Future Growth

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens began work on the Edward W. Lane, Jr. Building in November. A team from Elkins Constructors Inc. began with the preservation of the exterior, soon to be followed by the restoration of the interior spaces. The former Woman's Club of Jacksonville will be returned to its previous splendor and become another important architectural component of The Cummer campus. It is estimated that the project will take approximately 18 months to be completed. In all likelihood in June 2009, the Lane Building will function as an integral part of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and add luster, functionality, and revenue to the Museum's operations.

The building that used to house the Woman's Club of Jacksonville has a venerable history. The Club had purchased the riverfront site in 1926 for $125,000, according to Dr. Wayne Wood in his Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage. Mrs. Ninah Cummer and other Cummer in-laws provided financial assistance for this purchase. Architect Mellen C. Creeley (1880-1981) was selected to design the new facility. As Dr. Wood writes: "The Tudor Revival style was chosen to blend harmoniously with the neighborhood, which was then solidly residential (the elegant Cummer mansion, which at time stood next door, was perhaps an influencing factor in the selection of the Tudor Revival style). The structure was built at a cost of $60,000 and features half-timbering and a tile roof."

In 2004, The Cummer Museum Foundation purchased the property for $1,380,000 from the ladies of the Woman's Club. The adjoining riverfront garden had been purchased for $450,000 two years prior. The house measures 13,400 square feet, while the entire parcel is two acres. Financial support for the purchase and restoration has been given by the Edward W. Lane Jr. family, Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Isabelle Davis, Mr. Dudley Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Renate Hixon, and other Cummer friends.

The restored Lane Building is eagerly anticipated. It will add much needed space to The Cummer's growing facility. It will be used to accommodate museum visitors during opening night receptions, for concerts and lectures, for educational activities, and for elegant affairs, such as bridal receptions. These special rental events will aid the museum in financing its artistic and educational programs.