..................................................................................................... 14 7
F u tu re R e se arch ........................................................................................................ 1 5 3
Table Page
6-1 CEMP Organizational Chart with proposed HPD...............................................72
6-2 Responsibilities of the Building Department, Maintenance Department and
(proposed) Historic Preservation Departm ent..................................... ................ 74
6-3 Selected Local Mitigation Strategies for Levy County .......................................79
Figure Page
3-1 Location of Cedar Key, Florida, Ursula Garfield................................ ............... 13
3-2 Mill workers gathered outside E. Faber's Cedar Mill, January 1896. State
Library and Archives of Florida, Call Number RC03279, Florida Memory
Project, 29 July 2006, http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc03279.jpg.................17
3-3 Cedar Key buildings before and after the 1896 hurricane. State Library and
Archives of Florida, Call Numbers RC03836 and RC03841, Florida Memory
Project, 29 July 2006, http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc03836.jpg,
http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc03841.jpg. ............. ..................................... 19
3-4 Disbursement of existing historic resources in the historic context, Ursula
G a rfie ld .................................................................................................................. ... 2 2
3-5 Cedar Key Historic Architectural District, Ursula Garfield................................23
3-6 Disbursement of existing historic resources by sector and use, Ursula Garfield.....26
3-7 Island Hotel, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 14 Jun. 2006 ..............29
3-8 F.E. Hale Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004.......30
3-9 Schlemmer Grocery and Bakery, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22
O ct. 2 0 0 4 ............................................................................................................. . 3 1
3-10 Prescott Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 11 Aug. 2004........32
3-11 Lutterloh Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004.......33
3-12 Lutterloh Store, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004. ...........34
3-13 Coachman House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 18 Sept. 2004 ......36
3-14 Old Block House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 18 Sept. 2004........37
3-15 Reynolds' House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 24 Sept. 2004........38
3-16 Kirchaine House, Cedar Key. Personal photographs by author. 18 Sept. 2004.......39
3-17 W.R. Hodges House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 11 Aug. 2004...40
3-19 John Richburg House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004..41
3-20 Christie's Pottery, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 24 Sept. 2004 .......42
3-20 Residential design features. Personal photographs by author. 5 Aug. 2006 ...........45
3-21 2nd Street from Island Hotel facing northwest, Cedar Key. Personal photograph
by author. 14 June 2006 ............. .............. ................................................ 46
3-22 2nd Street Intermediate Rooms of Public Spaces, Cedar Key. Personal
photographs by author. 15 June 2006.................................................. ................ 46
6-1 Flood Zones in Cedar Key, Ursula Garfield. ...................................... ................ 82
6-2 Topography of Cedar Key, Ursula Garfield........................................ ................ 83
7-1 Barkley House, Pensacola. Personal photograph by author. 15 Oct. 2004 ..............94
7-2 Seville Quarter Historic District, Personal photograph by author. 15 Oct 2004......94
7-3 Garden Street, Pensacola. Personal photograph by author. 15 Oct. 2004 .............97
7-4 Street plane to foundation plane, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 5
A ug 2006. ............. ................................................................................ 105
7-5 Permanent shutter designs in Cedar Key, Cedar Key. Personal photographs by
author. 5 A ug 2006 .. .................................................................... .............. 106
7-6 Elevated Residence Before, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 9 Nov.
2 0 0 4 ....................................................................................................... ............. 1 1 1
7-7 Elevated Residence After, Cedar Key. Personal photographs by author. 5 Aug
2 0 0 6 ...................................................................................................... ........ .. 1 12
9-1 Relationship of elevated buildings to the residential setting in the background,
Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 5 Aug 2006..................................132
9-2 Predominance of two story buildings in commercial sector, Cedar Key. Personal
photograph by author. 15 June 2006. ...... ... .......................... 135
9-3 Alteration of form on the second story of a residential building, Cedar Key.
Personal photograph by author. 5 Aug 2006....... ... ...................................... 135
9-4 Elevated buildings on 1st Street, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 21
O ct. 2 0 0 5 ............................................................................................................. 1 3 6
9-5 Contrasting conditions for treatment of the ground level space Personal
photographs by author. Tampa (above), Fernandina Beach (below) 2004 and
2 0 0 5 ...................................................................................................... .......... 14 0
9-6 A vacant parcel in the commercial sector, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by
author. 5 A ug 2006 ... ................................................................................. 143
9-7 Convenience Store/Post Office complex, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by
author 15 Jun 2006. ........................ ....................... .................................... 143
B-I Damage photographed in the East Hill District, Pensacola. Personal
photographs by author. 15 Oct. 2004. ...... ... ........................ 159
B-2 Seville Quarter and Zarragoza Street. Personal photographs by author. 15 Oct.
2 0 0 4 ...................................................................................................... .......... 1 5 9
B-3 Damage along Palafox Place in the commercial area of Pensacola. Personal
photographs by author. 15 Oct. 2004. ...... ... ........................ 160
B-4 Condition of North Hill District, Pensacola. Personal photographs by author. 15
O ct. 2 0 0 4 ............................................................................................................... 1 6 0
B-5 Damage and repairs to T.T. Wentworth Building, Pensacola. Personal
photographs by author. 15 O ct. 2004. ................ ............................................. 161
Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School
of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Architectural Studies
Jennifer M. Wolfe
December 2006
Chair: Charles L. Hailey
Cochair: Peter E. Prugh
Major Department: Architecture
Tropical cyclone events have historically made an imprint on coastal landscapes.
The burgeoning growth of Florida's coastal population has amplified the effects of
cyclone damage. In addition to threats posed to life and infrastructure, the loss of historic
architectural fabric is a compelling concern because of the potential to lose an important
part of history. The historic community of Cedar Key is particularly vulnerable as a
result of its location along Florida's Gulf Coast and has been impacted by a few
destructive hurricanes and many tropical storms throughout its history. Cedar Key is
recognized as a National Register District that retains a historic context beginning in the
mid-nineteenth century. The development is associated for its function as one of
Florida's first major ports and cross-peninsular railroad destinations that contributes to
the historic context of the island.
The historic architectural fabric contributes a tangible element to the historic
significance creating a cultural link between the past and present. It is an expression of
the community's identity through a sense of place, which needs to be preserved. This
thesis explores the governing principles of historic preservation in conjunction with
planning measures to mitigate the impacts of a tropical cyclone event using Cedar Key as
a case study. These impacts have a direct effect on the building fabric and are indirectly
affected through building regulations and historic preservation concepts.
The problems facing Cedar Key are particular to its identity and historic resources
and at the same time reflect the broader concerns of disaster-prone historic districts. This
study advocates the following measures to address these problems: planning objectives
that integrate a historic preservation element into the local emergency management plan,
the use of tools to identify and assess risk to historic resources, mitigation methods for
building materials in the context of the effects of a tropical cyclone event, enactment of
the responsibilities of a historic preservation coordinator, and the application of design
criteria to evaluate the compatibility of new development in the historic district. The
combination of the planning initiatives results in an interdisciplinary program of disaster
management that expands the scope of traditional disaster planning methods.
Insufficient planning for a tropical cyclone event can lead to avoidable loss of
historic fabric. These disasters are predictable in terms of their nature and ability to have
a devastatingly widespread impact, which previous hurricane seasons have exhibited.
This study concludes that adopting planning initiatives to reconcile historic preservation
with diverse mitigation opportunities for a tropical cyclone event will benefit
preservation of the historic context in Cedar Key, Florida. The initiatives recommended
in this study can serve as a template for other similarly vulnerable areas by recognizing a
method to integrate historic preservation and local emergency management procedures.
The foundation for this research was guided by a project that began in the fall of
2004 to design a long term storage method for the historical building surveys of Cedar
Key in the event of a disaster. This project was a cooperation between the City of Cedar
Key, the Cedar Key Historical Society, and the College of Design, Construction, and
Planning at the University of Florida. Records from the historical society were obtained
that included photographs and Florida Master Site File (FMSF) forms from a 1986
survey. Verifying the field location and addresses of the historic structures was the first
task of the project. A brief site inspection, along with digital photographs and videos,
was completed to reconcile the existing survey and obtain current images. The FMSF
forms were converted to digital format using the Smartform II program developed by the
Florida Office of Cultural and Historical Programs. The resulting product was a digital
inventory of historic resources that is stored on a compact disc with partial information
on a website.1 A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) student configured the database
and website using this program to organize the data so that it can be accessed and
manipulated. Cedar Key uses this product to manage its historic resources in accordance
with their comprehensive planning policies.
Through the course of my involvement in this project, I was asked to give a
presentation to the community on behalf of the historical society at one of its meetings.
1 The web address for this product is: http://www.floridabred.com/cedar key/html/
While this presentation touched on the results of this project, it focused on the
development of a contemporary historic preservation approach in the U.S. using
examples from Cedar Key. This process identified the significance of the island and the
need to preserve its historic features.
The confluence of these events identified a loophole in Cedar Key's preservation
efforts. During the inventory project, it became apparent that Cedar Key does not have a
unique method to plan for a tropical cyclone event for its historic resources. City
emergency planning documents outline the authorities and objectives that are in place in
an emergency situation without reference to historic resources. Cedar Key's National
Register District contributes to the sense of place and local economy, making it a worthy
asset to protect. Modern technology has advanced the predictability of the location and
effects of a tropical cyclone which merits effective planning and building mitigation
activities. Historic resources should be afforded this investment. Existing preservation
policies will be evaluated to identify opportunities to improve local preservation practices
and to integrate historic resource management into local emergency planning strategies.
Following this effort, known weaknesses and aftereffects from a tropical cyclone on
historic buildings can be mitigated before an event occurs or during the repair process.
However, national preservation guidelines need to be accommodated when altering the
historic fabric. The final trial for historic preservation in relation to a tropical cyclone
event is the need to interfuse design conditions with building criteria in a historic district
that is located in a flood zone. The ultimate purpose of this study is to reduce the loss of
historic architectural resources to a tropical cyclone event in Cedar Key, Florida.
A tidal wave, two disastrous fires, hurricanes and depression did their worst, yet
failed to make it a ghost town.1
The resiliency of Cedar Key is described in this article that depicts its miraculous
survival and potential for economic resurgence. The Cedar Keys area, including the first
settlement on the island of Atsena Otie, has existed through various stages of
development and survived these disasters for over one hundred and fifty years. Before
the city was incorporated, an account of a hurricane in 1842 describes a 27 foot surge and
structural devastation to the few buildings that were present, scattering debris five miles
inland.2 Since then, nine hurricanes and many tropical storms have struck the immediate
Cedar Key area, which was most recently threatened by Tropical Storm Alberto in June
2006.3 Tropical cyclone events are not uncommon to the island, although the last major
impact was Hurricane Easy in 1950, leaving only faint memories for current residents.4
Coastal development in recent years has increased the scale of disaster and changed how
communities respond:
1 Neil S. Meffert, "Oft Hit by Disaster, Former Queen City of Florida's Gulf Coast Refused to
Die," The Florida Times-Union 21 Aug. 1955: 71.
2 Charles Carroll Fishbume, Jr., The Cedar Keys in the 19th Century (1993 Kearney: Morris, 2004)
3 Hurricane City, ed. Jim Williams, 2006, 28 July 2006, http://www.hurricanecity.com/
4 Tropical cyclones include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes.
In fact, the term natural disaster is a misnomer, disasters do not just happen they are
created when people are allowed or encouraged to put themselves in harm's way.5
Traditional building patterns have changed over time in response to coastal hazards, and
are now regulated by local, national, and state codes. Disaster planning for a tropical
cyclone needs to be reevaluated in order to accommodate the regulatory effects on Cedar
Key's historic resources.
The historic context of Cedar Key includes the period of significance from the
installation of a military depot on Atsena Otie in 1839 to the abandonment of the railroad
after 1932.6 The location of Cedar Key and relative access to the interior of the state
provided a unique opportunity to become engaged in the settlement patterns similar to
Florida's other coastal communities, representing an epoch of the state's history. Cedar
Key is distinguished from other coastal communities because of the importance of the
island as an early port and terminus of the first trans-peninsular railroad. Much of the
historic context associated with this development has endured while other coastal
communities in the state have lost their identity to deleterious effects of development.
The Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological District was nominated to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1989.7 This recognition is a function of the
preservation instruments created under the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Passage of
this Act was an epic moment for the preservation movement, extending federal
5 David Salvesen, "Hard Hit: Communities Need to be Able to Roll With Nature's Punches,"
Urban Land, 59.6 (2000): 36.
6 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Cedar Keys Historic and
Archaeological District Section 8 (1989): 1.
7 "A district possesses a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings,
structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development." United States,
Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National
Register Criteria for Evaluation, 1990 (Washington: GPO, 1997) 5.
recognition to significant state and local resources.8 When a property is listed on the
National Register, it is eligible for tax credits and federal rehabilitation funding.
