ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Patti Berry and her husband, David Manaute purchased the Canright house in 2021. They've spent their time and a lot money preserving the house and its historical legacy.
"We want people to feel the feeling when you get when you come in and see and experienced what happened here," Berry explained.
The house was shelter to many civil rights activists including Dorothy Cotton and C.T. Vivian, Dr. King's right hand man. The Canright house has been shot up, fire bombed and vandalized.
The couple said they haven't had the chance to actually live in it because some aspects of the house are still under construction. Their vision was to add two stories to the house while keeping the Canright house as is. The goal was to make the Canright house into their home as well. However, their request for a variance was denied.
"We wanted to build a new structure around it but preserve the current house," Manaute said. "If it wasn't historical, we would not be here today."
Manaute and Berry said neighbors campaigned to block their request. According to the homeowners, neighbors argued that the two would set a precedence to future neighbors to request a variance. They mentioned how the two were alleged to trying to build a hotel, which Manaute said is far from the truth. Their plan was to "build skinny" on top the house that is wide, compared to other homes. Manaute and Berry said they tried to explore multiple options with the plan and zoning committee.
"They told us no and basically said at this point 'you can file for demolition'," Berry added.
That caught the attention of the St. Johns County Commissioners. On Tuesday, commissioners voted to draft a letter supporting the relocation of the Canright house. However, there's no telling where it would go or how much it would cost to move the house.
County officials told First Coast News it recognizes the home's historical significance. If the house were to relocate, the homeowners would pass the home to the county; which would give the couple a chance to build the house they vision. To the St. Augustine couple, the house should stay.
"It means a lot to us," Berry said. "Some thing require special circumstances and that would be a situation like this."