From the ambitions of Flagler,
To the nourishment of Bull,
A small oceanside burg
Was born by a railway depot,
Next to a rambling yellow hotel
Which housed the rich and wandering;
Seeking sun on a southern shore.
Huts and clapboards and stone buildings
Populated the streets that paralleled
The sea or ran perpendicular to its sand;
A variety to reflect its owners’ funds,
Each a gift to the aesthetic eye,
Which forgave the architectural nuances,
Inherent in settling into new places.
From 1901 and on, houses came and went,
Were purchased, torn down or enhanced.
Some were never knighted “historic” and saved.
And others disappeared with no good-bye;
Leaving passers-by to lower their heads,
In honor of the memories they had
Of the home that used to be there.
Memories of gardens, porches, and side stairwells
Influences of Mizner, Klutho and Morgan’s triangles
Porches, coquina, and pink stucco
Even Frank Lloyd’s right angles and cantilevers
Never more than three stories by code
But all other styles relished or, at least, allowed;
Each an expression of the lives within their walls.
We think we live in a static neighborhood.
Our grateful minds hug the constancy of our homes,
Your homes, my home, buildings we count on
To be where we left them this morning.
Not to be torn down, nor abandoned, nor gone.
But old days give way to new days and visions
Of new things, new people, and ill-fitting assumptions.
Art deco and shotgun bungalows grace hidden streets
And people move there to enjoy the variety of themes.
People of all means and opinions call Atlantic Beach home
Their paradise protected from big city intrusion;
Only to succumb and surrender to others’ loftier plans.
But an artist’s paintbrush captures the essence of their village;
Assisting their minds to remember lest they forget who they were.
By Meade
- About the Author
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Lawyer, Mediator, Author. Meade has lived in Florida some 40 years-20+ in Atlantic Beach. One of the first content coordinators of the Atlantic Beach Living magazine, she went on to publish 4 children’s books, short stories, legal essays and is currently working on a Book of her poetry called FEATHERS , and attempting a romance novel.
She served on the Atlantic Beach Code Enforcement Board, and Recreation committee where she introduced Lagniappe- a show and tell event-held at the Grage Complex. She, along with the Beaches Historical museum, was instrumental in launching the historical monument on 10th and Ocean in AB, which honors Henry Flagler’s love for the area and where he built the Continental Hotel, which brought travelers from the continental USA to Atlantic Beach in the early 1900s. The Cloister Condominiums stands in its place today