Additionally, federal projects that involve eligible or listed properties must be evaluated
for their effect on the historic resource.
Historic preservation as codified by the Act is executed with the coordination of
federal and state governments. The federal jurisdiction of this authority is the National
Parks Service under the branch of the Secretary of the Interior. Federal oversight is
conducted by an independent federal agency within the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation (ACHP) that advocates preservation policy to the President and Congress.9
Disseminating historic preservation policy to individual states is under the auspice of the
State Historic Preservation Official (SHPO) that each state is required to have in place.
Responsibilities of this office are disbursing federal funds for preservation projects,
facilitating the National Register nomination process, and engaging in compliance
review, among other preservation programs. Guidance for nomination and review is
directed by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties.10 There are four treatments that the Standards define: preservation,
rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction. Historic property management became a
systemic approach under the Historic Preservation Act.
8 William J. Murtagh, Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America, Rev. ed.
(New York: Preservation Press, 1997) 66.
9 United States, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, "About ACHP: General Information,"
Apr. 2006, 22 June 2006, http://www.achp.gov/aboutachp.html.
10 The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties is abbreviated
as 'Standards' when referenced in this study.
States have also empowered local municipalities to implement their own historic
preservation ordinances and recognition programs. The strongest tool to convey historic
property management at the local scale is a preservation ordinance. There are ten
elements an ordinance should include to produce a thorough design review program in
historic districts: statement of purpose, definitions, creation of a preservation
commission, commission duties and powers, criteria for designating historic properties,
process for designating historic landmarks and districts, procedures and standards for
reviewing proposals for alteration, addressing claims of economic hardship, penalties,
and appeals.11 The City of Cedar Key fulfills these components using an Historical
Commission and planning procedures expressed in the city's comprehensive plan and
land development regulations. As will be pointed out, opportunities to strengthen the
implementation of the components remain. A couple of improvements are lodged in the
authority of the commission and the design criteria used to evaluate sensitive alterations
and new development in the historic district. Cultivating an influential presence to
advocate historic preservation in the city is essential to promote the endurance of the
historic context particularly in disaster planning:
There is much emphasis on protecting historic preservation from the hand of man,
there has not been the same thought and attention given to protecting these
resources from disasters such as earthquakes and floods.12
The historical precedence of high profile natural disasters over this century has
yielded increasing impetus to include historic property management principles in disaster
1 Rachel Cox, Design Review in Historic Districts (Washington: National Trust for Historic
Preservation, 2003) 3-4.
12 Robert R. Garvey, Jr., and Peter H. Smith, "Disaster Preparedness and Response Policy,"
FT ,.... io,,i Historic Architecture and Museum Collections from Natural Disasters, ed. Barclay G. Jones
(Stoneham: Butterworth, 1986) 79.
management plans. Before modem predictive technology, the island of Galveston, Texas
was struck with a devastating hurricane in 1900 washing away half of the buildings and
killing nearly 8,000 people, prompting officials to build an 18 foot sea wall.13 This
serves as a reminder to current residents living on this historic island and prompts the
consideration of its efficacy to prevent or reduce the effect of a disaster. As a result of
the 1989 natural disasters from the Loma Prieta earthquake in California and Hurricane
Hugo that struck Charleston, South Carolina, preservation professionals spoke out for the
need to develop building mitigation programs and to adopt planning strategies for
individual resources. The strongest aftereffect from these disasters was the unnecessary
demolition of historic resources.14 The outcome of Hurricane Katrina that struck the Gulf
Coast in August 2005 is still being evaluated to determine the effects and lessons for the
future. Four states were impacted with storm effects but none as severe as Louisiana and
Mississippi. Wind speeds exceeded 140 miles per hour at times, and tropical storm force
winds extended 440 miles from the center at varying intensity that combined with a 30
foot storm surge, decimating many parts of the levee system in New Orleans.15 Massive
flooding filled the city of New Orleans that has 18 distinct National Register Historic
Districts. Countless historic resources along the entire Gulf Coast suffered as a result of
the 2005 hurricane season. Recovery efforts are challenged to mediate preservation
guidelines with a rebuilding plan that plagues many of the agencies involved. Richard
13 "The Galveston Storm of 1900 The Deadliest Disaster in American History," NOAA, Apr.
2006, 25 June 2006, hup \ \ \ .noaa.gov/galvestonl900/.
14 Carl L. Nelson, FT o..... iia the Pastfrom Natural Disasters (Washington: National Trust for
Historic Preservation, 1991) 120.
15 United States, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
"About Hurricane Katrina," May 2006, 26 June 2006,
Ihp % ".fema.gov/hazard/flood/recoverydata/katrina/katrina about.shtm.
Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes that
rebuildingig is essential, but it must acknowledge the historic character of one of the
nation's most distinctive regions."16 Advocacy planning for historic resources within the
framework of disaster management is an integral component for the recovery of the Gulf
Coast region.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) falls under the auspice of
the ACHP, under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, that requires the
effects of its actions to be evaluated with respect to historic resources listed on or eligible
for listing on the NRHP. Financial aid and recovery efforts are some of the activities that
must be monitored by state and local officials. To compromise between the need for a
swift response and federal regulation, an agreement has been established to streamline the
review process. This programmatic agreement authorizes alternative procedures that are
resolved between the SHPO and federal agency.17 Within FEMA, the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP) allows property owners to purchase flood insurance using
flood data to calculate insurance premiums and regulating building codes in participating
communities. Variances are allowed for historic resources in order to ameliorate
preservation guidelines. Historic buildings are not required to be elevated to the base
flood elevation during a rehabilitation project as long as the rehabilitation does not
16 National Trust for Historic Preservation, "Press Release: National Trust for Historic
Preservation Announces Major Campaign to Preserve Historic and Cultural Resources Affected by
Hurricane Katrina," Sept. 2005, 28 Sept. 2005,
Ihp % % %" .nationaltrust.org/news/docs/20050915_katrina.html. The National Trust for Historic
Preservation is a non-profit organization that advocates preservation policy and stewardship.
1 United States, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, "Federal Emergency Management
Agency Model Statewide Programmatic Agreement," April 2002, 22 June 2006
Ihp % % .achp.gov/fema-pa.html.
impact the significance of the building.18 However, new development in a historic
district is required to comply resulting in undesirable effects that inhibits compatibility
with the historic district.
The focus of this thesis is to analyze planning and physical hazard reduction
methods for a tropical cyclone event using Cedar Key as the case study. Examination of
the city's emergency planning strategies alluded to the absence of a historic preservation
component. Cedar Key first tested its new emergency management plan as a result of the
first named storm of the 2006 hurricane season.19 Tropical Storm Alberto prompted
hurricane warnings for the Big Bend and Nature Coast areas while Cedar Key was in the
center of the predicted path. The community braced for a hurricane impact from Alberto
in the media spotlight. Fortunately for the island, the storm made landfall further north
maintaining a tropical storm organization. Street flooding was incidental and no physical
damage was reported in the city. Normal operations were restored just two days after the
storm passed with residents mingling about.
This brush with a tropical storm should reinvigorate the need to review emergency
planning strategies and take advantage of the gift of time to include historic resources in
their plans. Questions that remain include the following: Are there reasonable mitigation
measures to strengthen historic buildings against a tropical storm and how do historic
materials react to storm effects? What can the city do to manage historic resources in the
wake of a hurricane? How would Cedar Key react to a Hurricane Katrina-type disaster?
18 Title 44 Emergency Management and Assistance, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department Of Homeland Security, Oct. 2003, Part 60 Criteria
For Land Management And Use, Variances and Exceptions. 12 Jun. 2006,
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/04nov20031500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr 2003/octqtr/pdf/44cfr
19 The City of Cedar Key emergency plan was written in December 2005.
These are all questions that the city needs to be able to answer to understand why it is
important to plan for a tropical cyclone event with regard to their historic fabric. This
study investigates facets of historic preservation and disaster mitigation with their
application to Cedar Key using the following program:
* Planning objectives that integrate a historic preservation element into the local
emergency management plan.
* Development of tools to identify and assess risk to historic resources.
* Mitigation methods in the context of preparing for and dealing with the effects of a
tropical cyclone event.
* Responsibilities of the historic preservation coordinator to enact the planning
* Application of design criteria to evaluate the compatibility of new development in
the historic district.
Preceding this evaluation, a review of the historic context will be achieved through
a historical and architectural compendium. The concentration of the historic architectural
features is a valuable cultural and economic resource. Furthermore, the sense of place in
Cedar Key depends on the integrity of these features.
The field of research relating to this subject matter is divided between two major
areas of focus inclusive of historic preservation: federal roles and guidelines and disaster
management and mitigation for building materials. Professionals in the public and
private sector at all levels have contributed to this body of knowledge. Cedar Key can
benefit from a study that applies these principles because this area has not yet been
Recommendations to strengthen the city's preservation guidelines and interject
these goals into the Comprehensive Emergency Management Protocol (CEMP) are made
in Chapter 6. A designated historic preservation official should be appointed to oversee
the building assessment, permitting, and rebuilding phase for historic resources and the
historic district. Risk assessment tools and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will
help the preservation official design a planning methodology that contributes some
elements to the CEMP but more specifically a unique plan for historic resources. Chapter
7 applies the Secretary of the Interior's Rehabilitation Standards to building interventions
to mitigate storm effects and Chapter 8 executes the responsibilities of the Historic
Preservation Coordinator in the context of a tropical cyclone event. Historic building
materials are investigated with respect to maintenance and building intervention
activities. The duties of the preservation official include responsibilities derived from the
CEMP that includes four stages: planning, preparation, recovery, and rebuilding. The
consequences of new development in the historic district are probed in Chapter 9 as a
result of building criteria for flood plain management that can have detrimental effects on
the historic context. Compatibility criteria help to formulate an approach to this
juxtaposition. Applying this research to Cedar Key generates a framework to reduce the
risk of a tropical cyclone event upon the city's historic context to preserve its overall
sense of place.
The history and related architectural features of Cedar Key relate to its physical
identity. Several events along the way have shaped the settlement and building traditions
that portray its modern image that is a result of the American occupation of the area.
This conveyance through time encountered military activities until about the time that
Florida became a state. It was long associated with a transitory society of military
occupants; and as it grew into a major port, travelers and mariners used Cedar Key as a
resting spot. Two of the islands in the Cedar Keys were the principle islands for
settlement, later known as Cedar Key and Atsena Otie. An area map depicts the relative
location of these islands to the state in Figure 3-1. Prominent individuals motivated by
personal gain effectively pursued these islands for private settlement, envisioning the
same potential sought after by army officials for the advantageous geographical nature of
the islands. Development of the islands was confronted with nature's assaults and
limitations; as well as those of mankind. This chapter will explore this historic context1
as an evolution to discover the basis for the architectural features that relate to Cedar
Key's sense of place.
1 The National Parks Service defines historic context as "an organizing structure for interpreting
history that groups information about historic properties which share a common theme, common
geographical location, and common time period," United States, Department of the Interior, National Park
Service, National Register Bulletin: How to Complete the National Register F',., i' a~,. -i Form, 1977
(Washington: GPO, 1986) Appendix IV: 2.
Figure 3-1 Location of Cedar Key, Florida, Ursula Garfield.
Historical Sketch
Cedar Key is nestled along the area of Florida's Gulf Coast referred to as the
Nature Coast, which includes many islands in its vicinity giving it the name Cedar Keys.
The period of significance for the Cedar Key Historic District is between 1839 and 1932,
corresponding to the American occupation of the collective islands known as the Cedar
Keys to the cessation of service of the cross-peninsular railroad.2 Another period of
significance applies to the islands' prehistory, however, an archaeological evaluation of
these resources will not be addressed for the purposes of this research. Of the Cedar
Keys, the first inhabited island was called Depot Key during its occupation by the U.S.
Army at the time of the Second Seminole War, although it was later renamed Atsena Otie
Key and incorporated in 1859.3 During the military period, Cedar Key was referred to as
Way Key and was platted as a company town this same year but not recognized with
legal authority until 1869.4 The lighthouse on Seahorse Key, another of the Cedar Keys,
functioned as the navigational outpost during the historical period.
The history of Cedar Key can be traced through three categories describing distinct
patterns of events that shape the historic context of Cedar Key. During the first period of
historical reference, the American settlement of the Cedar Keys began as military
installations and a trading center leading up to permanent settlement of two of the islands.
While pursuing statehood, the tracks were laid for the first trans-peninsular railroad that
2 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File, National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological District
Section 8 (1989) 1.
