More than two years after adopting temporary signage for the Life Saving Station, the Jacksonville Beach City Council moved Monday to make it permanent — clearing the way for new lettering, logos and a metal roof on the century-old building now that a $1 million exterior renovation has wrapped up.
The council took up the item early in its July 13 meeting, ahead of volunteers from the Volunteer Life Saving Corps (VLSC) who came to weigh in on the design.
Deputy City Manager Karen Nelson walked the council through renderings covering two separate projects: the building's permanent signage and a 2027 roof replacement, which is funded separately through the city's Capital Improvement Program budget rather than the renovation project.
A metal roof, and not red
The station's current red roof has faded to brown over the years and proven difficult to match with paint, Nelson said. Rather than try to replicate the original color, staff and VLSC members met June 1 and settled on a neutral gray metal roof, which will also last longer than the current material.
City staff confirmed the roof and signage changes will not affect the building's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The city has been coordinating with the National Historic Society throughout the process, and preservation officials' primary concern has been protecting the integrity of the building's stucco exterior.
Signage largely unchanged
Currently, the building is all white since it was repainted in the recent exterior renovation. For the past several decades, the station was branded the American Red Cross Volunteer Life Savings Station in red, along with a red cross, the universal signal for aid, painted on the ‘peg,’ the five-story watchtower on the building’s Northeast corner.
The city acquired the historic building in 2023 from the American Red Cross to house the Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue (JBOR) services.
The permanent branding closely follows the interim design the council adopted by resolution, which established the building's name and official logo. On the south side of the building, "Home of the Volunteer Life Saving Corps" will remain, with "Since 1912" added beneath it. The west elevation will keep "Home of Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue," and the north elevation will carry only the station logo — none of that will change.
The east elevation will feature both the VLSC logo and a logo for the JBOR side by side, at the VLSC's request. Council members leaned toward a round design for visual consistency with the existing station logo, but final sign-off was left to JBOR leadership. Both logos will be rendered in red and blue, the same "stop sign red" used in the temporary branding, rather than mixing in black, to keep the color scheme consistent across the building. Nelson said they would look into sealants or clear coats to help the paint hold up against sun and salt air, after council members raised concerns about red paint fading to orange over time on the oceanfront.
The plaques
A plaque dedicated in 1988 to Paul Reinhold for his generous financial contributions to an earlier renovation of the building, was painted over years ago. However, it will be replaced with a faithful replica since, according to the city's sign designer, the original is beyond repair. Rather than removing the existing plaque, which could damage the stucco, the replica will be mounted directly over it.
Council Member Bill Horn raised the city's outstanding commitment, made when it took possession of the station, to install a plaque recognizing the American Red Cross's historical contribution to the building. The Red Cross previously agreed to wait until renovations were complete, and the city had planned to mount it on a freestanding post rather than the building itself.
Council members also debated whether a second freestanding sign was necessary given an existing historical marker on the property, and questioned the estimated $3,912 cost to fabricate, mount and install the plaque.
After a suggestion for the plaque to be placed on the interior of the building, Council Member Sandy Golding noted that she’d prefer it to be on the outside so members of the public can read it to appreciate the history.
City staff will bring a resolution back to council formally adopting the permanent branding, updating an April 2025 resolution that had established the building's name, logo and temporary signage.
