TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The Jackson House Foundation is vowing to move forward with plans to restore the historic Tampa building, even after a piece of the structure fell off over Labor Day weekend.
The foundation's president, Dr. Carolyn Collins, stood before the Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency Thursday to reassure board members that the project remains on track. She made one thing clear from the start.
"The Jackson House will be rebuilt at 851 East Zack Street," Collins said.
WATCH: Jackson House Foundation says rebuild is moving forward
The Jackson House is one of Tampa's most significant pieces of African American history. Moses and Sarah Jackson, who moved to Tampa in the 1800s, built the home at 851 East Zack Street in 1901. During the era of segregation, the multi-room boarding house provided lodging for Black residents and visitors, with guests sent from Robinson's Barbershop and the clubs on Central Avenue.
The building holds federal and state historic landmark status, making its restoration subject to strict preservation requirements that have complicated and extended the timeline for years.
The breach over Labor Day weekend left the inside of the building openly exposed. The section that fell is the connection between the addition and the main building, a portion already slated to be replaced with a welcome center as part of the restoration plans. Collins said the team had already been coordinating with contractors before the damage became public.
Collins said the calls and messages of concern that poured in from across the state after the breach only reinforced the foundation's resolve.
"The biggest question that I've been asked over the last 48 hours is, does that stop the Jackson House? And we want to say to everyone, no, we are moving forward," Collins said.
A full team is now in place
One of the biggest developments at Thursday's meeting was the formal introduction of the restoration team. Collins announced that all contractors are now under contract, a milestone the foundation has been working toward for some time.
Dr. Angela Scott, chair of the foundation's RROC committee, introduced The Sinclair Group as the newly hired construction management firm. She said the group brings a strong track record in Tampa and with the state.
"We're excited today that the RROC committee, along with the leadership of Dr. Collins, that we have hired and who is working with us is the Sinclair Group that has extensive work in the city, already working on historic projects in Ybor City and recognized by the state as well," Scott said.
Cameron Clark, principal of The Sinclair Group, said the team hit the ground running, meeting with lead architect Gerald McCants the day before Thursday's CRA presentation.
"Our next steps is in that press release is to meet with Gerald, set up a call with the historic department in Tallahassee, and come up with a budget and timeline that we can present to the Jackson House that can come back and I think discuss with the group, so we're excited. It's a very important project, and we're honored to be selected," Clark said.
Joanie Pelaez, CFO of The Sinclair Group, echoed that enthusiasm.
"We're honored and excited to have been chosen as the general contractor to work with you all. So we're excited about the project," Palayas said.
Ronnie Williams, a board member of the Jackson House Foundation, also addressed the CRA, saying the team is ready to move forward and answer questions about the construction process.
What the restoration will actually look like
There has been some confusion in the community about what restoring the Jackson House actually means. Collins was direct: this is not a renovation, and it is not a demolition. It is a deconstruction and a rebuild.
"We will not demolish the Jackson House. It will be a reconstruction," Collins said.
The plan calls for the building to be carefully taken apart, with original materials sorted and cataloged. Board member Ronnie Williams said only about 15% of the existing lumber is expected to be salvageable. Collins said that wood will be divided into three categories: pieces to be used by an artist to create artwork for the foundation's gift shop, pieces that can be reused or repurposed within the rebuilt structure, and material that must be discarded.
"We will repurpose, for some people to clearly understand, we will reuse the wood to do a number of things, and some wood would be thrown away," Collins said.
Once rebuilt, the Jackson House must look exactly as it did between 1950 and 1959. That is not a preference — it is a requirement tied to the building's historic landmark designation. Scott said the standard is about appearance, not about how much original material is used.
"The only requirement for the historic preservation is... we need to make sure that the exterior of this home is built just like the time period of 1950 to 1959," Scott said.
That means windows, doors, siding and every exterior element must match the original dimensions and design exactly. Collins said even the architectural plans had to be revised to meet those requirements.
"The house must look the same way it did to maintain that historical status. Even the plans that you've been looking at for probably the past year and a half, they had to be modified because the windows have to be the exact size," Collins said.
Clark cautioned that while the team is moving quickly behind the scenes, visible activity on the site is still some time away. Design work, permitting, and planning all have to be completed before any deconstruction begins.