3 Fishburne 33.
4 Fishburne 78. The Florida Town Improvement Company continued to own vacant parcels and
also leased property so it would not relinquish its hold on the island for the cause of the Florida Railroad,
would later be rebuilt during Civil War reconstruction. Finally, economic decline and
destruction gave way to new manufacturing opportunities before Cedar Key developed as
the fishing and leisure destination it is known for today. The role of Cedar Key as one of
Florida's first Gulf Coast communities is identified through these historical references.5
1839-1861: Before the Tracks
Geographically poised, the islands were noted for their proximity to rivers that
could transport goods and military supplies advantageous to the United States during in
the Second Seminole Wars. General Zachary Taylor was credited with realizing the
potential that lie in the Cedar Keys as a military outpost that could be connected to inner
posts along the Suwannee River using land across the state that was divided into a grid
system.6 Dissolving the power of the Indians in this Florida territory was a necessary
accomplishment to achieve statehood. A defense post on Depot Key (Atsena Otie) was
constructed with military infrastructure including commander's quarters, a general
hospital, doctor's quarters, quartermaster storehouse and office, as well as a couple small
houses.7 Sea Horse Key was similarly occupied and used as a holding station for captive
Indians and a base for Cantonment Morgan.8
Settlement of the territory of Florida was permitted following the close of the war.
Two men by the name of Augustus Steele and David Levy Yulee partnered to promote
Depot Key (Atsena Otie) and Way Key (Cedar Key), respectively.9 A hurricane in 1842
5 Historical periods are loosely based on the format used by Fishbume.
6 Fishbume 12-14.
Fishbume 36.
8 Fishbume 22-23.
9 Fishbume 39-40.
struck the keys and damaged the military facilities; but it did not deter Steele who
purchased the surviving buildings and sought to develop the island.10 Commercial
industry began to replace military operations; but the keys were still being taken
advantage of for their waterway transportation link to the interior of the territory and
through the open seas. By the late 1850s shipping industries included Cedar Key in its
transit network alongside New England, New Orleans, and Havana.11 Working toward a
new transportation industry, Yulee invested many years planning a railroad network
connecting the east and west coast of Florida using the Florida Town Improvement
Company to acquire much of the land on Cedar Key that resulted in the first official
survey of the island in 1859.12 The next year the culmination of this effort was the arrival
of Florida's first transpeninsular railway that "furnished transportation for thousands
along the line and many to the then small village of Cedar Key."13 Meanwhile, cedar
mills exploited this lumber resource on these two islands between the factories of
Eberhardt Faber (see Figure 3-2), Eagle Pencil, and F.A. Wolfe and Company
providing employment for over 500 people lasting three decades as a strong economic
base.14 A growing economy provided the foundation for the future of the Cedar Keys.
10 Ron MacIntyre, Cedar Key... A Way ofLife (Gainesville: Wayside, 1950) 2.
11 Fishburne 41.
12 Fred Cubberly, "Cedar Keys," Manuscript Collection, University of Florida Special Collections,
13 Captain T.R. Hodges, "Early Cedar Key Days Described by Descendent of One of First Settlers
in that Historic Area," Tampa Sunday Tribune 21 Feb. 1954: 12-C.
14 Hodges 12-C.
Figure 3-2 Mill workers gathered outside E. Faber's Cedar Mill, January 1896. State
Library and Archives of Florida, Call Number RC03279, Florida Memory
Project, 29 July 2006, http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc03279.jpg.
1862-1884: Railroad and Reconstruction
Economic growth was forestalled as a result of destruction from the Civil War that
threatened the viability of Cedar Key and its transportation network; having damaged the
Sea Horse Key battery, railroad depot and wharf, telegraph office, turpentine warehouse,
salt factory, and a ferry boat.15 Fort Number Four that was constructed under the
Seminole War was the site of an engagement between Union and Confederate forces.16
Cedar Key was quick to rise to a recovery that catapulted it into a peak economic
period. Rebuilding efforts took the opportunity to upgrade accommodations that attracted
more tourists when the railroad was restored. One account cites that during the railroad
boom the transportation of cargo as well as passengers supported six hotels such as the
Suwannee with 200 rooms.17 Population began at 100 at the outset of the war, grew to
15 Maclntyre 3.
16 W.S. Yearty, "Yearly Family Papers," Manuscript Collection University of Florida Special
Collections, 2. Cedar Key came under control of Union forces blockading the port. Fishburne presents the
notion that it was an attack on the salt works as a much needed resource during the war that may coincide
with the location of Fort Number Four, 67.
17 Meffert 71.
700 in 1870, and then increased to 1,887 in 1885 at its peak.18 A shift in population from
Atsena Otie to Cedar Key was most likely the result of continued job growth due to the
resurgence of the railroad and industrial growth:
Everything shipped south passed through Cedar Key because no railroads did.19
Investments were also being made for the infrastructure on Cedar Key to maintain
the viability of the community in support of the rail road. The Town of Cedar Keys was
incorporated in 1869 (later City of Cedar Key) as new homes were on the rise, port
activities returned, sawmills and boatyards were in full swing, as well as community
services such as religious fellowships, schools, sidewalks and talk of a roadway
connection to the mainland.20
1885-1932: Decline and Destruction
A turn of events brought development and industry to a halt. One of the events was
the aftereffects of the new railroad connecting Waldo and Tampa that was orchestrated
by railroad magnate Henry B. Plant in 1884.21 Tampa became a powerful competitor for
commercial trade and would steal Cedar Key's monopoly in this Gulf Coast region.
Additionally, a consistent hindrance to growth on Cedar Key was the Florida Town
Improvement Company's hold on property that was not freed up until now.22 Natural
resources were depleted because of the lack of conservation planning resulting in a
18 Fishbume 60, 70, 96.
19 St. Clair Whitman, Letter, Manuscript Collection University of Florida Special Collections.
20 Fishbume 77-78, 81, 84-85, 90.
21 Fishbume 117.
22 Cubberly 10.
decline of the cedar and fishing industries by 1889.23 A hurricane devastated the Faber
Factory on Atsena Otie Key in 1896.24 This hurricane was devastating to most residents
on Atsena Otie and marked the decline of human occupation of the island. Some of the
thirty-five surviving structures were transported to Cedar Key and can today be found
sporadically throughout the historic district.25 Damage was also significant in Cedar Key
as evidenced in Figure 3-3. Their exact location is not known, but the adjacency of the
buildings suggests they were located along Second Street.
Figure 3-3 Cedar Key buildings before and after the 1896 hurricane. State Library and
Archives of Florida, Call Numbers RC03836 and RC03841, Florida Memory
Project, 29 July 2006, http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/reference/rc03836.jpg,
http://fpc.dos. state.fl.us/reference/rc03841 .j pg.
Cedar Key, in an effort to revitalize the economy, leased space in state newspapers
to attract new business and visitors on behalf of the city council and board of trade.
Various coastal Florida communities boasted a healing environment with leisure
activities proclaiming Cedar Key as a "great family resort during all parts of the year for
a lower cost but with the same pleasures of other coastal Florida vacation spots."26
23 Maclntyre 4.
24 Fishburne 164.
25 Dr. John Andrews, personal communication.
26 Cedar Key, Florida (Cedar Key: A Pepper Production), n.d.
Sponging along many Gulf Coast communities was also a popular new resource for
industry. One of the vacated cedar mills was rehabilitated into an oyster canning plant,
until oyster beds were exhausted by 1909, then Standard Manufacturing Company and
Brush Factory took it over producing palmetto fiber brushes.27 This factory offered
stable employment for 130 people and had factories in Jacksonville and Sanford as
well .28
A major turning point in the history of the development of Florida was the collapse
of the real estate boom in 1926. This event left many employees in construction
searching for new work, leading some to migrate to Cedar Key and resulted in a slight
population increase.29 However, Cedar Key was experiencing a decline similar to the rest
of the nation, with the onset of the Great Depression and followed by the final closure of
the Florida Railroad in 1932.
The years since the 1930s have been marked with little activity on Cedar Key. No
new manufacturing industries settled on the island. Enactment of the Net Ban in 1994
dealt a blow to the fishing industry in Cedar Key but turned working residents to clam
farming as an alternative economic resource.30 However, the area continued to be known
for its tranquility and leisure fishing opportunities along what is today referred to as the
Nature Coast. The island faces challenges to determine where it will go next as it
reconciles new development with the desire of the community:
27 Cubberly 10.
28 Hodges 12-C.
29 Peter Edward Burtchaell, "Economic Change and Population at Cedar Key," thesis, University
of Florida, 1949, 55.
30 Jenna McKenna, "Cedar Key Marks Net Ban Anniversary," Chiefland Citizen July 2006, 27
July 2006 lihp \\ %\ .chieflandcitizen.com/articles/2005/11/10/news/local_nuic s ncii ~'-12
Perhaps through all the years of turmoil and struggle... Cedar Key may revert back
to what she was originally founded for back in 1842 when Augustus Steele said,
"This climate.. .this beauty was meant for people to enjoy." Yes, of course Cedar
Key in completing her cycle.., returning to being a resort town, which, for the town
will solve its economic problem, and to the visitor it will supply a vacation land
with historical background.31
Figure 3-4 reveals the current ratios of existing historic buildings that fall within the
historical time periods. Their existence, or lack thereof, is a combination of historical
events and modern development.
31 MacIntyre 6.
Figure 3-4 Disbursement of existing historic resources in the historic context, Ursula Garfield.
Figure 3-5 Cedar Key Historic Architectural District, Ursula Garfield.
Architectural Sketch
The Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological District was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in October 1989 with 119 contributing structures and 36
contributing sites.32 An architectural boundary was delineated within the overall district
to encompass the original town settlement and serves as the boundary for this study.
Figure 3-5 illustrates this boundary and the prominence of contributing buildings. Along
Second Street, historic commercial buildings comprise a majority the main street
buildings. Gaps in this area are a result of vacant lots and modern development. The
remaining majority of historic structures in the district serve a residential use, either
permanent or seasonal. Figure 3-6 reveals the organizational pattern of the historic
resources within the district boundaries. Historic resources categorized as "sites" within
this district will not be included for this analysis. Archaeological remains require a
unique set of guidelines from those that apply to buildings and suggest the need for future
research to address the relationship between disaster mitigation and historic preservation.
Historic resources are evaluated for significance in accordance with the four criteria
established by the NR to warrant its national recognition. The historical events during
this time period support the nomination of the district under NR criteria A for the broad
patterns of events characterizing the development of the islands as well as NR criteria D
for the potential to reveal yet more information regarding this history. Finally, criteria C
refers to the significance of tabby construction materials for of a few of the buildings and
32 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File,
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological
District Section 3 (1989).
is supplemented by the concentration of historic buildings present in the district that share
a common history.
Figure 3-6 Disbursement of existing historic resources by sector and use, Ursula Garfield.
The built environment of Cedar Key is significant for its association with a unique
period of Florida history as an example of an early Gulf Coast community. This
community, when inhabited by the Americans, was used as a military outpost, a port
community, and terminus to the first Gulf to Atlantic railroad. The building stock has
adapted over time as the island outgrew these historical uses but represent the endurance
of historic structures. A selection of the unique and common historic architectural
elements of the district will be presented within either the commercial or residential
sector as a sampling. Building traditions for Cedar Key are identifiable within either
category and serve as the basis to promote their preservation during the mitigation and
planning approach for a tropical cyclone event.
Historic Commercial Sector
For the purposes of this study, the commercial sector is located along Second Street
bound by D and A streets, outlined in Figure 3-6. D Street is the local roadway
transportation artery in and out of the island, which is the terminus of Highway 24. This
roadway was not the historic arrival and departure method so it does not represent a
historical boundary; however, it is a logical boundary that follows the modern
development of the commercial sector. Second Street is the historic and modern main
street corridor that provides commercial services now including retail, restaurant,
lodging, traveler resources, and the local government center. Although buildings have
been rehabilitated into different uses, these services were similar to those provided for
historically when the island was a thriving port and railroad destination. The commercial
sector is the epicenter of the community where residents and visitors alike congregate.
Along these three blocks of Second Street, with an extension to the southwest
corner of Second and D Streets, are 19 historic buildings representing commercial or
community purposes.33 The historic buildings along this street are generally
characterized as having vernacular design, rectangular plans, and two stories. Several of
the prominent two story buildings feature two-tiered wrap-around porches with most
other buildings in the interior of the block featuring a second story porch. Tabby is one
of the unique building materials utilized in a couple of these buildings and is usually only
found in Florida's historic buildings in St. Augustine, Florida.
The scale and organization of the buildings relates to a pedestrian scale since the
facades are placed up to the sidewalk, with the sidewalk being mostly covered from the
individual porches and awnings. Another contributing factor that identifies the pedestrian
scale is the entry and fenestration pattern that, in combination with their physical
dimension, regulates the space with repetition. Except for a vacant lot and a vehicular-
oriented parcel, the buildings are placed in close proximity to one another establishing a
sense of continuity. Redevelopment recommendations to mediate the lack of continuity
created by these parcels are suggested later in this study. The identifiable attributes that
are common to the commercial sector should be maintained in variations of design when
considering future infill development. Landmark buildings in the commercial sector are
recognized in the following section and their location is depicted on Figure 3-6.
