Historic Archives

Firestone Building Honored by Florida Trust for Historic Preservation

About Goodwin, Reclaimed Wood, Commercial Architecture, Historical Renovation

(Gainesville, FL) – Phoebe Cade Miles (daughter of the late Dr. James Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade) and her husband Richard restored the 4,000 sq. ft. Firestone Building in Gainesville, Florida last year. On Friday May 8^th, 2015, the project was recognized by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation (FTHP), receiving an Honorable Mention for Adaptive Reuse at the organization’s annual awards ceremony held in Miami, Florida. Additionally, father and son team, Richard and Ryland Wagner of Joyner Construction in Gainesville – contractors for the restoration – were also honored for their work on the project.

The FTHP’s mission is, “to promote the preservation of the architectural, historical and archaeological heritage of Florida through advocacy, education and historic property stewardship.” Accordingly, the Firestone was acknowledged to be, “a proper rehabilitation of a structure to a new use with consideration for the high level of creativity to the adaption.” Adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation was weighed heavily.

The restoration brought together many local building specialists. Goodwin Company, who has worked on several projects that have received recognition by the FTHP, milled the River-Recovered® and reclaimed Legacy Vertical Heartpine which surrounds a rectangle of brilliantly positioned reclaimed pine from the original building and an inlay of a fan medallion in the center.

According to Sarah Vidal-Finn, Manager of the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency, “The Firestone Building is a model example showcasing the ability to find incredible worth in historic building stock and sensitively reusing it to support modern commerce and businesses.”

For a full list of FTHP award winners, visit: http://www.floridatrust.org/preservation-awards/2015-award-winners.

Photo Credit: Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group

May 11, 2015/by Carol Goodwin

Congratulations Jeffrey and Megan!

Antique Wood, Solid Flooring, Green Building, About Goodwin, Kitchen Flooring

Last weekend, our Marketing Coordinator Jeffrey and his lovely wife Megan celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary in Cedar Key, Florida. While there, they visited the St. Clair Whitman House at the Cedar Key State Museum. Although Jeffrey was away on pleasure, he could not resist taking these photographs of Goodwin’s wood in the home:

Last year, Dale Kendrick with the Florida Park Service repaired several sections of flooring in the St. Clair Whitman House using Goodwin’s LEGACY heart pine. Jeffrey’s photos not only show the contrast of the new wood to old, but also illustrate how well the material marries together as a whole. The wood is featured in the front entrance, kitchen and on some of the wainscot in the dining room.

If you are ever on Cedar Key, be sure to stop by and check it out!

Hmmm…. I am considering giving Jeffrey an afternoon off to take his wife to an early dinner and movie since he found a way to “work” on his anniversary weekend…

Congratulations, Jeffrey and Megan. And, thank you for the wonderful photographs!

April 30, 2015/by Carol Goodwin

Restoring an Old Florida Classic

About Goodwin, River-Recovered, Cypress, Reclaimed Wood

Homeowner Specs Building Reclaimed Legacy Heart Pine and River-Recovered® Heart Cypress for Porch Renovation

Steve Klett owns what is considered an Old Florida classic. His “vernacular, cracker style” home in North Florida evolved out of the need to keep a house cool in the hot and humid sub-tropical climate of North Central Florida (before the era of air conditioning). When it came time to renovate the hallmark of his historic home – the splendid full porch – Klett began researching options. He wanted nothing modern, and was intent on finding the highest quality materials on the market. He stumbled upon Goodwin’s website and the rest is history. Read more

April 2, 2015/by Carol Goodwin

Historic Service Station Transformed by Renovation

Pine Floors, Reclaimed Wood, Solid Flooring, Commercial Architecture, Historical Renovation, About Goodwin

Antique Reclaimed Wood Serves as Centerpiece of Firestone Office Building’s New Look

(Circa 1929)

(Gainesville, FL) – Great architecture stands forever, which is why Phoebe Cade Miles (daughter of the late Dr. James Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade) and her husband Richard – owners of the old Firestone building in Gainesville, Florida – chose to install antique River-Recovered® and Legacy Heartpine flooring during their recent renovation. The building, which also houses University of Florida’s Gator Lab and Starter Space, features 4,000 sq. ft. of office space (two stories), a reception area, inside second floor balcony and a completely renovated and remodeled interior. The building itself was constructed using Campville Brick, another material with a unique story and history.

The hallmark of the newly remodeled space is the River-Recovered® and reclaimed Legacy Vertical Heartpine provided by Goodwin Company, which surrounds a rectangle of brilliantly positioned reclaimed pine from the original building and an inlay of a fan medallion in the center. Boston native Rudy Dittmar performed the installation.

“We could not have created this incredible space without the help of Goodwin Company,” explains Miles. “They provided the antique heartpine flooring we needed to complement the original flooring. We were able to save some of the original flooring and with their help, were able to create an amazing design that worked both old and new into a work of beauty.”

“Restoring and renovating historic spaces is one of our passions,” says Carol Goodwin, President of Goodwin Company. “Words cannot describe the feeling of witnessing your product breathe new life into a building with such deep roots and history. Antique wood is really the only option when you want to preserve the rich history and appeal.”

Photo Credit: Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group

About Goodwin Company

Founded in 1976, Goodwin Company is the building design industry’s trusted partner and preferred resource for fine antique reclaimed and River-Recovered® wood flooring. Esteemed architects, designers and builders specify Goodwin’s products for use in luxury residential homes, historical renovations and commercial projects including corporate office buildings, universities, libraries and high-end retail establishments. Prominent work includes: This Old House corporate offices, private residences of Bob Villa, Paul McCartney, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ted Turner, Weyland Art Gallery, Brownwood at The Villages, the Charnley-Norwood House and the Texas Governor’s Mansion. For more information, visit www.heartpine.com.

