Kim Para shares her home with Allie, a whippet/beagle mix

When Jacksonville professional Kim Para began looking for her dream home, she found it by going “back to school” at the former John Gorrie Junior High School in the neighborhood where she was raised.

“I grew up in Riverside so I’d been in the school before,” Para said. “I used to volunteer in Building No. 2 when it was the Teacher’s Depot.”

Earlier this year, the graduate of Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and Georgia Tech University decided to move back to Jacksonville from the Atlanta area. After college and her years in Atlanta, she was ready to come home to Riverside. She found what she wanted and more at The John Gorrie a condominium.

“I wanted the walkability that Riverside offers,” Para said. “The John Gorrie is in the perfect location. I can walk just about anywhere, and at the same time, I’m a hop away from the Interstate.”

Designed by renowned Jacksonville architects Benjamin and Greeley, The John Gorrie’s ornate design reflects Mediterranean Revival architecture popular in the early 1920s.

“The architecture was another big draw,” Para said. “The renovation to transform the school into these condominiums is just so beautifully done while keeping items of historical significance.”

The John Gorrie’s owners, J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver, purchased the former junior high school in 2009 and completed an extensive renovation and restoration to transform the historic landmark school into 68 residences with luxurious contemporary amenities including 12-foot ceilings, expansive windows, stainless steel GE appliances, CaesarStone countertops and hardwood floors. Many of the residences include elements from its former use as a school.

“My townhome sits on the old basketball court,” Para said. “It’s the perfect combination of old school and modern sleek.”

Para is enjoying her new two-story townhome at The John Gorrie and the community’s convenient location.

“I believe being back in Riverside is a great testament to its offerings, walkability and neighborhood communities,” Para said. “I enjoy The John Gorrie’s proximity to everything, not to mention the short walk to Bold Bean.”

The John Gorrie offers studios, one- and two-bedroom residences and two-story townhomes priced from the low $100,000s. Owners at The John Gorrie a condominium receive an ad valorem tax abatement toward their homeowner’s tax bill through 2021.

For more information about The John Gorrie community, call (904) 383-3688 or visit www.TheJohnGorrie.com.