“Historic” Roseland Community Building
UPDATE: November 17, 2020
October 13, 2015 – Roseland Women’s Club requested approval for a complete inspection of the Roseland Community Building to restore, renovate, and/or rebuild the historic building, due to structural issues. Staff informed the BOCC that a structural engineer has been hired to determine why the building was sinking, and was awaiting a report for the repair cost estimates.
This building was closed February 7, 2017 to do necessary repairs due to the sinking of the building.
February 28, 2017 – In preparation for raising the building, the excavation of the support piers and structural members of required. At this point, substantial termite damage to the structural members of the building, the sub-flooring of the building, and to the southern portion of the building that was buried. At this point, the contractor was directed to cease construction and to evaluate the overall termite damage of the building and provide the county with a preliminary cost estimate to repair the termite damage to the building.
March 7, 2017 – The building is closed until further notice due to safety concerns. Indian River County will make necessary repairs when funding becomes available.
ROSELAND COMMUNITY BUILDING
The Roseland Community Building was financed by the Roseland Women’s Club in 1927 and completed in 1929. It is a one-story wood frame building with a gable roof. A vernacular building approach was employed where local skills and locally available materials were used. For instance, timbers from the old St. Sebastian River Bridge were used as building supports. A concrete block addition to the west side of the Building was completed in 1959. Located on a sandy street on the bank of the beautiful St. Sebastian River, this Building rests in a quiet neighborhood reminiscent of “old Florida”.
Until closing for repairs in February 2017, the Community Building accommodated a wide variety of community activities including music, health, exercise, and step programs. Weddings and receptions, celebrations of graduations and birthdays, picnics, and other special meetings were also held there. The building was also a designated “safe haven” for the local preschool. With this Building, the Roseland Women’s Club has been providing a site for community activities for 88 years.