Island Hotel
Located on the northeast corner of B and Second streets, this landmark icon of the
island was built in the early 1860s during the early settlement period of the island. This
masonry vernacular building was constructed in anticipation of the success that the
33 These buildings are listed in Appendix A.
Florida Railroad would bring and as such is represents an early commercial structure.34
The construction method employed tabby material that is sealed with stucco. Using the
space it occupies on a corner parcel, it features a two story wrap-around porch
recognizable from Figure 3-7. Pairs of French doors and large multi-lighted windows are
regulated between the six bays of the porch support posts. Originally operating as the
Parson's and Hale General Store, in 1915 it was rehabilitated as a hotel the same use it
serves today. The Island Hotel is a contributing structure to the historic district, but it
was individually listed on the National Register in 1984, significant for its historical
representation of the island's history and unique architectural features.
Figure 3-7 Island Hotel, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 14 Jun. 2006.
34 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File,
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Island Hotel Section 8 (1984).
F.E. Hale Building
A partner with Parson, Hale is associated with another tabby building constructed
near 1880 during the decades of ebb and flow in the economy.35 It is a two story masonry
vernacular building rectangular in plan and about one-fourth the massing of the Island
Hotel (Figure 3-8). The rhythm of the three-bay, two-tiered porch is repeated in the
symmetrical orientation of the entry and fenestration on the ground level. The posts
feature delicate corner brackets and a turned-post balustrade on the gallery level. This
building has served several functions from its origins in retail to its current use as a
Figure 3-8 F.E. Hale Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004.
Schlemmer buildings
Another significant name in the historic context of the commercial development of
Cedar Key is the Schlemmer family. Three buildings comprising a small compound
35 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
facility with a grocery, bakery, and hotel carry this name.36 The grocery and bakery
building is a brick masonry vernacular design built contemporary to the F.E. Hale
Building and now stands vacant.37 The two story building features a two bay porch on
both levels and a series of three identical lighted entry doors and transoms (Figure 3-9).
Scrollwork and turned posts embellish the porch as rounded moldings and raised paneling
adorn the facade. Across the street, the other two buildings from this family compound
exist in rehabilitated functions as a library and city hall. Both are of a frame vernacular
design; however, the library repeats the two story, two-tier porch built to the sidewalk
and was originally connected with the bakery by a second level frame deck.38
Figure 3-9 Schlemmer Grocery and Bakery, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author.
22 Oct. 2004
36 The latter of these was destroyed by a hurricane and later rebuilt but is still historic.
7 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
38 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
LV00169, and LV00170.
Prescott Building
The Prescott building is noteworthy as a surviving example of building patterns on
the island of Atsena Otie, which was settled before Cedar Key. It was moved from the
island after the devastating hurricane just prior to the turn of the twentieth century.39 In
Figure 3-10, similar design features between the two islands are evident with the frame
vernacular design and a two story, two-tier porch; although the original porch fabric has
been replaced. A distinguishing feature in this building is the recessed double entry.
Figure 3-10 Prescott Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 11 Aug. 2004.
Lutterloh Building and Lutterloh Store
In the 1870s, these two buildings were constructed for two different members of
the Lutterloh family. The first building constructed was the Lutterloh Building (Figure 3-
11), built in a frame vernacular design as a residence and featuring the commercial design
of the two story, two tier porch now housing the Cedar Key Historical Museum.40 It
39 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
40 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
displays a four bay porch system and asymmetrical entry and fenestration pattern that
may have been the distinguishing factor to define it as residential at the time. It has
simple square porch posts and turned post balustrade while the building envelope is
covered with stucco. The other Lutterloh building (Figure 3-12) is also constructed of
tabby taking advantage of the setting's comer lot with an L-shaped wrap-around porch.
The Second Street facade is divided into a symmetrical and simple fenestration pattern
with a double door entry. While the building is now vacant, it housed grocery and retail
stores and most recently a real estate office.41 The Lutterloh Building is located on the
southwest comer of D and Second streets while the Lutterloh Store is located on the
northeast corner of C and Second streets.
Figure 3-11 Lutterloh Building, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004.
41 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
Figure 3-12 Lutterloh Store, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct. 2004.
The historic commercial buildings represent a majority of the buildings located in
the boundary identified as the commercial sector. Within this majority, only eight of the
buildings were constructed after the turn of the century speaking to the endurance
through the climate and economic conditions the island has been subjected to. The
materials, scale, and spatial rhythm of this corridor function toward the pedestrian
environment that contributes to the social identity and economic vitality of the
Historic Residential Sector
The highest concentration of historic residential structures is located in the old
town area of the island and there is only a sporadic few located outside of the
architectural district. Geographically, the area is bound by the Gulf of Mexico at First
Street northwest to the high school at Widdon Avenue incorporating the remainder of the
island west to east that is H Street through Depot Street. The varied arrangement of the
buildings on the parcels and the lack of sidewalks distinguish the design of the residential
sector from the commercial, although they share a similar scale.
The residential structures in the old town amount to about seventy buildings varied
in design filling in the immediate area of the commercial sector and expanding outward.
This concentration of historic residential buildings and the proximity to the commercial
sector make a significant contribution to the composition of the historic district. During
the settlement of the island, it was important to maintain the connectivity to the
commercial sector due to early transportation methods. A grid network facilitated this
connectivity as well as the proportions of the building to the parcel that establishes the
rhythm of the residential sector.
The residential architecture identified with Cedar Key can be generally referred to
as a vernacular design:
There are no well-developed examples in Cedar Key of the Revival and Romantic
styles of architecture that were popular in [the] second half of the 19th century and
early 20th century.42
Influential details from established styles do appear as a secondary consequence from
these styles. The architectural diversity of these influences are likely a result from the
island's port history that connected New Orleans, Key West, and Cuba, and later railroad
line that connected the Gulf and Atlantic oceans across the state of Florida.
Representative examples of historic architectural residences will be addressed that
highlight these influences and their location is depicted on Figure 3-6.43
42 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File,
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Cedar Keys Historic and Archaeological
District Section 8 (1989).
43 These buildings are listed in Appendix A.
Coachman House
The Coachman House is an 1882, two story townhouse form featuring
asymmetrical fenestration on the lower level constructed with tabby.44 This building sets
on a corner lot two blocks north of the commercial sector set back from the street just
enough for a small buffer. Greek Revival-inspired features include the wood six-pane
glazed windows with horizontal transom on the entry and while this building lacks the
signature classical columns and capitals, in a vernacular setting square columns are
typical.45 In Figure 3-13, the main elevation features a two tier porch regulated by a three
bay system that is replicated in the fenestration. Along with the Old Block House, these
may be the only examples of a residential use of tabby in Cedar Key.
Figure 3-13 Coachman House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 18 Sept. 2004.
44 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
45 Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, 1984 (New York: Alfred A.
Knopf 2002) 182.
^R ^ IL 11111 ;>;,1iull",ll iii
Figure 3-14 Old Block House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 18 Sept. 2004.
Old Block House
This tabby, masonry vernacular building has been dated to before 1870, occupying
a corner lot at the intersection of Sixth and G streets with a side view of the Gulf46 It
stands rectangular in plan with the most prominent feature being the covered porch and
second story balcony (Figure 3-14). Older photographs depict bracket embellishments on
the under side of the balcony that do not remain. While the hip roof has a gradual pitch
with extended eaves, there are no cornice brackets or exposed rafter tails. This house is
within walking distance to the commercial sector but lacks a sidewalk and retains the
average setback exhibited in other residential buildings.
Reynolds' House
Set along the gateway into the old town on D Street is the Reynolds House that was
constructed in approximately 1875.47 Its features are diluted details of the Gothic Revival
46 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
47 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
with the emphasis on the central gable in addition to lacy bargeboards, bay window, and
veranda with carved posts (Figure 3-15). More common for a wood frame structure in
this style would have been a vertical board and batten sheathing that stressed verticality
and a pointed rather than rounded arch.48 The simple pedimented windows on this
building are typical of the Greek Revival tradition. This one-story home is set back about
ten feet from the sidewalk and features side porches resulting in a combination that
creates an appropriate harmony of public and private space.
-^-r &.M \y
Figure 3-15 Reynolds' House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 24 Sept. 2004.
48 John C. Poppeliers, What Style is It? A Guide to American Architecture, Rev. ed. (Hoboken:
John Wiley and Sons, 2003) 48-50.
Figure 3-16 Kirchaine House, Cedar Key. Personal photographs by author. 18 Sept. 2004.
Kirchaine House
The Kirchaine House was built in 1884 and is situated just beyond the commercial
sector of Second Street. An unimposing streetscape from this two story building featured
in above is the result of an appropriate setback from the sidewalk proportioned with its
height (Figure 3-16).49 Fenestrations feature simple molding patterns and is
complemented with a contrasting color scheme to balance the front elevation. Variations
of spindlework along porch detailing, scrollwork appliques, and cornice brackets are
associated with the Folk Victorian style while this example features the two tiered porch
as a southern adaptation.50
49 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
50 McAlester 314.
W.R. Hodges House
In another prominent location is the 1910 W.R. Hodges House, located at the
eastern terminus of the historic commercial sector.51 While it features contrasting
materials with the pattern shingles in the gable fronts typical of the Queen Anne design, it
presents a symmetrical facade with the double wrap-around porch and double gable.52
Figure 3-17 illustrates a wider footprint, relative to other residential buildings, with a
five-bay facade and is one and one-half stories in height. The wrap-around porch
provides an inviting appearance but is afforded semi-privacy with the steeply pitched hip
roof and is also set back from the public space in a proportionate manner.
Figure 3-17 W.R. Hodges House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 11 Aug.
51 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
52 Poppeliers 73.
Figure 3-19 John Richburg House, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 22 Oct.
John Richburg House
This 1904 residence features an overlapping front gable and a full width porch that
dominates the front elevation.53 Exposed rafter details and simple square porch posts
along with a lower pitched gable emulate the Bungalow design (Figure 3-18). A subset
of the Craftsman, this style describes the single story vernacular use.54 The fenestration
repeats the three bay program of the porch that is symmetrically balanced. On a corner
lot, a limited front setback is offset with the ample side yard. This residence is located on
the southwest corner of the Second and D Street intersection, however; it has recently
been rehabilitated to house the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce.
Christie's Pottery
Located on Sixth Street near the area referred to locally as the African American
neighborhood, this is a pre-1900 simple frame structure with a gable front orientation and
53 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
54 McAlester 454.
three bay hip-roofed porch covering its full width.55 This narrow, one-room wide
arrangement is attributed with a New Orleans freedmen influence in the Shotgun style,
alternatively a logical solution for a narrow lot (Figure 3-20).56 The facade presents an
asymmetrical fenestration pattern and is located relatively close to the street with no
Figure 3-20 Christie's Pottery, Cedar Key. Personal photograph by author. 24 Sept. 2004.
The historic residential buildings of Cedar Key represent various periods of
development from its initial settlement before the arrival of the railroad to the time of the
Great Depression. Architectural designs have been influenced from railroad
transportation as a result of varied materials and transient experiences.57 This may
explain how varied details borrowed from mainstream styles accrued on buildings that
did not otherwise depict an individual strength. In Key West, the Conch Style resembles
55 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Master Site File Form
56 McAlester 90.
57 McAlester 89.
Cedar Key vernacular with the front gable orientation, two-tiered porch, with simple
columns and balustrades that were later embellished with decorative brackets and
cornices as a result of transitory residents.58 One pattern has remained the same over
time and that is the scale and proportion and the feature most important in warm southern
climates: the porch. Buildings are varied in design and color but establish a common
sequence of public and private space.
Sense of Place
It is place, permanent position in both the social and topographical sense, that gives
us our identity.59
Expressing the sense of place that Cedar Key exudes is achieved by the composition
of the historic context that identifies the cultural landscape. Identity, being the
descriptive language by which 'sense' of place is qualified, is rooted in the cultural
landscape of a community where the landscape is a collection of thematic expressions.
The social sense as it relates to identity is not tangible but defined by the cultural
features, one of which is a conveyance of history through the evolution of time. A
community's cultural influence is a dialogue with the landscape; being an artful interplay
between the new and the old, rendering a framework by which to value each
contribution.60 Topographic features can be interpreted as the designed interventions that
provide a physical representation of space. The exploration of the historic context in
Cedar Key is the built environment that is thematically associated with time. The
58 Ronald W. Haase, "The Florida Vernacular," University of Florida College of Architecture
[College of Design, Construction, and Planning] Design Studio, January, 1984, 36.
59 John Brinckerhoff Jackson, Discovering the Vernacular Landscape (New Haven: Yale
University Press, 1984) 152.
