History of the S-Line Urban Greenway
In 1886, the Jacksonville Belt Railroad was constructed between Springfield and the Jacksonville Terminal area in LaVilla to connect the Fernandina & Jacksonville Railroad to the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Railroad. The railroad was acquired by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) system in 1902. During much of the 20th century, many factories and mills operated along the corridor as the railroad made for efficient transportation of goods and shipping of raw materials. Early industrial companies included Aetna Iron & Steel Company, Dawkins Building Supply Company, Dorsey Company Bakery, Florida Machine & Foundry, Flowers Baking Company, Graham-Jones Paper Company, Moore Dry Kiln Company, National Merchandise Company (Pic N’ Save), Pittsburgh Plate Glass, and Winn & Lovett.
In 1967, the SAL merged with long-time rival Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) to form the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL) Railroad. Since 1986, much of the original SCL network has been part of CSX Transportation. Original lines owned by the SAL became known as the S-Line over time. Lines owned by the ACL became known as the A-Line.
Abandoned during the 1980s, the former railroad was converted into the S-Line Urban Greenway in the mid-2000s as a product of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Urban Pathways initiative. The Urban Pathways Initiative was established to link community-based advocates and professionals across the nation working to encourage physical activity, active transportation and recreation options in neighborhoods surrounding urban pathways.
Partners of Jacksonville’s first dedicated urban bike path included the City of Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department, the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida and the Durkeeville Historical Society. Funding was provided by the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida and the Kresge Foundation.
The goal was to create a 4.8-mile linear urban park that could serve as a catalyst to improve the surrounding neighborhoods by connecting schools, parks and other community assets. Today, the S-Line Urban Greenway serves as an anchor for Groundwork Jacksonville’s ambitious Emerald Trail project. Here is a before and after look at this historic urban transportation thoroughfare.
Photographs: Before & After
The Winn and Lovett Grocery Company’s headquarters and warehouse was originally built in 1919. Winn & Lovett eventually grew to become Winn-Dixie and a Fortune 500 company. | Florida Memory
Recently occupied by Load King Manufacturing, which closed in 2024, the 247,501 square foot industrial complex at 1357 West Beaver Street is currently available for sale or lease. | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Seaboard Air Line railroad crossing at Kings Road in 1943. | Florida Memory
The S-Line Urban Greenway pedestrian crossing at Kings Road in April 2025. | Ennis Davis, AICP
The 5th & Cleveland Municipal Incinerator at the intersection of West 5th Street and Cleveland Street circa 1970s. | City of Jacksonville
The intersection of West 5th Street and Cleveland Street today. After its closure, the 5th & Cleveland Incinerator was demolished and the contaminated industrial site was used as a neighborhood baseball field in Durkeeville. It was later redeveloped into the MaliVai Washington Youth Center at Emmett Reed Park. | Ennis Davis, AICP
A freight train passes through Durkeeville during the 1970s. The Durkeeville public housing development can be seen in the background. Built in 1937, Durkeeville was the second public housing project built in Florida under the federal Public Works Administration. The old Durkeeville projects were replaced by The Oaks at Durkeeville in 1999, as Florida’s first redevelopment under the HOPE VI program. | City of Jacksonville
Walking along the S-Line Urban Greenway through Durkeeville today. | Ennis Davis, AICP
Looking south at the Emmett Reed Community Center during the 1970s. | City of Jacksonville
Walking south towards the Emmett Reed Community Center in Durkeeville today. | Ennis Davis, AICP
Children walking across the tracks in Durkeeville during the 1970s. Mount Herman Elementary School dominants the background. | City of Jacksonville
An April 2025 view of the Mount Herman Exceptional Student Center. | Ennis Davis, AICP
Looking west from Springfield’s Liberty Street in 1943. American Bakeries (left) and Aetna Iron & Steel Company (right) facilities dominant the background. American Bakeries was formed in 1910 with the merging of the Highland Baking Company, Martin Cracker and Candy Company, and the Huston Biscuit Company. During the 1920s, American Bakeries constructed this Merita Bread bakery along the S-Line in Springfield’s warehouse district. The Aetna Iron & Steel Company specialized in the cutting and fitting of iron and steel. The name “Etna” (and its alternative spellings “Aetna” and “ tna”) derived from the nymph Aetna in Greek mythology, after whom the volcano Mount Etna in modern-day Sicily is said to be named. | Florida Memory
A similar view from Liberty Street in April 2025. The American Bakeries plant was demolished in the early 2000s. The Aetna Iron & Steel Company ceased operations in 1945. Prior to its closing a few years ago, the plant had been occupied by Southland Recycling & Shredding. | Ennis Davis, AICP
Looking south towards Springfield on Liberty Street in 1943. Setzer’s general office and distribution center is located on the left. Founded by Benjamin Setzer in 1910, Setzer’s Supermarkets eventually grew into a 40 unit chain, with stores across North and Central Florida by the time it was sold to Food Fair Stores in 1958. The warehouse on the right was built for the Sherwin-Williams Company in 1930. Sherwin-Williams was founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in Cleveland, OH in 1866. | Florida Memory
Looking south towards Springfield on Liberty Street in April 2025. After the sale of Setzer’s Supermarkets, Benjamin Setzer used his Springfield building as the general offices and distribution center for his next chain, Pic N’ Save. At its height, Pic N’ Save employed over 3,000 in 40 stores throughout Florida and Georgia. Competition from category killers like Walmart, a reluctance to invest in new technology and family disputes led to the company’s downfall in 1996. A portion of this warehouse was demolished in 2017. Now a part of the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District, the former Sherwin-Williams Company warehouse was recently rehabilitated into an event space called Emerald Station. | Ennis Davis, AICP
Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com