DELAND The crew behind the restoration of the J.W. Wright Building has always known the property is special.
Now, it s official, because the 101-year-old building at 258 W. Voorhis Ave., the center of what used to be a thriving district for the Black community, made it to the National Register of Historic Places. After several different hurdles, we were able to make that accomplishment, and I am just stoked about it, said Mario Davis, executive director of Greater Union Life Center Inc., a DeLand-based nonprofit that owns the building.
Davis said restoration expert Mark Shuttleworth, who owns downtown s Florida Victorian Architectural Salvage, and Sidney Johnston, assistant director in Stetson University s Office of Grants, Sponsored Research and Strategic Initiatives, were instrumental in bringing that goal to fruition.