"I don't want the expectations to be that something's going on and happen there that you'll see because there's still design ongoing, then submitting for permits, and then mobilizing to do any sort of deconstruction. So the expectation that's not happening tomorrow or the next day. There's still a chunk of time that is going to be stagnant," Clark said.
What about the handprints on the wall?
One of the most personal pieces of the Jackson House story is a wall where Willie Robinson, Jr. — whom the house was passed down to — and his family left their handprints. Collins said those sections were removed from the building and placed in storage at a facility called DSI, but the storage conditions were not ideal. The foundation has been out to the facility twice to assess what is there.
The University of South Florida is now working with the foundation through a student program to go through five storage bins, clean the contents, and re-digitize everything so the foundation knows exactly what it has.
"We are hoping and praying that those walls hands are available, and I cannot tell you they are because it's in the DSI. And I remember marking them myself for them to be saved, but at the time we were not the ones responsible for appropriately storing it," Collins said.
Board members weigh in
CRA board member Bill Clendenin said he has been involved with the Jackson House for years and does not need to be convinced of its importance. But he said getting the message out about what the reconstruction actually looks like could go a long way toward easing public anxiety every time a piece of the building falls or shifts.
"If the thing was to tilt over and fall tomorrow, the plan's not going to change. We're still going to bring it back up," Clendenin said.
Clendenin also spoke to why the story the Jackson House tells matters so much, not just for people alive today, but for generations to come.
"This isn't about who's living today; it's about who's living tomorrow, making sure the story is continues to be told," Carlson said.
Board member Charlie Miranda thanked the foundation for its work and pointed to the quality of the original lumber as evidence of the building's historical significance, even if much of it can no longer be used.
Board member Luis Viera was blunt about critics who have called for the building to simply be torn down and replaced with a plaque.
"If somebody has such gross disrespect for our Black history and for African Americans in our American history, dealing with Black Americans, they can go to hell," Viera said.
Viera compared the Jackson House restoration to the rebuilding of historic landmarks around the world, including Warsaw's old town, which was reconstructed after being destroyed between World War II and the Soviet era, and the Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg.
"When people are disassembling and then recreating and restoring, it's going to be the Jackson House. It's going to be a Jackson House that's going to withstand the test of time and be there for multiple generations to come," Viera said.
The city's role and what comes next
CRA Chair Naya Young said the city has been working closely with the foundation to help move the project forward, even though the building is privately owned by the Jackson House Foundation. She said she wanted to understand the full history of the project before getting involved, so she convened a meeting with city staff, the foundation, the historic preservation office, and others to go through everything from the beginning, including easements, alleyways, and the permitting process.
Young said the discussions have also covered board formation, with the goal of bringing on new members who can focus specifically on fundraising and programming. She said the foundation is also looking at appointing a fiduciary agent to manage the large amounts of funding expected to come in.
Young said she also reached out to the Vinik Foundation, which expressed strong interest in seeing the house restored.
"They are very much wanting to see this house restored," Young said.
Young said she believes the momentum from Thursday's meeting is real.
"I think this is positive momentum. I think this is a good way forward," Young said.
Collins said the tone at Thursday's meeting felt different from past CRA appearances, and she credited Young's work behind the scenes for helping build that trust.
"I really think —and I'm going to give credit to all of the council people because we have been talking to them as well — but I think that the role that Chair Young played and having that meeting, even though only one council can be at a meeting at a time, giving her that level of clarity and the ability to understand and go and talk to all of the parties," Collins said.
Collins also noted that the foundation recently received the deeds to the east and west sides of the property and secured the alley, calling it a turning point.
"We got all the marbles in that circle that we can really start moving," Collins said.
The biggest challenge ahead is funding. Collins said a capital campaign is launching now, with the goal of raising private dollars that can be invested and used to supplement grant funding over the long term.
"I don't think it's never enough funding, especially in 2026 in the United States of America. So we do need more money, and we're going to kick off a capital campaign literally now," Collins said.
Collins said the recent damage has not slowed any progress. A ribbon cutting is still expected within the next 18 to 24 months. Updated renderings of the restoration plans are available at jacksonhousefoundation.org.
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