July 8, 2014/by Carol Goodwin

Charnley-Norwood House

Reclaimed Wood, About Goodwin

We want to extend a special thank you to Greg Cater for posting a wonderful article about Goodwin’s work on the Charnley-Norwood house to his blog: http://reclaimedwoodblog.com/

Photo curtesy of the Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History.

We appreciate your kind words and support, Greg! The photos you see are courtesy of photographer Hubert Worley: http://hfw2.com/portfolio/

March 14, 2014/by Carol Goodwin

Texas Governor’s Mansion Restoration

Historical Renovation, Reclaimed Wood

July 31, 2013/by Carol Goodwin

Yes, We Love Museum Work!

Antique Wood, Commercial Architecture, Historical Renovation, Furniture, Cypress

Although furniture is not really our specialty, did you know Goodwin wood has been used to create museum furniture as well? We wanted to share with you some beautiful images from Tom Shiner, AIA, IDSA of Museum and Library Furniture LLC in Bethesda, Maryland.

July 23, 2013/by Carol Goodwin

Historic Renovation Receives “Green” Restoration Accolades

Reclaimed Wood, Architecture, Green Building, Historical Renovation, Press Releases, Wood Walls and Paneling, Commercial Architecture

Gainesville Depot Recognized

by Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc.

(GAINESVILLE, FL) — One of the City of Gainesville’s oldest, most cherished buildings – the historic Gainesville Depot – will receive an “Outstanding” recognition in the Restoration/Rehabilitation category at the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc. (FTHP) annual awards ceremony. The event, scheduled for May 17^th from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, will be held at the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College.

May 14, 2013/by Carol Goodwin

Preserving the Past at Goodwin

Antique Wood, Reclaimed Wood

Check out this neat treasure! George Goodwin recently restored this antique log roller he found alongside some River Recovered Heart Pine logs in the Suwannee River. He immediately identified it thanks to his keen eye for antiques. George owned an antique business in downtown Micanopy, Florida before discovering the beauty of River Recovered Antique Wood.

The loggers in this photo used log rollers to fashion rafts of logs and ride them to downstream sawmills some 125 years ago. Our ancestors worked long, hard, backbreaking hours to select, cut, secure and transport logs used for building and other practical purposes. As technology progresses, it’s easy to forget the way things were, and just how fortunate we are today.

We are very humbled to have the opportunity to recover logs lost long ago and transform them into the most beautiful and durable luxury wood flooring in the world! If you would like to learn more about this process, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We always have interesting and educating stories to tell. We feel it is important to keep George’s River Recovered legacy alive and welcome the opportunity to pass his stories down to future generations!

October 23, 2012/by Carol Goodwin

Heart Pine is Antique Wood

Reclaimed Wood, Antique Wood

Somethings just get better with time. Find out why one-of-a-kind Goodwin heart pine has earned the reputation that it has among architects, designers and homeowners.

Is the wood from the longleaf pine?

Longleaf pine is the best source of antique heart pine. Some companies sell Southern yellow pine, loblolly, shortleaf pine, slash or a combination and call it heart pine. Although they are pine and they have heartwood, antique longleaf pine-especially the river-recovered wood®, is stronger, more durable, more stable and has a richer patina and color.

Is it truly antique? Or how old was the tree when harvested?

The only way to get heartwood is time. According to the USDA Forest Service book “Longleaf Pine”, it takes 200 years for a longleaf pine to become mostly heartwood and to be considered antique. Scientists say any wood from a tree less than 200 years old is “new heart pine.” A 75-year-old tree will average only 30% heart, and even a 130-year-old tree yields wood that is not as hard or rich in color as antique heart pine. U.S. Forest Service specialists report that even a 200-year-old tree will average only 65% heartwood. The Reclaimed Wood Council was formed to apply standards to reclaimed wood in the marketplace.
Note: Goodwin’s heart pine is from trees 200 to 500 years old.
Alert: “Old-growth” does NOT mean antique. The term is used loosely and often refers to new heart pine.

Is it 100% heartwood?

A tree has two components: heartwood and sapwood. Heartwood is prized because its tight grain means it is stronger and more stable. In other words, more is better. Less heart, which means more sapwood, results in softer wood that can be scratched and dented. Heart wood hardness and strength comes from its resin, and longleaf has more resin than the other 200+ species of pine.

Plus, longleaf heartwood is beautiful. The grain is not your usual oak pattern (found in 75% of homes) and is a rich, red color thanks to the resin. One hundred percent heartwood means the color will be consistent. Even 98 percent heart will have yellow sapwood streaks that produce a strong/obvious color variation.
Alert: Lesser grades can have up to 50 percent sapwood and may still be called heart pine.

July 28, 2012/by Carol Goodwin

The Historic Green Village

Commercial Architecture, Architecture

June 1, 2012/by Carol Goodwin

Tag Archive for: Historic

Firestone Building Honored by Florida Trust for Historic Preservation

Congratulations Jeffrey and Megan!

Restoring an Old Florida Classic

Homeowner Specs Building Reclaimed Legacy Heart Pine and River-Recovered® Heart Cypress for Porch Renovation

Historic Service Station Transformed by Renovation

Antique Reclaimed Wood Serves as Centerpiece of Firestone Office Building’s New Look

Charnley-Norwood House

Texas Governor’s Mansion Restoration

Yes, We Love Museum Work!

Historic Renovation Receives “Green” Restoration Accolades

Gainesville Depot Recognized

by Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc.

Preserving the Past at Goodwin

Heart Pine is Antique Wood

Is the wood from the longleaf pine?

Is it truly antique? Or how old was the tree when harvested?

Is it 100% heartwood?

The Historic Green Village

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