60 Christian Norberg-Schulz, Architecture: Presence, Language, Place, ed. Claudio Nasso and
Serena Parini, trans. Antony Shugaar (Milano: Skira editor, 2000) 221.
principal contribution of the historic context is that it establishes the identity of the sense
of place generated in Cedar Key through the inventory of historic resources.
The historic architectural fabric in Cedar Key is paralleled with the topographic
features of the cultural landscape. It also provides the physical context for the way in
which a person interacts with the environment most notably as a pedestrian which relates
to the historic settlement patterns of the island. The settlement patterns on the island
were a reflection of the transportation facilities that set a hierarchy of functional centers.
The port was essential to the livelihood of the island for a long period, especially when
the railroad was built that could transport goods more efficiently to the interior of the
state. The original town was platted on a grid, then, oriented out of convenience with the
shape of the island parallel to water's edge. The residential sector fills in the areas
surrounding the commercial sector, mostly concentrated toward the northwest of the
commercial sector. Less emphasis was placed on the immediate proximity of the
residential sector to the port. Cedar and miscellaneous manufacturing mills were located
at the extremities of the island in the westerly and easterly direction, not including the
factories on Atsena Otie. It was practical for these operations to be placed within a
reasonable proximity to the port. The locations of these sectors establish their
hierarchical relationship in the historic context that was a result of pragmatic and
functional design. Finally, Cedar Key's historic district is a walkable community in
terms of distance and the occupational experience. Building setbacks, sidewalks, and
human scale design an intimate relationship in the public spaces.
Figure 3-20 Residential design features. Personal photographs by author. 5 Aug. 2006.
The architectural components of the landscape create a contextual relationship for
the setting of the identity of place in Cedar Key. In the architectural study of this chapter,
common features are the residential porch (Figure 3-20), orientation of the residential
building toward the street as to interact with the public space, in conjunction with the
commercial space that is characterized by two-tiered porches that envelop the public
space of the sidewalk, shown in a series in Figure 3-21. The scale from these features
engages the proportion of the human body by providing a space that creates an
intermediate room within the public space, refer to Figure 3-22. Materials on most of the
historic buildings are an honest representation of a natural resource that is manipulated in
form as a construction material while also serving the function it appears to be designated
for. Decorative features compliment the structural mass and again contribute to the
human scale of the visual and occupational spaces when used to filter spatial connections.
Figure 3-21 2nd Street from Island Hotel facing northwest, Cedar Key. Personal
photograph by author. 14 June 2006
Figure 3-22 2n Street Intermediate Rooms of Public Spaces, Cedar Key. Personal
photographs by author. 15 June 2006.
The identity of place requires an emphasis on characteristics that promote
distinction between one place and another that must extend beyond a geographical
location. The evolution of the culture of a community is driven by the inherent diversity
of the people and the environment that comprise a place which should persevere in future
development. Preserving the historic context is challenged in Cedar Key because of the
contrasting principles of preservation guidelines and new construction requirements
strictly regulated by flood plain management criteria. Building materials must sustain
designed wind loads regulated by the Florida Building Code. The effects of compliance
are not as holistic and detrimental to the historic context. Mitigating the effects of a
tropical cyclone involves planning initiatives that deal with emergency management as
well as redevelopment practices that can compromise between the effects of infill
development and structural mitigation. This should be treated as an opportunity to
contribute to the historic context while fostering the genuine sense of place for Cedar
In times of high social mobility and in a market place which produces homogenous
cookie-cutter sprawl irrelevant to local history, real places are important in defining
ourselves. Connections to historic places tie us to our culture and make us and it
relevant; these connections nourish our civic culture.61
61 F. Lawrence Oaks, "The National Register: A Road Map to Preserving a Sense of Place,"
Cultural Resource Management, 25.1 (2002): 18.
Framework to Engage Historic Preservation with Disaster Management Planning
The state of Florida has made individual progress in the area of disaster
management and historic preservation with the 2003 publication Disaster Planningfor
Florida's Historic Resources. This resource has provided the most thorough
identification of the fundamental components to incorporate consideration for historic
resources into the local disaster plan. Historic preservation legislation, authorities within
the federal, state, and local governments/communities, and the authorities within the
emergency management arena are recognized as influential decision makers in this study
area.1 In doing so, this publication presents useful tools that educate communities on the
importance of their historic resources and recommendations on how to protect them. The
components that were applied to the Cedar Key case study can be divided into two
applications local policy procedures the city can adopt and tools the local preservation
official can use to carry out the procedures.
In the first application, recommendations were made to the Cedar Key emergency
management framework to account for historic property management. These
improvements include the provision of a historic preservation coordinator for the damage
assessment process, analysis of debris and staging areas for their potential to affect
1 1000 Friends of Florida, Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources, Division
of Emergency Management Florida Department of Community Affairs, Disaster Planning for Florida's
Historic Resources, September 2003.
historic resources, and education of local emergency officials on their historic resources.2
In the second half, the historic preservation coordinator will facilitate these procedures
with the emergency planning officials, create a historic preservation response network,
maintain a historic resource inventory, develop an expedited architectural review process,
and participate in the local mitigation strategy.3 The Florida publication provides a useful
foundation to suggest an infrastructure that can be applied to the overall disaster planning
program in Cedar Key.
Carl Nelson's Protecting the Past from Natural Disasters was written in response
to two major disasters in 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake and Hurricane Hugo that
struck Charleston, South Carolina. In the foreword, the former California Governor Pete
Wilson makes the remarkable observation:
There is an unreported toll from natural disasters, one that may not be as
immediately recognized as the tragic loss of life, limb, or vital infrastructure. Yet
this loss of historic places goes to the heart of America's towns and
This observation is a simple statement that underscores the purpose behind Nelson's
book. He addresses the need to enact a thorough plan to mitigate disastrous threats in a
rational format using community and national resources to reduce the degree of
destruction a disaster can present. The subject matter is divided to follow the analysis of
disaster planning and mitigation tactics before, during, and after, that have been practiced
or are recommended. Nelson asserts that communities facing different threats each
require unique plans because "the degree of predictability in many ways mandates
2 1000 Friends of Florida 21, 39.
3 1000 Friends of Florida 17.
4 Pete Wilson, Foreword (Foreword) by Carl L. Nelson, F ,..... t,,i the Past from Natural
Disasters (Washington: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1991) 4.
disaster policy, because those historic places where the potential threats are known can
adopt a systematic approach to undertaking preventive measures as well as preparing
responses."5 The sequential framework will contribute to the program that is studied in
this thesis, tailored for the unique circumstances and characteristics in Cedar Key that
focus on a tropical cyclone event.
In the process of studying the structure of disaster management, Nelson provides
important guidelines that are incorporated as responsibilities of the historic preservation
coordinator in Cedar Key. Damage recovery requires detailed damage assessments,
procedures to regulate demolition, and communication of the appropriate treatment of
historic properties all to promote an overall preservation ethic.6 While Nelson makes a
generalized proposition for preservation agencies to work with government agencies in
the disaster planning process, disaster planning is systematically addressed to historic
property owners rather than to the local government.7 The responsibility of disaster
management ultimately belongs to the local government because of the ability to be the
first responder. Building upon the overall framework and preservation principles that
Nelson established, this study emphasizes how historic preservation can become a
component of the existing local emergency planning process. The proposals generated
from this thesis will also draw from Disaster Planningfor Florida's Historic Resources
to generate a specific program for Cedar Key.
5 Carl L. Nelson, F,. .... ir,, the Past from Natural Disasters (Washington: National Trust for
Historic Preservation, 1991) 68.
6 Nelson 97, 112-113, 121-122.
7 Nelson 66-67.
Another resource of particular influence on this study formulated immediate
response objectives after a disaster that contributed to the recovery phase
recommendations for the historic preservation coordinator. The First Ten Days:
Emergency Response and Protection Strategiesfor the Preservation of Historic
Structures by Milford Wayne Donaldson postulates ten procedures that educate
emergency personnel and provide a structure that can be followed during times of crisis
management.8 These response measures supplement the important points that will be
recommended for Cedar Key, with adjustments made to account for the availability of
technical and financial resources.
Historic Preservation Principles
The formal historic preservation movement began in this country in the 1960s with
the landmark legislation being the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This Act set forth
the federal authority to carry out historic preservation regulations, to recognize historic
resources, and the dispersal of this authority to the state governments. In the federal
branch, this policy is carried out under the Secretary of the Interior within the National
Parks Service. The National Register of Historic Places and the State Historic
Preservation Official (SHPO) were established from this act. Federal tax credits provide
incentive for the respectful management of historic buildings using the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (Standards). These
standards were adopted in Cedar Key's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development
Regulations and are nationally recognized as the authority for determining the
8 Milford Wayne Donaldson, "The First Ten Days: Emergency Response and Protection Strategies
for the Preservation of Historic Resources," in Disaster Management Programs for Historic Sites, eds. Dirk
H.R. Spenneman and David W. Look, (San Francisco and Albury: Association for Preservation Technology
(Western Chapter) and The Johnstone Centre, Charles Sturt University June 1997) 28.
appropriate decisions during the process of four treatments. The four treatments are
preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction, in order of the degree of
intervention with the existing building fabric. Building features, site, setting, and special
requirements are evaluated with respect to each treatment.9 Mitigation and recovery
activities relating to a tropical cyclone event, and new development in the historic
district, will be evaluated according to the Standards by the architectural review board in
Cedar Key. Interpreting the Standards for recovery and redevelopment can also
encourage preservation agencies, state and federal agencies, and private entities to
contribute technical and financial assistance. Because these resources are limited in
Cedar Key, complying with the Standards is an opportunity to obtain much needed
The Act also requires federal governments to consider the effects of their actions on
resources that are listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the primary federal agency that provides
disaster relief. This agency is subject to Section 106 review, the process by which the
potential to effect historic resources is evaluated, even during disaster recovery. Within
disaster recovery circumstances, alternative procedures to complete this review have been
devised with a Programmatic Agreement between FEMA, the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation (ACHP), and the SHPO to streamline the procedures and parties
9 Kay D. Weeks and Anne E. Grimmer, The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the
Treatment ofHistoric Properties: With Guidelinesfor Preserving, P,,. hl',iiir,,ai. Restoring, and
F,..... -i, i,. 1,, Historic Buildings, United States, Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
Preservation Assistance Division, (1995) 2.
involved.10 The Cedar Key historic preservation coordinator can facilitate this process by
supporting FEMA officials to complete the review efficiently and effectively.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) is a non-profit agency that
advocates historic preservation and has published many technical reference documents to
assist preservation efforts. Two publications relate specifically to promoting historic
preservation principles in historic districts. Ellen Beasley's Design andDevelopment:
Infill Housing Compatible i/ ith Historic Neighborhoods provided rational proposals to
reconcile compatible design. Beasley asserts that the context of historic resources guides
infill projects and that new developments should be measured by sensitivity to the
context rather than to a prescribed design.1l The second publication relating to
compatibility titled Design Review in Historic Districts describes qualities of a successful
preservation ordinance and design review procedures.12 These publications contribute to
the evaluation of Cedar Key's existing preservation principles while addressing the
nature of compatible design in the historic district. Because Cedar Key is located in a
coastal environment, it is subject to unique conditions with distinct building codes that
address flood and hurricane resistant construction methods and materials. These
guidelines do not address recommendations that compromise between building
regulations and preservation guidelines. Research relating to designing compatible
10 United States, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
I, l,.. g, r,, Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations Into Hazard iaa,, ;, .' Planning,
May 2005. 22 June 2006 http://www.fema.gov/pdf/fima/386-6_Book.pdf, a-10.
Ellen Beasley, Design and Development: Infill Housing Compatible with Historic
Neighborhoods (Washington: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1998) 2, 5.
12 Rachel S. Cox, Design Review in Historic Districts (Washington: National Trust for Historic
Preservation, 2003) 3-11.
solutions is limited but is expected to become available in the near future as a result of
the 2005 devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast.
The historic resources in Cedar Key are a contributing factor to the sense of place
that is a result of the historic architectural fabric. Historic preservation guidelines can
support the recognition of the significance of these resources. Principles derived from
this thesis research provided the supporting foundation of the recommendations in this
Mitigation for Historic Resources
The most recent publication that addresses hazard mitigation for historic resources
is Integrating Historic Property and Cultural Resource Considerations into Hazard
Mitigation Planning. While this FEMA publication develops an intensive process to
develop mitigation planning measures for a local community, mitigation activities and
examples that recommend ideas to resolve historic preservation principles and building
codes resulting from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were emphasized in
this thesis. Five degrees of mitigation are identified (in ascending order) and equated
with the following mitigation options: basic property improvements, retrofitting,
elevation, relocation, and demolition.13 The mitigation analysis of this study uses this
structure to identify mitigation options and their applicability relating to historic materials
and building conditions distinctive to Cedar Key. The process of assigning value to the
historic resources that the FEMA publication uses requires a separate analysis to
determine its accuracy and effectiveness and was not used during this study.
