The Shoppes of Avondale

The Shoppes of Avondale along St. Johns Avenue. Conceived during the height of the Florida Land Boom, the neighborhood of Avondale was platted as a 220-acre tract and developed by Telfair Stockton’s Avondale Company during the early 1920s. Named after a neighborhood in Cincinnati, OH and designed by William Chase Pitkin, Jr., a well-known Cleveland-based landscape architect, the development’s layout was influenced by the City Beautiful Movement and characterized by curvilinear streets, paved streets, larger residential lots, sixteen parks and access to water, sewer, gas and electricity. Avondale’s properties were also built to include detached garages, accommodating the growing popularity of the automobile during the 1920s.

In addition, advertised as “Riverside’s Residential Ideal”, where only the “correct” and “well to do” would live, Avondale was a deed restricted, racially segregated subdivision where density was controlled, building setbacks established and commercial uses not allowed. Due to Avondale’s restrictions on commercial use, the Shoppes of Avondale developed immediately adjacent to the deed restricted neighborhood to support the needs of the growing nearby residential population. In later decades, a small section of the original Avondale plat was redeveloped into commercial space near the intersection of St. Johns Avenue and Talbot Avenue. Centered around the intersection of St. Johns Avenue and Ingleside Avenue, today the Shoppes of Avondale is home to a diverse collection of boutique retail shops, restaurants, galleries and bars.

The Palace Theatre

The former site of the Palace Theatre, located at the intersection of West Forsyth and Ocean Streets, holds a rich history tied to Jacksonville’s vibrant entertainment scene in the early 20th century. During this period, West Forsyth Street emerged as Jacksonville’s version of Manhattan’s “Great White Way,” bustling with theaters and cultural activity.

The Palace Theatre, which opened in 1919, was an early work by renowned local architect Roy A. Benjamin, who also designed the Imperial Theatre further down Forsyth Street. With seating for nearly 1,900 patrons, the Palace was built for S.A. Lynch of Asheville, North Carolina, and became part of the prestigious Keith vaudeville circuit. Dubbed “The Theater Beautiful” and celebrated as “Equal of any and peer of many in the East,” it was a symbol of the city’s aspirations and cultural growth.

As vaudeville’s popularity waned in the 1920s, the Palace transitioned into a movie house. However, its prominence declined after the opening of the grand and ornate Florida Theatre in 1927, which quickly became the new centerpiece of Forsyth Street’s entertainment scene. The Palace operated until 1956, when it, along with the nearby Imperial Theatre, was demolished. The site is now occupied by a parking garage.

The 20th Street Expressway

An aerial of the 20th Street Expressway between the neighborhoods of Brentwood and New Springfield. The 20th Street Expressway was planned in the mid-20th century as part of efforts to improve traffic flow and connect various parts of Jacksonville, particularly between the downtown area and northern neighborhoods.

Construction of the expressway began in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s, coinciding with urban renewal projects in Jacksonville. The expressway cut through several historically significant neighborhoods, such as New Springfield, Brentwood, Phoenix and Moncrief, displacing thousands of residents. In 2000, the expressway was renamed the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, honoring the civil rights leader.

The Superior Iron & Metal Company

A view of Palmetto Street near the Superior Iron & Metal Company’s scrapyard. During the Eastside’s formative years, Palmetto Street, between East First and Second streets was the site of S.S. Goffin’s Kaufman Metal Company and the McGrughey & Lovelace Co. planing mill. Goffin also developed commercial properties in Springfield and operated an oyster harvesting business in Nassau County’s Nassauville community. His Kaufman Metal Co. eventually expanded, consuming the planing mill property before becoming the Superior Iron & Metal Co. In 1969, the industrial site was redeveloped into the Robert F. Kennedy Community Center, gymnasium and park.

LaVilla’s Red Light District

A row of former bordellos along Houston Street in LaVilla’s red light district. The district originated in early 1887 as a result of Jacksonville mayor John Q. Burbridge chasing most of Jacksonville’s prostitutes over the city line to the suburb of LaVilla. Burbridge’s efforts were thwarted when Jacksonville later annexed LaVilla a few months later on May 31, 1887. With the January 1897 opening of Henry Flagler’s Jacksonville Terminal Company passenger railroad depot, LaVilla was rapidly engulfed in development, resulting in the red light district growing and ultimately becoming known as “The Line”. Characterized by its large number of saloons, gambling houses, and houses of prostitution, the Line was recognized as a dangerous place where drunkenness, crime and harsh living were common. At its height around the turn of the 20th century, the red light district was home to more than 60 bordellos. After years of urban renewal and incremental demolition, only a handful of buildings related to the red light district survive today.

The Jacksonville Belt Railroad

Children cross the Seaboard Coastline Railroad near Mount Herman Elementary School in Durkeeville. Organized in 1886 as the Jacksonville Belt Railroad, this railroad was built to connect the Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad in Springfield to the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Railroad in LaVilla. Both the Fernandina and Jacksonville and Jacksonville Belt Railroads became Seaboard properties in 1967. This railroad was abandoned and was removed entirely in the mid 1980’s. Today, this railroad line is known as the S-Line Urban Greenway Trail.

Arlington’s University Boulevard

A view of University Boulevard, just north of Arlington Road in Arlington, offers a glimpse into a road with an interesting past. Before January 5, 1959, this stretch was known as Chaseville Road, named after the historic Gullah Geechee community that once thrived along the St. Johns River near Reedy Point. The renaming marked a new era, aligning with the development of the University Park neighborhood and the founding of Jacksonville University, signaling the area’s transformation into a center for education and growth.

Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com