LaVilla Place
525 West Beaver Street
The second licensed Black mortician in Florida, Lawton Pratt opened his original funeral home business in 1900. Completed in 1916, the existing building may be one of the last surviving commercial structures designed and constructed by noted Black architect Joseph Haygood Blodgett.
Born in 1858 in Augusta, Blodgett moved to Jacksonville during the 1890s with one paper dollar and one thin dime. Initially working for the railroad for a dollar a day, Blodgett went on to start a drayage business, a woodyard, a farm and restaurant before becoming a building contractor around 1898. Following the Great Fire of 1901, Blodgett built 258 houses, keeping 199 to rent, eventually becoming the first black millionaire in Jacksonville. His own residence, Blodgett Villa, was said to be one of the finest owned by an African American anywhere. Famous guests at Blodgett Villa included Booker T. Washington.
Affiliated with Jacksonville-based Silver Street Capital, 525 Beaver, LLC. is in the process of rehabilitating the former funeral home into thirteen apartments and a retail space that could potentially become a restaurant, coffee shop or wine bar. The developer also plans to add a courtyard, swimming pool and parking lot just west of the building.
JTA Autonomous Innovation Center
650 West Bay Street
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is in the process of building an Autonomous Innovation Center for its Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) project on a LaVilla block bounded by Water, Broad, Bay and Jefferson streets. The U2C is a comprehensive program to introduce autonomous vehicles (AVs) into JTA’s transportation system. The Autonomous Innovation Center is expected to serve as the “nerve center” for the U2C.
JTA’s original plans were opposed by LaVilla stakeholders because of a belief that the project’s design did not align with design standards and vision for the community. As a response, JTA worked with the community to significantly modify the design of the structure. The $40 million Autonomous Innovation Center is expected to be completed by summer 2025.
The Autonomous Innovation Center design before LaVilla community involvement.
The Autonomous Innovation Center design after LaVilla community involvement.
Daily’s Gas Station
618 West Forsyth Street
A two-story Daily’s gas station with a Bold City Brewery and restaurant is planned for downtown’s LaVilla neighborhood. Bold City Brewery will operate a microbrewery and restaurant on top of the Daily’s gas station convenience store. The project also will include a rooftop bar. Owned and operated by Brian Miller and his mother, Susan, Bold City Brewery was founded in 2008. Bold City operates a microbrewery and taproom in Riverside and a smaller downtown location on East Bay Street. The East Bay Street location will relocate to the Daily’s gas station project planned for a 1.4-acre block at the intersection of Bay and Broad streets.
In August 2020, First Coast Energy paid close to $3.3 million for a historic block in the neighborhood. A historic structure was razed in preparation for the developer’s plans to construct a gas station. Original plans were opposed by the LaVilla community, which was unimpressed with the suburban gas station layout considered at the time. Ultimately, a modified plan was developed, better allowing the project to align with the neighborhood’s goals of ensuring all new infill construction is pedestrian friendly.
The proposed Daily’s gas station before community involvement.
The proposed Daily’s gas station after community involvement.
Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com