**4. JCPenney **
JCPenney, F.W. Woolworth Company and the Robert Meyer Hotel. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/163677
JCPenney’s began as a Wyoming company by founder James Cash Penney in 1902. JCPenney’s first downtown store opened at the intersection of East Bay and Main Streets in 1933. In 1955, that store was replaced with a three-story, 90,000 square foot store facing Hemming Park on North Hogan Street. This location was connected to another store and flourished for quite some time.
Unfortunately, like Ivey’s, street closures from the conversion of Hemming Park ended up driving the final nail in the coffin of this downtown department store on October 26, 1985.
5. Furchgott’s
Women waiting outside Furchgott’s in 1949. Photo by Jack Spottswood. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/51259
Furchgott’s was founded by Leopold Furchgott in 1868. Its flagship store opened on October 8, 1941 at the intersection of West Adams and Hogan Streets. Furchgott’s five-story, 60,000 square foot store was the first in Jacksonville to have elevators. It’s first floor was said to be as American as cheese and apple pie. Like Cohen’s, Furchgott’s was considered a long time Jacksonville institution.
Furchgott’s shut down its flagship store at 130 West Adams on March 31, 1984. At the time, the chain said it would eventually reopen a smaller one-story store in the space. Those plans failed to materialize by the time the signature Jacksonville chain closed for good on May 8, 1985.
Article by Kristen Pickrell