Several articles contributed to mitigation methods for historic building materials
related to the wind, water, and mold hazards of a tropical cyclone event. Disaster
Managementfor Cultural Properties emphasizes the benefits of mitigation and
recommendations for sensitive interventions that encouraged historic preservation
principles during the mitigation recommendations for Cedar Key. Another set ofNTHP
publications offered invaluable wisdom to this study. A concise guide for hurricane
mitigation, Hurricane Readiness Guide for Owners and Managers of Historic Resources
instructed mitigation recommendations for roofs and windows in Cedar Key. Historic
materials and building conditions subjected to water present a unique set of responses
that is the subject of Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings.
Specific applications to Cedar Key relate to the traditional use of brick foundations,
interior wood and plaster, and porches.
The combination of this literature led to the initial question of how to negotiate
planning and building mitigation measures against the effects of a tropical cyclone event
and has also informed the development of methods employed to reach a conclusion.
Cedar Key is faced with challenges to the historic context as a result of a tropical cyclone
hazard. There is a limited body of literature dedicated to the development of disaster
management programs that focus on how the local government can adopt historic
preservation guidelines within their emergency management process. However, planning
initiatives and building mitigation opportunities for individual sites have been identified
that can be combined to make the connection between local government and historic
preservation. In order to create a program that is specific to Cedar Key, the historic
context has been analyzed to assess building traditions that are important to preserve and
promote through sensitive new development. Specific methods to mitigate the existing
regulatory framework and storm effects can then relate to the building materials and
conditions unique to Cedar Key as part of an overall planning program.
The field of research relating to historic preservation and planning for tropical
cyclone events exists as a component of the overall disaster management programs.
Recent literature is beginning to address the need for local emergency management
agencies to integrate historic preservation principles into their plans. The predominant
body of research has focused on the roles of property owners/managers for mitigation and
the response of the government after the disaster. Planning considerations addressed as a
component of the local disaster mitigation process can reduce the short-term and long-
term loss of historic resources. The accompanying research from this study to reduce the
vulnerability of the historic context in Cedar Key to the hazards of a tropical cyclone
event will help bridge the connection between historic preservation and local disaster
management officials.
Research methods of this study confronted the following question: what planning
methods can be adopted in Cedar Key to preserve the historic context from the effects of
a tropical cyclone event? The focus on Cedar Key as a single-case study is a result of the
unique opportunity to cast the existing body of research into the specific framework of
the local government. It represents a "critical case" with a "clear set of propositions as
well as the circumstances within which the propositions are believed to be true."1
1 Robert K. Yin, Case Study Research, 1984 (Nci\biLun Park: SAGE, 1989) 47.
An explanatory approach for the case study used suggestions from different
components of Disaster Planningfor Florida's Historic Resources, Protecting the Past
from Natural Disasters, and The First Ten Days: Emergency Response and Protection
Strategiesfor the Preservation of Historic Structures to formulate components necessary
to integrate preservation considerations into Cedar Key's existing emergency
management program. Based on these recommendations, strategies to preserve historic
resources are different from the general field of disaster management.
The field of historic preservation is the circumstantial environment to support the
propositions. Historic materials require unique mitigation treatments and are subjected to
preservation guidelines. Furthermore, studies of the effects from tropical cyclones on
historic materials have proven that mitigation can strengthen the building against this
disaster.2 Communities can suffer an economic and social loss if the historic resources
are extensively damaged. Resources supporting historic preservation were used to
engender a preservation ethic within the local community to promote a mitigation
The process of building a preservation ethic in concert with the planning program of
this research occurred through an explanation-building process. This manner of research
can lead to policy recommendations based on significant propositions.3 One discovery
was that the local emergency plan does not provide a thorough platform to integrate a
preservation-oriented process of disaster management. To accommodate the remaining
2 Dr. Bernard M. Feilden, "Protection of our Cultural Heritage Against Natural Disaster,"
F,. -r.... ii Historic Architecture and Museum Collectionsfrom Natural Disasters, ed. Barclay G. Jones
(Stoneham: Butterworth, 1986) 24.
3 Yin 113.
propositions, a new unit of the government was recommended to facilitate these
measures; along with other preservation guidelines under the authority of the local
The analytical structure of this study was supplemented with subordinate elements
with results that contribute to the overall program. Using an embedded design can be a
useful tool to focus a case study.4 Each unit of this study builds a component that will
function to create a multi-faceted mitigation process to address the challenges to historic
preservation and tropical cyclones in Cedar Key. In summary, the products include
provisions for historic resources in the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
(CEMP), the establishment of a Historic Preservation Department/Coordinator,
identification of the responsibilities of this department related to the context of a tropical
cyclone event, and considerations for evaluating new development in the historic district.
Synthesizing references into a program designed for Cedar Key required various
procedures to obtain information. Documentary evidence confirmed the historical
significance of Cedar Key that lies in its territorial settlement, the railroad, and the
economic trends of industry reported in published and non-published historical accounts.
Archival records accounted for information that was deduced from the University of
Florida Special and Area Collections that yielded personal accounts of the historical
settlement. In addition, the Florida Master Site File of the Division of Historical
Resources provided the National Register nomination package and individual forms for
each of the contributing historic resources. Other forms of evidence collected for this
research are informal interviews and direct observations. Field visits to Cedar Key
4 Yin 50.
supplied the physical contextual study that was necessary to understand the spatial
relationships in the historic district. During some visits, informal interviews with local
officials and preservation community leaders helped to formulate the current nature of
historic preservation management, local regulations, and anecdotal historical references.
After Hurricane Ivan, Pensacola was observed for the effects of the hurricane on the local
historic resources that identified how building materials react and how building
maintenance can correspond with the damage.
The explanatory research method investigated how to combine historic preservation
and disaster management using the single-case study in Cedar Key. Comparatively less
information has been published to solve these matters at the local level of government
where mitigation and planning measures can have the most impact. Furthermore, Cedar
Key does not have a defined strategy to deal with the effects of a tropical cyclone event
on the historic context that could prove detrimental. This study makes explicit
recommendations that will help drive this discourse locally and inform other
communities threatened from tropical cyclones on the methods and considerations to
adopt historic preservation into local disaster planning programs.
Currently, most interactions between emergency management and historic resource
personnel occur after a disaster.1
This statement on behalf of the Florida Division of Historic Resources identifies the
lack of preparation before a disaster occurs, a key opportunity for improvement in the
disaster management planning arena across the state including Cedar Key. Federal and
state agencies have begun to recognize the relationship between historic resources and
community viability and in many cases now recommend they be considered in local
disaster planning strategies. The current infrastructure of the City of Cedar Key provides
an emergency management plan to activate the necessary functions of government to
protect the community from any given emergency. But this plan does not address unique
principles relating to the management of the city's historic resources that contribute to the
sense of place unique to Cedar Key. Also, there is not a mitigation plan in place to
actively reduce the damage potential from the onset of any disaster. The island of Cedar
Key has a high risk that it will to succumb to a tropical storm event with the potential to
destroy the historic context it has built up over the last 150 years. Vulnerabilities are due
to its inherent state as a barrier island on the Gulf Coast and its depressed topography that
increases its exposure. This chapter focuses on the tropical cyclone risk one that has
the greatest potential impact on the widest range of resources.
1 1000 Friends of Florida 12.
The goal of this study is to identify important planning components and tools that
Cedar Key can incorporated into the emergency plan in response to the specific hazard of
tropical cyclones for historic resources. To this end, this chapter begins by identifying
the existing framework that guides historic property management in Cedar Key known as
the 'Comprehensive Plan' and 'Land Development Regulations.'
Current Preservation Policies: Comprehensive Plan and Land Development
The Comprehensive Plan of the City of Cedar Key provides goals, objectives, and
policies that are carried out in the mandates of the Land Development Regulations
(LDR). Historic properties are managed through various components of these regulations
with the expressed integration of historic preservation tenets into the operational
activities of the city as applicable. The Comprehensive Plan (Plan) calls for the
consideration of historic resources within the Future Land Use, Conservation, Housing,
and Coastal Management Elements, as well as the protection of historic resources
prescribed in the Historic Preservation Element.
The Future Land Use Element defines the city's goals regarding redevelopment in
the historic district and the protection of historic resources, with the provision that the
historic character is maintained and coastal management principles are met. In order to
facilitate some components of these tasks, the Historic Preservation/Architectural Review
Board (ARB) was created under this authority.2 This board acts as a clearinghouse to
make judgments and recommendations on the compatibility of new development and to
monitor alterations to historic buildings through requests for a Certificate of
2 "Comprehensive Plan: Goals, Objectives, and Policies: Future Land Use Element 1-4A.8," Laws
of Cedar Key, CD-ROM (Cedar Key: Sept. 2005).
Appropriateness (COA). The five member board is comprised of citizens appointed by
the city commission and currently are meeting on an as needed basis. In Article III of the
LDRs, details of COA requirements are addressed within the context of the creation of
the local register of historic resources. In this segment, design and demolition criteria by
which the COA is evaluated as well as factors to be considered with infill development
are presented. The density values for redevelopment projects in the historic district are to
be consistent with the existing development or as historically documented.3 The Board
then presents its comments and proposals to the City Commission for their final
The Conservation and Historic Preservation Elements are dedicated to the
responsible management of the city's historic and cultural resources. The first article of
the LDR recognizes the inventory of historic resources (equivalent to the architectural
district) catalogued on site locally and recorded with the state.4 This cataloguing process
contributes toward the goal of creating an accessible inventory of historic and
archaeological data. Using the Standards, the Historic Preservation Element promotes
historic property rehabilitation; suggesting in some instances that a public acquisition
process be used to rehabilitate a building into public service. Grants and other economic
incentives have assisted private rehabilitation projects and other projects to achieve the
goals of the Plan with regard to historic preservation. Another objective is for the city to
apply for the Florida Certified Local Government (CLG) program. Linking the three
3 "Comprehensive Plan: Goals, Objectives, and Policies: Future Land Use Element 1-1.2," Laws
of Cedar Key, CD-ROM (Cedar Key: Sept. 2005). Also, redevelopment in the district must conform to
FEMA and Coastal Management construction standards.
4 "Land Development Regulations 1.03.10 C," Laws of Cedar Key, CD-ROM (Cedar Key: Sept.
levels of government, CLG communities can obtain funding to assist identification,
evaluation, and protection assistance for historic property management.5
Opportunities for redevelopment are also considered within the Housing Element.
The prioritization of the inventory of historic properties, along with a conceptualized
plan, determines those resources that would be appropriate for rehabilitation or
demolition in favor of development that promotes the character of the city.6 Economic
incentives would be allotted to private developers to this end.
The Coastal Management Element includes design and construction features that
are regulated by FEMA policies in order to participate in the NFIP, supplemented by
other local regulations as a result of the geography and topography of the city. Areas
categorized by FEMA as a V-zone are labeled by the city as a coastal high hazard area -
further limiting and strictly regulating development in these zones. These areas are
subject to flooding with wave action measured by a velocity factor. Article V and
portions of Article VI of the LDRs address regulations regarding development within this
area and the building construction methods required in the city as a whole. The
Comprehensive Plan adopts FEMA policies addressed in the U.S. Code of Federal
Regulations allowing a variance for the repair or rehabilitation of historic buildings to be
eligible for the NFIP.7
5 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Planningfor the Past: Preserving
Florida's Heritage (March 2002), 9.
6 "Comprehensive Plan: Goals, Objectives, and Policies: Housing Element 6.2," Laws of Cedar
Key, CD-ROM (Cedar Key: Sept. 2005).
7Title 44 Emergency Management and Assistance, Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 1 Federal
Emergency Management Agency, Department Of Homeland Security, Oct. 2003. Part 9 Floodplain
Management And Protection Of Wetlands, Mitigation. 12 Jun. 2006,
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/04nov20031500/edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr 2003/octqtr/pdf/44cfr
Additionally, the city has made the allowance for a historic building to be moved
into a coastal high hazard area as long as it maintains its pre-existing elevation above the
Base Flood Elevation (BFE).8 Newly constructed buildings, or existing buildings that
undergo substantial improvements must be elevated at or above the BFE and limiting the
ground space to non-habitable use. 9 In the historic district, this condition could account
for an elevation above the ground plane an estimated 10-16 feet. The specific elevation
required is calculated by a surveyor or engineer in accordance with the existing elevation
subtracted from the elevation factor of the V-zone as indicated on the Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM). One drawback to applying the variance is that it may result in higher
premiums to account for the additional risk to life and infrastructure. The city has
adopted the Coastal Construction Manual, Florida Building Code, and considerations for
historic properties therein, as supporting construction requirements for new buildings and
those being substantially altered.
