- May 11, 2024
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Originally the yacht club had a boat house – the dock extended out about 100 yards to it. But it was destroyed in a storm in the 1920s and was never replaced, according the club' s website (Courtesy photo).
Bill Partington II looks over a document with some of the club' s original members (Photos by Emily Blackwood).
Davis started taking down the club' s Christmas lights Jan. 13.
The Ormond Yacht Club is always in need of upkeep.
The club is located at 63 N. Beach Street.
Since 1910, the Ormond Yacht Club has stood a strong two stories tall on edge of the Halifax River. It's survived over a century of hurricanes, and those who are dedicating their time to restoring it hope it survives another 100.
The club has served as a community hall, meeting center, reading corner, painting subject and place for a good game of pool for those lucky enough to have ever been inside its historic doors.
Because not many people have.
"Everyone sees is," said President Jim Davis, who is more commonly known as just "J.D." "But a lot of people don't know what it is."
The club's brochure claims the building is an essential piece of history constructed by Ormond's founding fathers, and their proof is on display inside the structure's wooden walls. Framed upstairs, where the club holds monthly meetings, is a list of members from 1911. Written neatly in cursive letters is John Anderson's signature and his agreement to pay $5 for the year.
If the founder of the Ormond Hotel had paid for a yacht club membership in 2016, it would be about $195 more.
The 65 members of the club willingly pay the dues, knowing that the money helps fund a big restoration project every year on a building they all own. Past projects include $70,000 to fix the structure's underwater pillars and $12,000 to reseal the windows. No matter what the next task is, Davis says it's a never-ending effort.
On his wish list? Expanding the dock to cover the entire building, which would bring the yacht club back to its original glory.
"The goal is to make it last longer," he said, resting on the wooden walls that former president Kevin Callahan spent years cleaning and restoring with a toothbrush.
Between dues and donations from the public — the club is a 501(c)3 organization — Davis says the only other cash they rely on is the funds raised at their annual banquet. Held this year at the Anderson-Price Memorial Center, the event includes dinner, a silent auction and a tour of the club, which Bill Partington II said is a big draw for people interested in the buildings' "mystique."
"Up until 15 years ago, the property wasn't even on the tax roll," Partington said. "There was no (public) record of it or even who owned it. Even today it's just a group of guys who maintain it."
While it's obvious that the members of the club enjoy the little mystery surrounding their building, they do hope the next generation takes an interest. Fitting with much of Ormond Beach's history, the club in itself boasts a few records and ironies.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, the club members say that the Ormond Yacht Club is the oldest structure in the state of Florida built on the water, but despite its name, there is no record of an actual yacht ever visiting.
Though an increase in money and awareness are typical goals of most local organizations, Partington and Davis are skeptical about too much foot traffic. Their efforts of restoration are done with the hope that the building will always stay in the hands of yacht club members and not in the public.
"We don't want to open it up too much," Davis said. "It's like trusting someone with the key to your house."
Private ownership is one of the reasons they've been able to complete so many restoration projects, according to Davis. Other city-owned historic sites, such as the MacDonald House, have a hard time just getting things started.
"When they tore the Ormond Hotel down, I think we all realized how important it was to maintain these historic structures," Partington said. "We try to show off a little bit. We're proud of what we've done here."
Visit ormondyachtclub.org.
