Pergola dedication marks opening of Bennett’s Landing in Atlantic Beach

Just before Thanksgiving Day, about 50 people took part in an event to celebrate the conservation acquisition of the Bennett’s Landing property — which included a ribbon-cutting for of the Bennett’s Wave pergola, named in honor of Sara Bennett and Fenis Reuben Bennett, Sr.

“It was their dream to have this property become a park for the public, so we are celebrating all those people who did so much to make this a reality,” said John November, executive director of the Public Trust for Conservation that spearheaded the project. “That includes artist Anthony Rooney; the City of Atlantic Beach, which participated by pouring the concrete for the structure; Ryan Mix, the realtor who helped protect this land for conservation; and all the different community members who have plaques on each of the poles of the pergola.”

The half-acre parcel that makes up Bennett’s Landing, where the pergola now serves as an entryway for the neighborhood community, is also an extension to the Tide Views Preserve — an eight-acre scenic park and trails venue located along the Intracoastal Waterway just west of Mayport Road near the Atlantic Boulevard Bridge.

The initiative to obtain the Bennett property began in 2013 and November says the property was fully protected from development in 2016.

“It took about five years after that to get the pergola constructed, so it’s been a labor of love, but we got it done in the end,” November said.

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Family who donated land is well-known in the Beaches

The Bennett Family, which donated the property, is well-known among long-time residents in Atlantic Beach.

A prominent Beaches resident and developer, Reuben Bennett moved to Atlantic Beach from his native Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1957 — and was instrumental in the development of the Beaches’ community. He was an investor, land developer, builder, restaurateur, grocer and owner of Bennett’s Garage for more than 30 years. Bennett died in 2013 and his wife, Sara, passed away four years ago.

John Bennett, the Bennetts' youngest son, said that when his parents had both passed away, he signed the property over to the trust.

“I’m here for my mom and dad,” he said. “There’s something my dad loved about this area … he used to sit out here with a chair by a palm tree, so this brings back a lot of memories of my parents. My dad built a lot of the properties at the Beaches.

According to John Bennett, his father also built the first shopping plaza in Atlantic Beach on Seminole Road, and operated Bennett’s Garage for many years.

"He was a good man, and my mom was a very Christian woman, so I was very blessed,” he said.

John Bennett, along with his older brother, F. Reuben Bennett Jr., and his sister, Jayne Bohannon, also attended the ribbon-cutting.

“This is just awesome,” Bohannon said. “I’m so proud. I wish we could do more. I lived next door to my parents’ house, and you don’t know how many people walk through the property to get to the park. It’s a real blessing.”

Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser also took part in the ribbon-cutting with November and members of the Bennett family in attendance.

“If it weren’t for the actions of our predecessors, we wouldn’t have these green spaces … there would be houses here instead,” Glasser said. She added that over the last 40 years, several pieces of property were obtained to put together what is now the Tide Views Preserve.

“This was sort of the last piece that came together,” she said. “Through the efforts of John at The Public Trust, along with the city’s environmental stewardship committee, we engaged the community to see what would work here in terms of dedicating something to the Bennett Family. I’m very happy this was outsourced to someone in the arts community to come up with something bigger and more beautiful than the city could have done. It’s just fabulous.”

Rooney, the artist who designed the pergola, studied art at the University of North Florida and has since become known for mural designs. Some of his work can be seen at Firehouse Subs, where he has learned under mural artist Joe Puskas, along with his own personal mural projects at Dos Gatos in St. Augustine and Surfer the Bar, Coop 303 and Hoptinger in the Beaches area.

Rooney's late brother, Mark, is among those remembered with a plaque on each leg of the pergola. Also honored with plaques were Dana Carpenter, an Atlantic Beach resident who lived near the marsh; Lyman Fletcher, a prominent Atlantic Beach attorney, land preservationist and avid outdoorsman; and Robin Soergel, a local musician, gardener, community volunteer and late wife of Times-Union writer Matt Soergel.

"It was really sweet, and quite touching to see Robin's name up there. I still miss her terribly," said Matt Soergel, who was in attendance at the ceremony. "It's such a beautiful structure, with the artist's brother up there in remembrance, too."

According to November, the individuals recognized with plaques were all indirectly involved with the pergola project. Like Robin Soergel, who passed away in January 2020, they were "loved and lost" before the project came to completion.

It was her idea to craft the pergola out of cedar, rather than pine; the plaques, he added, are a way to further strengthen the bonds of the local community.

“This is the beginning of creating a really special place, with this pergola representing a revival for the Tide Views Park that will allow it to become even more special than it is today,” November said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bennett's Landing in Atlantic Beach opens with pergola dedication