In sum, since the "alteration of an historic property" is defined as a "development or
development activity," special consideration is required under the authority of the city to
manage historic properties.10 Furthermore, the goals, objectives, and policies related to
historic preservation are issued in compliance with state objectives to ensure that historic
resources are taken into account and that the "quality of life, economy, and cultural
8 Personal Communication, Building and Zoning Department, Cedar Key.
9 "Substantial improvements" are improvements that exceed 50% of the market value. The
variance allows historic buildings to be exempt, an important compromise that is favorable for
rehabilitation projects.
10 "Land Development Regulations 12.00.03 F," Laws of Cedar Key, CD-ROM (Cedar Key: Sept.
environment" is preserved.11 The laws of the National Historic Preservation Act are
thereby dispersed to state and local programs by the enactment of these policies.
The goals and codes for historic preservation are an important tool when
considering the necessary response to a natural disaster such as a tropical cyclone event.
This tool has the power to regulate mitigation approaches that can affect the integrity of a
historic building in its physical appearance and structural performance. In the
unfortunate event of a disaster, these policies have the power to manage the rebuilding
activities that affect the entire historic district. It is essential for Cedar Key to maintain
the integration of historic preservation goals and municipal codes to preserve the
buildings that contribute to the historic context, especially in the event of a disaster.
Within this existing framework of historic preservation policy, there are
opportunities for improvement to strengthen the management capabilities of Cedar Key's
historic properties. Urban landmarks conservationist Anthony Tung has noted
communities must achieve binding laws absent of loopholes such as owner consent and
obligatory grace periods for demolition permits.12 These provisions would be delineated
in local preservation ordinances. However, across the country it is difficult for
authorities to distinguish between the fine line of preservation and property rights. Cedar
Key policy does not require owner consent for listing historic properties but does review
written objections during the evaluation proceedings.
1 Florida Statutes, 2006. Chapter 267 Historical Resources, Stat. 267.061, 10 Jun. 2006,
hlp \ \ \ .flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0267/ch0267.htm
12 Anthony Tung, "Tourism, Development, and the Historic City," Florida Trust for Historic
Preservation Annual Statewide Conference, The Biltmore Hotel, Florida, 19 May 2005.
The preservation policies in Cedar Key fall in line with the basic elements of a
historic preservation ordinance including the statement of purpose, definitions, creation
and authority of a review board, and identifying designation criteria and procedures.13
However, the authority of the ARB could be enhanced to resolve the lack of stability and
potential for communication conflicts that exist within the current practice. The all-
citizen panel could be supplemented with a city official whose terms of service and
community interests will be sustained.
Currently, the design criteria used by the board relies upon the Standards to regulate
new development and historic building alterations.14 To increase the efficacy of the goals
of the Comprehensive Plan, preservation guidelines can expand on the foundation of the
Plan. These policies can articulate specific guidelines to promote design that is within
the character of the historic district. This is a project that the city is taking under
consideration for the near future.
There are many goals outlined in the Plan that are yet to be realized that directly
relate to historic preservation. Some of these objectives include the '5 and 10 Plan' to
identify buildings or areas that could benefit from rehabilitation using an inventory that
priorities these areas, a wider use of the Tourist Tax and proposed Enterprise Fund to
promote historic preservation both in education and practice, and application for the
Florida CLG program.
It is challenging for small communities to find the human and financial resources to
carry out thorough preservation policies. Part of the problem is that the discourse of
13 Cox 3-4.
14 'Standards' refers to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic
preservation is not always objective, rather, there are ethical interpretations that vary by
individual. Examples include the extent of the power that a preservation ordinance can
wield against a property owner's rights to make alterations to their property that requires
a determination of an appropriate treatment. Subjective evaluations extend into material
selection, design of the alteration, and maintenance. Planning and preservation officials
must consider how one project affects the larger context while operating under different
programs that can lead to inter-agency conflict. This conflict is the basis of the argument
that this study examined. To resolve the conflict between preservation representatives,
local officials, and the general public, the ethics and advantages of historic preservation
need to be promoted through educational initiatives to have an effective impact:
the greatest power to preserve our cultural resources lies at the local level.15
Achieving certified local government status can help to support this effort. It would
provide policy and technical support as well as the eligibility to apply for matching grants
to enact the city's preservation goals and educate the public on preservation principles.
Planning Methodology
Mitigating the effects of a tropical cyclone event requires the umbrella activities of
planning, followed by the enactment of the plans with the intention to lessen the impact
of this disaster. Planning initiatives are a result of a risk assessment that determines the
hazards and vulnerabilities of a given disaster.16 Cedar Key is at risk for a tropical
cyclone hazard, which has been established due to its geographical characteristics and
historical precedence. The following four segments are recommendations that include
15 Florida Department of State, Division of Historic Resources, Planning for the Past: Preserving
Florida's Heritage (March 2002) 9.
16 Barclay G. Jones, "Assessing Dangers," F, ...,. ir,, Historic Architecture and Museum
Collections from Natural Disasters, ed. Barclay G. Jones (Stoneham: Butterworth, 1986) 91.
planning measures and tools based upon the need for Cedar Key to address vulnerabilities
within the city and county level of government: Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan, Levy County Local Mitigation Strategy, Historic Resource Inventory,
and Division of Resources.
Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
A consensus was reached in a workshop of Florida historic preservation experts that
historic preservation should be integrated into the local emergency management plan.17
The 2004 storm season that preceded this discussion pointed to the ill-fated conditions
that Arcadia and Charlotte County encountered as a call to action. Using this foresight,
the current Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan will be examined
for opportunities to intersect emergency management and historic preservation. The
emergency planning document for Cedar Key is intended to be used by city officials, and
the insertion of historic preservation considerations will be addressed in a fundamental
manner. To support these recommendations, responsibilities of a historic preservation
position to supplement planning and mitigation measures will be identified later in this
In emergency situations, chaos and confusion can overwhelm a stated emergency
plan and standard operating procedures. The risk to historic structures is hurried
assessments, incompatible repairs, and unnecessary demolitions, in part or in full.18 The
first task is for the city to recognize the authority that will facilitate the historic
preservation components of the emergency management plan. The fundamental
17 Dave Baber, Alex Magee, and Nancy Freeman, "Disaster Preparedness," Florida Trust for
Historic Preservation Annual Statewide Conference, The Biltmore Hotel, Florida, 19 May 2005.
18 1000 Friends of Florida 3.
foundation is an official designation of historic preservation responsibilities within the
context of the organizational chart of the Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan, and referenced throughout the plan. Fulfilling this tenet is a
recommendation for the city to staff an official historic preservation position, Historic
Preservation Coordinator (HPC), under the umbrella of a Historic Preservation
Department (HPD) that also serves as chairman of the ARB to strengthen the existing
preservation policies of Cedar Key. The HPD will then be equally represented among the
five other city departments. This representation will enhance inter-agency operations
making it easier to monitor public and private developments to ensure considerations are
made for historic resources. Facilitating a regular schedule for the ARB meetings is
another benefit from the HPD. Adopting this plan to establish a permanent position
within the city government empowers the enactment of the preservation principles.
One of the requirements for the HPC is to engage the disaster management
guidelines. Following recommendations of Disaster Planningfor Florida's Historic
Resources, the HPC should be included in city emergency planning meetings to represent
planning principles for historic resources and prepare alternative operation procedures to
expedite the response period between the review board and permitting process.19 This
position would enable a productive method to facilitate between the ARB and the
Building and Zoning department directly. Other recommended responsibilities include
conducting professional evaluations to ensure that the building conditions are properly
assessed and distributing information that encourages property owners to take on repairs
19 1000 Friends of Florida 30, 39.
appropriate for their historic buildings.20 ARB members should be supporting
constituents of this process.
The advantage of having historic preservation considerations in an emergency
situation is to ensure that the decision-making process involves the values of the city's
historic resources. The current emergency management plan, existing as a draft
document dated December 2005, does not account for the impact of a disaster upon these
resources. The historic resources in Cedar Key contribute to the sense of place, which is
attributed to the historic context of the island and thereby stimulate the local economy.
With a projected impact of a severe tropical storm event, many of these resources could
be undermined and potentially lost. The local government can prevent the degree of
damage to historic resources by incorporating planning measures into the existing
emergency management framework. Following the designation of preservation
responsibility, the next step is to examine the emergency planning document to determine
where historic preservation and emergency planning intersect.
20 Nelson 111-113, 126.
Table 6-1 CEMP Organizational Chart with
Police Fire Maintenance Clerk's Office Building Histo
Department Department Department Commission Department Preserv
Commission Commission Commission Liaison: Commission Departi
Liaison: Liaison: Liaison Clerk Liaison: Commi
Police Chief Fire Chief Building Liaisc
Official HPCoord
Source: Cedar Key Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
The organizational flowchart in "Chart No. One" of the emergency plan illustrates
the local government infrastructure (Table 6-1).21 The HPD should be listed as an entity
adjacent to the Building Department. Emergency management duties for the HPD will be
referenced in the 'Recovery Annex,' the third section of the document. In the fourth
section, titled 'Mitigation Annex,' the city recognizes that land management and building
codes are useful tools to reduce the impacts of hazards upon its community. The third
paragraph states the following:
Emergency Management takes the lead on mitigation strategies for the City of
Cedar Key, with the Building Department coordinating plans and building codes
with the Fire Department and the CRA assisting in the area of fire inspections and
educational opportunities for City employees, and Maintenance responsible for
storm water management and infrastructure considerations.22
21 Pat O'Neal, "Cedar Key CEMP," E-mail to the author, 30 May 2006.
22 O'Neal, Cedar Key CEMP.
At this point in the document, compliance with the separate HPD disaster planning
document should be referenced. Segregating the duties of historic preservation and
emergency management will help facilitate mitigation plans for buildings in the historic
district, to be discussed later in this study, without lessening the importance of life safety
mitigation measures. The CEMP continues to outline the hazard events that place high
emphasis on the hazards of flooding/storms and tropical storms/hurricanes. The
mitigation responsibilities of each hazard highlight the departments) that would be
involved in each phase. In response to flooding/storms, the Maintenance Department is
the key department to address the debris removal process. In this regard, it would be
prudent to acknowledge debris removal concerns for historic properties, again referring to
the HPD responsibilities.23 All departments have active responsibilities in the mitigation
response for the tropical storm/hurricane hazard, which would include the Historic
Preservation Department.
The last section of the emergency planning document is the Recovery Annex that
describes the roles and responsibilities of city officials and their respective departments
during the short term and long term recovery period. The departments that the HPD
would work closely with are the Building Department and the Maintenance Department,
both of which report to the Emergency Management Office. Table 6-2 lists the
recommended role and responsibilities of the HPD, shown with the existing
responsibilities of the Building and Maintenance departments as listed in the CEMP
23 1000 Friends of Florida 44.
Table 6-2 Responsibilities of the Building Department, Maintenance Department and
(proposed) Historic Preservation Department.
2.2 Building Department (existing)
* Participate in Initial Impact Assessments for private property.
* Provide damage assessment information to the Emergency Management Office.
* Develop a list of suitable facilities to be used as recovery centers, etc.
* Provide a list of structures considered substantially damaged. (Greater than 50%).
* Permit and control new development and demolition of old structures
* Oversee revision of building regulations and codes.
* Enforce building codes.
* Conduct building safety inspections and condemnation procedures.
* Assist the Emergency Management Office to identify mitigation opportunities.
* Review land use and zoning variances.
* Provide community data.
* Develop map products for recovery and mitigation activities.
* Redevelopment of existing areas.
* Planning of new redevelopment projects.
2.3 Maintenance Department (existing)
* Participate in Initial Impact Assessments for public property and infrastructure.
* Provide damage assessment information to the Emergency Management Office.
* Determine floodwater elevation for impacted areas.
* Make temporary and permanent repairs to roads, waterways, and public
* Assist in responding to infrastructure complaints, e.g., drainage issues, etc.
* Assist the Emergency Management Office in identifying mitigation opportunities.
* Preparation for Storms and Cleanup.
2.4 Historic Preservation Department (proposed)
* Participate in Initial Impact Assessments for public and private historic properties.
* Provide damage assessment information to the Emergency Management Office.
* Develop map products for recovery and mitigation activities of historic properties.
* Provide a list of historic structures considered substantially damaged. (Greater than
* Contribute mitigation opportunities for historic buildings to the Emergency
Management Office.
* Develop storm preparation plans for historic buildings.
* Participate in building safety inspections and condemnation procedures for historic
* Monitor debris removal from historic properties to encourage reuse when possible.
* Coordinate (expedited) architectural review procedures for historic buildings and
buildings in the historic district with the Building Department including new
development and demolition permits.
* Cooperate with the Building Department when planning redevelopment projects in
the historic district.
