The Gainesville Plan Board voted 4-1 to recommend denial of a historic designation for the Gainesville Lodge, differing from the Historic Preservation Board, which gave unanimous approval.  

Both boards can only give recommendations on historic designations, and the Gainesville City Commission will make the final decision and weigh the differing opinions of the board members.  

The Gainesville Lodge (413 W. University Ave.) is located across University Avenue from the Seagle Building. Construction started in 1961 as a Travelodge, a chain based in California. 

Kathleen Kauffman, the city’s historic preservation officer, said the building typifies the midcentury modern motel that boomed at the time but has since faded from the scene, with many of the locations demolished.  

At the plan board’s Thursday meeting, she said new owners, including former city manager Anthony Lyons, recently acquired the Travelodge in April, and renovations are already underway. Kauffman said the owners plan to strip back the non-original elements to showcase the midcentury style of these motels. 

Kauffman noted that the building differs in historic quality from other projects. 

“It’s not like the most amazing architectural resource, so it only qualifies for designation under one of the criteria,” Kauffman told the board members.  

The criteria it fit was for embodying “the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction.” Because it only fell under that criterion, Kauffman said the Historic Preservation Board needed at least six of the eight members to pass instead of a straight majority. 

Kauffman explained that the historic designation doesn’t exempt the property from taxes. She said the property will pay the same taxes that are currently collected, but the designation will delay any increase in taxes that would come because of the upgrades to the building. She said the tax increase would slowly build up and give the owners a buffer period.  

Chair Jason Sanchez said he’s surprised the Historic Preservation Board unanimously recommended the designation. He noted the structural alterations and said he wasn’t sure of the historic value. 

Kauffman said the historic designation isn’t based on artistic merits, but rather because it typifies a building style.  

Still, Sanchez said these buildings were put together quickly by a motel chain. In 20 years, he said the city could have enough precedent to designate the Super 8 motel as historic. 

“If we approve this to be a historic building, what isn’t a historic building?” Sanchez asked. “I think the bar would be set so low that it would basically cheapen the historic designation to include just about anything.” 

Board member Joshua Ney said the spot, near Gainesville’s downtown core, should be for dense development and not a vehicle-centric motel. Board members also noted that the construction is already happening, so it’s not like the owners need the designation to move forward. 

However, Sanchez agreed with Board member Bob Ackerman that the downtown area needs additional rooms. Ackerman said there’s a benefit to having the motel stay downtown, and if the historic designation modestly slows but doesn’t stop the tax increase, he said he has no problem with it.  

Ackerman said there’s no reason to turn down the expertise of the Historic Preservation Board.  

Kauffman said what the motel has looked like in the past 20 to 30 years isn’t what the owners want. She said the goal is to emphasize the midcentury modern features and create a nice boutique motel in the downtown that also has the history of America’s booming motel market following World War II.   

Forrest Eddleton, director of sustainable development, said the historic part of the site is beyond his expertise, but he said the historic designation is a tool the city can use at no cost to improve an existing location. 

Sanchez noted that the building is already being improved without the tax benefit. He said the board isn’t voting on the project’s merits but the historic nature of the building, which he called a weird slippery slope.  

Ackerman asked for a vote, and Board member Bobby Mermer proposed a motion to deny the historic designation. The motion passed with Ackerman in dissent.  

Across the street, the Seagle Building is under major rehabilitation after Trimark Properties acquired a majority stake in the building. Trimark Properties also owns the former First Gainesville Baptist Church next to the Gainesville Lodge, with plans for future renovations. 

Adjacent to the Seagle Building is Santa Fe College’s new Blount Hall, and the college plans to continue building its footprint in Gainesville’s downtown. The college owns the strip mall one street west of Blount Hall, with plans to renovate that area.  

These projects could help bridge the middle distance between Gainesville’s core downtown and the busy midtown area around UF.