By Anne Heyman
Photo by Brian Miller
CCoenraad van Rensburg has a passion when it comes to construction. “My passion,” he says, “is historic structures and true restoration, as opposed to new construction,” although he is licensed “to do pretty much anything when it comes to construction.” But, he adds, “ I’ve often said that no one really ‘owns’ a historic structure. We just steward it for the next generation. History should be revered and protected, never replaced”
Involved in preserving historic properties in and around St. Augustine for more than 15 years, his current projects include a civic endeavor to restore a 65-foot wooden riverboat in Palatka.
Noah’s Ark was built in 1929, he explains, and “saw many active years as a fishing charter on the St. Johns River.” Out of the water and waiting for “a new chance at life” that chance may soon become a reality. Through the Putnam County Historical Society, van Rensburg explains, “We have a pending grant with the Florida Department of Historic Resources. If awarded, the new life that Noah’s Ark has hoped for will begin.”
With a degree in civil engineering, van Rensburg began his professional career with the Department of Transportation designing and building bridges in South Africa. The sea has apparently always been near and dear to his heart, because he came to Florida on a sailboat, after a nine-month crossing. “We really took our time getting here,” he admits.
For a time he worked retrofitting mega yachts in South Florida, but when he decided to “put down permanent roots,” van Rensburg says, “I knew I wanted a home that was intact as originally constructed. That isn’t easy to find in St. Augustine and we ( he and wife, Elizabeth Holiday-van Rensburg), couldn’t afford to buy a museum.” So, the two looked at real estate in Palatka, and “12 years later we absolutely love our historic home in downtown Palatka… The half hour commute to work through farmlands and fields isn’t bad either.”
The van Rensburgs’ community involvement in Putnam County goes right along with their passion for the historic, including membership in the Putnam County Historical Society.
As to the future of his company, he’s “happy continuing to do what I’m passionate about – restoring historic properties.”
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