* Cooperate with the Building Department to enforce the historic preservation
* Provide technical resources for rehabilitation of damaged historic properties to the
* Coordinate with Clerk's Office funding programs for the rehabilitation of historic
Source: Pat O'Neal, Cedar Key CEMP
The next portion of the Recovery Annex discusses general recovery activities,
functions, and organization methods preceded by the identification of four phases of an
emergency situation. These activities are basic but essential to restore the vital services
of the community. They broadly cover functions that are facilitated by the city, rather
than as specific actions to unique departments. The next key opportunity to address
historic resources is during 'Damage Assessment Priorities.' A 'Preliminary Damage
Assessment' will have already occurred to determine critical needs and overall condition
of the city to promote life safety. However, the HPD should be involved in the
assessments conducted during the 'Windshield Assessment' and the 'Walk-Through
Assessment' to evaluate the damage to the city's historic cultural resources. This
information will not only be used to contribute to the evaluation of the condition of the
city, but will educate the individual action plan of the HPD. Proceeding through detailed
building assessments, the preservation office should coordinate with the Building
Department in accordance with the established responsibilities to promote rational
decision making. This cooperation will be supplemented by an individual plan focused
on the historic resources.
The Economic Injury evaluation portion of this document recognizes the difficulty
in assigning a value to the loss business establishments incurred as a result from an
emergency event. The CEMP states that "damage assessment teams should record the
name and location of businesses in the impact area, and whether physical damage is
visible or not."24 Damage assessments should also document if the business is located in
the historic district, and if the building is a registered historic building. The HPD can
produce this information firsthand or provide map products that can answer these
24 O'Neal, Cedar Key CEMP.
Section 3.6.4 of the CEMP identifies various state and federal programs that can
offer financial, legal, and housing services. Preservation resources are also available for
disaster management. The HPD can assist the coordination process to obtain funding to
help property owners repair their historic structures, but the SHPO should be referenced
directly in this component of the CEMP for preservation guidance.25 Large financial
packages were developed to aid the victims of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. This
came in the form of tax relief, with specific relief available for the rehabilitation of
historic buildings, as well as technical and financial assistance from the National Trust
for Historic Preservation.
Another factor of Cedar Key's emergency planning document that impacts historic
resources is the debris removal process. Section 4.1 provides that "Construction and
Demolition materials have the lowest priority" for removal, which will allow a response
time for the HPD to advocate responsible waste management as it relates to historic
building materials. Many of these materials are unnecessarily or accidentally discarded
without considering the ability to adequately reproduce the feature or whether it could be
repaired.26 In today's building environment, the materials and craftsmanship that
produced historic buildings are not as widely available as at the time of construction
which makes these materials more costly or difficult to replicate authentically.
The next section briefly establishes how redevelopment is quantified for the
purposes of permitting and building codes. If the repairs represent less than 50% of the
value of the building, new standards and codes do not have to be met. The alternative,
25 1000 Friends of Florida 52-57.
26 Christopher R. Eck, "Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water: Historic Preservation Disaster Planning in
Miami-Dade County, Florida," Cultural Resource Management, 23.6 (2000): 11-13.
when the damage exceeds 50%, requires that current codes be met because the building is
categorized as 'destroyed.'27 Historic and non-historic buildings need to be distinguished
within this context because flood plain management policies and building codes provide
flexibility conditions for historic buildings that seek to reduce the loss of character
defining features and significance of the building.
The recommendations presented in this section should be evaluated as
precautionary measures to contemplate the impact of a disaster on the city's historic
resources. Responsive actions during the recovery process can cause an unconstructive
impact to historic resources in addition to the disaster. Historic structures should not be
left out of the equation when the city addresses mitigation and planning. The historic
context of Cedar Key necessitates specific consideration in the city's emergency
management plan.
Levy County Local Mitigation Strategy
Within each county in the state, an Emergency Management Office (EMO) is
responsible, among other things, to create and maintain a Local Mitigation Strategy. This
agenda is an opportunity to extend the cooperative network beyond Cedar Key to the
county not only as an advocate but as an educator. The LMS is the instrument to which
federal mitigation funds are attached, which can be informed with the assistance of a
historic preservation component and representative.28 The LMS for Levy County was
updated in 2005 and lists three particular projects that have the potential to impact the
historic resources of Cedar Key, refer to Table 6-3. The Cedar Key Historic
27 O'Neal, Cedar Key CEMP.
28 1000 Friends of Florida 48.
Table 6-3 Selected Local Mitigation Strategies for Levy County
Initiative # Jurisdiction Project Name
Establish a program for
property acquisitions in
LEVY0037 Cedar Key
repetitive loss areas in
Cedar Key
Publish a Cedar Key
hurricane preparedness
EVY 38 Cedar Key brochure with local
F1exPvtinn nf a sinole-familv
LEVY0512 Cedar Key private residence
private residence
Source: Gorman, E-mail to author. 29
Preservation Coordinator (HPC) should be coordinating with the LMS planning staff
directly or through a historic preservation representative with regard to these measures
and future contributions. In the first listed initiative, the acquisition of historic properties
can cause a change in the use of a historic property affecting the significance of the
resource. This action could be a benefit or a detriment to the historic context of Cedar
Key. The next initiative is a great opportunity for hurricane preparedness to reach
owners of historic properties in the entire county. One of the recommended objectives of
the HPC is to provide public education on mitigation and stabilization measures for
historic properties and this intersection is another opportunity for emergency
management officials to cooperate toward a common goal. In the last initiative, the
concept of elevating structures has been addressed previously. When this mitigation
technique is employed for a historic property or in a historic district, it affects the context
and spatial relationships. The HPC should seek out a partnership with the LMS
Committee to contribute hazard, vulnerability, and mitigation assessment concerns for
29 Jackie E. Gorman, Cedar Key Redevelopment Agency Director, "Levy County Local Mitigation
Strategy: 2005 Updated List of Hazard Mitigation Projects and Initiatives," E-mail to author, 19 July 2006.
historic resources so that mitigation activities can be eligible for state funded programs.3
Historic Resource Inventory and GIS
The Historic Preservation Act requires states to identify and maintain an inventory
of historic resources through responsibilities of the SHPO. In Florida, this responsibility
is carried out through the Florida Master Site File. Individual communities can also
maintain an independent inventory of locally significant historic resources as is the case
in Cedar Key. In the late 1980's, a professional survey was undertaken by Florida
Preservation Services that yielded state, and subsequently national, recognition of the
Cedar Keys Archaeological and Historic District. A multitude of information is collected
on this three page form including location and identification, mapping, description,
history, research methods, evaluation, and the recorder. In addition to this form,
supporting visual documentation is required such as photographs and map images. The
combination of these documents work in concert to record physical characteristics and
detailed location that is essential when considering any disaster planning program. When
specific hazards are known, they can each be uniquely analyzed with respect to individual
The digital inventory project created a digital record of the FMSF forms and images
that resulted in a database to manage the resources of Cedar Key using GIS. This
program is an advanced method to map an array of data sets in geographical and tabular
format. Every historic resource can be interfaced with other data, manipulating each field
of the historic structure form. However, the data from the inventory is from the twenty
year old survey, although building addresses and location information were updated. It is
30 1000 Friends of Florida 47.
recommended that the survey be updated to account for alterations, new resources, and
significance criteria. Because the project includes tax parcel data, it is conceivable that
the program can be linked internally to the property appraiser database of Levy County
that would reflect changes in ownership, and if linked to other county GIS data would
reflect various community data such as parcel configurations and public facilities.31
Using this database as a foundation, the inventory can become a powerful tool to
assess vulnerabilities, mitigation opportunities, and disaster planning that results in an
interdisciplinary platform between historic preservation and disaster management.
31 1000 Friends of Florida 26.
4' Cedar Key Historic District
2 Flood Hazard
Note: Flood Zones Defined
B Areas between limits of the 100-year and 500-year flood
C Areas of minimal flooding
V16-Areas of 100-year coastal flood with velocity (wave action);
base flood elevations and flood hazard factors determined
Figure 6-1 Flood Zones in Cedar Key, Ursula Garfield.
Historic Dsltrict
0 200 400 800
.lIr.e,.l. :'FI> j I P L*. t,:ou'. = pO'T., Ar jat
:, ,, i,,,, I ; r.,
,: J .??1: I:, ,.1 ai.lsl I,. iU J
Guif of
A. ie.'1" ,
Elevation a ..I..r,,
S ---- .' Historic District
., Far rim g <.cal,!j, ,, :l r.>.,.,r.
S -4 Pi aI --- Ir. J
LV Feet
0 200 400 800
Fiu'r. 6...L o*g. oC' da. ier ?uIa
Cnad by U GrfiMd CK_ck mrd.nad
Figure 6-2 Topography of Cedar Key, Ursula Garfield.
Using GIS, the historic resources can first be compared with a hazards analysis map to
identify which properties are most susceptible to tropical cyclone hazards. Flooding and
storm surge are two of the predictable hazards that vary within the city due to the nature
of the topography on the island. Approximately 80% of the historic buildings in the
district are located in the velocity flood zone indicated in Figure 6-1, including all of the
commercial buildings. Topography of the island, approximated in Figure 6-2, illustrates
the expanded vulnerability to storm surge particularly in the commercial sector because it
is relatively flat until the eastern terminus at the Island Hotel. These distinctions can
deduce unique areas within the island to analyze how different resources would be
impacted. In addition to these hazards, GIS modeling depicts a wind speed hazard of 120
mph and a wind borne debris hazard of 130 mph for the Cedar Key area.32 Wind impact
on a building varies with height and mass proportions, roof design and pitch, and is not
equally distributed across building surfaces.33 Therefore, GIS does not clearly illustrate
distinct planning measures for hazards from wind exposure across the island.
Experts recommend using the inventory to not only assess risks but to assess value
and priority. A FEMA publication on hazard mitigation and historic resources offers a
thorough method to create a hazard mitigation plan founded on these components. This
plan uses a process that generates input through worksheets that are staged through the
analysis which then identifies a hierarchy that can be implemented into a GIS program.
Information tabulated generates dollar value for each resource and specific hazards to
32 Florida Department of State, Department of Community Affairs, "Levy County Wind Speed
Lines," n.d. 1 Aug. 2006, http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fbc/index_page/maps/county_maps/levy2.pdf, "State
of Florida Wind-Borne Debris Region," n.d. 1 Aug. 2006
hIp \ \ \ .dca.state.fl.us/fbc/maps/wind borne0502.pdf
3 McDonald 79-80.
each when considering building style, construction method, materials, and various
features including the context.34 These efforts help to identify mitigation priorities, but
the Disaster Planning for Florida's Historic Resources publication differs on the
hierarchical organization. The method used in the Florida publication is to categorize
resources within the following means: resources listed or eligible for listing on the
NRHP, resources identified as locally significant, followed by resources recently
achieving historical status or those that are not yet historic but recognized as significant.35
The latter method requires a less intensive process more appropriate for Cedar Key that
can be easily conducted within the framework of the digital inventory project combined
with an updated survey. A subsequent division of resources is recommended below that
will be mapped in concert with this idea.
Using the historic resource inventory with the GIS application also enhances the
capabilities of emergency personnel to include when considering for historic resources
when responding to a disaster. Some of these recommendations will be addressed within
the planning resolutions of the HPC. Before a tropical cyclone is even predicted to make
landfall, a disaster management layer specific to this threat could be created within the
historic resource inventory database to manage preparatory and recovery activities. The
damage assessment forms and building permits can be linked with this inventory in GIS
to help manage the rebuilding process related to historic resources.
35 1000 Friends of Florida 24.
Division of Resources
In considering a plan for the historic resources of Cedar Key, there are distinctive
associations within the historic district to group various resources together. This will
serve as a guide when considering a plan of action both for mitigation and storm
preparation activities to segregate duties that maximizes the response effort. These
associations are determined by their role within the community fabric as an interpretation
of the historic context. They will be referred to by the following nomenclature
throughout the remainder of the study: commercial and residential, as mentioned in
earlier chapters, and also local landmarks.
The commercial and residential sectors are geographically illustrated in Figure 3-6.
The commercial sector is the historic main street of Cedar Key; along this corridor are
municipal offices and services, various retail outlets, restaurants, between the Historical
Society on one end and the Island Hotel at the other. The commercial sector is a direct
link to the Dock Street shops, restaurant, and marina as well as a modem condominium
complex located at the point of the old rail road trestle terminus. Filling in the western
edge of the city expanding to the northwest is the residential sector of the historic district.
Homes in this area are associated with the prominent figures and that contributed to the
development of the island during its various phases of history maintaining a composition
of architectural influences. Because the commercial sector is a community center, it
represents a plural ownership. It serves as a gathering place for sharing conversation,
meals, and in a disaster it can serve as an information resource center. In a historic
district, the cultural values of the commercial sector are even more important towards
setting an example because of this greater volume of human exposure. Appropriate
rehabilitations can inform the public and can reestablish the familiarity and positive