Neptune Beach Made History on Florida Boulevard. We Were There.
On January 28, 2026, Neptune Beach held the first-ever meeting of its new Historic Review Board. The very first application on the agenda was our client's home. It was approved.
The homeowner was brought home from the hospital to a home on Florida Boulevard in Neptune Beach. That was in 1974. The house she came home to was already 37 years old.
It's a modest two-story duplex on a 40-foot-wide lot — sitting well back from the street, tucked behind palms and overgrown shrubs, easy to drive past without a second look. It has original wood floors, tongue-and-groove wall finishes, the vertical profile of what the city now formally calls "2-story carriage style construction of Neptune Beach in the 1930s." The family next door is her mother.
A lot has changed on Florida Boulevard since 1937. This house is still standing. Now, for the first time in Neptune Beach history, it officially has the designation to prove it.
A New Board. A First Application. A First Approval.
Neptune Beach recently established its Historic Review Board — the first of its kind in the city — created to formally identify and protect older homes that carry architectural significance within the community. The board held its inaugural meeting on January 28, 2026.
The very first item on the agenda: the family's home on Florida Blvd in Neptune Beach.
Two applications were presented that evening and both were approved: a Determination of Historical Significance (HS26-01) and a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA26-01) for a renovation and addition. The historical designation recognizes the 89-year-old structure for its regional architectural significance — specifically that it retains the physical character of Neptune Beach in the 1930s, a style now rare on the island. The Certificate of Appropriateness clears the path for renovation work to proceed in a manner consistent with that designation.
This is the first home in Neptune Beach to be officially designated historic. As far as we know, it's the first in any beach community in Northeast Florida. And Bluewave Builders is the first contractor in Neptune Beach to work on a designated historic home.
Why They Chose to Preserve It
The easy answer would have been to tear it down. A 40-foot-wide lot in Neptune Beach, cleared, gives a developer a clean slate. But that was never a conversation the family was having.
They've owned the home for 52 years. Her mother lives next door. The two parcels — 226 and 228 — sit side by side, and together they allow something increasingly rare in beach communities: multi-generational housing. Family close by. Aging in place. A home that means something.
The goal, then, was never demolition. It was renovation. The question was how to do it right.
What the Renovation Actually Does
The project architect, Julianne Overby, described the approach clearly: "We are making minor additions to allow improved function without changing the overall character of the original building."
The home currently has no interior stair — to reach the second floor, you use an exterior staircase. The renovation creates an interior connection between floors for the first time. A 101-square-foot addition at the rear expands the footprint modestly, matching the profile of the existing bathroom bump-out. A second addition on the upper floor provides roughly 400 square feet of improved living space, built primarily over the existing first-floor footprint.
Lot coverage goes from 21.8% to 33% — still well below the 50% maximum allowed. On a narrow, non-conforming 40-foot lot, that's a genuinely low number.
The existing vinyl siding — a non-historic alteration — comes off. In its place: painted brick at the lower level, shingle-style siding above. Windows, entry doors, and decking are being replaced. The original wood floors, tongue-and-groove wall finishes, and upstairs bedroom doors stay. The design language throughout is consistent with modest coastal construction from the 1930s.
The board's approval also allows the existing structure to remain within its current setbacks, which fall outside today's standard code requirements. Without historic designation, a project of this scope looks very different. The footprint and character of a 1937 home can be honored rather than compromised.
Why This Kind of Work Fits Bluewave
Bluewave Builders has spent more than a decade building and renovating homes throughout Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, and Ponte Vedra. We know these neighborhoods — the character of the streets, the way the salt air affects materials, the setback nuances that shape what's possible on a narrow coastal lot, and the permitting landscape that determines how a project actually moves forward.
A project like this requires more than construction knowledge. It requires understanding the process, preparing a thorough application, presenting before a board, and making the case for why a renovation approach serves both the homeowner and the home's historic integrity. We were honored to do that work for this family — and proud that the board agreed.
For a family that has held this home for over 50 years, getting it right matters. That's the kind of work we're built for.
The Conversation Is Just Starting
Neptune Beach's Historic Review Board is new. The process it established — the application, the hearing, the criteria — is now available to any homeowner in the city with a home worth preserving. If you've been watching what's happening to the older homes in your neighborhood and wondering whether there's another way, there is. And the path is now defined.
We're glad to have been part of the first chapter of that story.
Have a home with a story worth preserving?
Whether you're exploring historic designation, planning a coastal renovation, or starting a new build from scratch, we'd love to talk. Contact Bluewave Builders.