Examples of Jacksonville Shotgun Houses and Styles

1. This row of shotgun houses on Cleveland Street (1323 to 1445 Cleveland Street) was constructed between 1919 and 1923, across the street from the Standard Oil Company’s Jacksonville plant. This intact two-block stretch is one of the largest remaining surving rows of shotgun housing in the city.

2. Owned by Hughes Homes, Inc., this shotgun row of 15’ wide, 680 square-foot houses on Oakley Street are withing walking distance of Everbank Field, Veterans Memorial Arena and the Baseball Grounds at Jacksonville.

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4. This 772 square-foot Eastside shotgun was built in 1941, one block north of the Union Terminal Warehouse at 548 Pippin Street. 16’ wide

5. Dating back to 1909, this 696-square-foot shotgun at 916 Oakley Street has been converted into the Freewill Holiness Church of Jacksonville. 16’ wide

6. Located near the terminus of the Jacksonville Traction Company’s Florida Avenue streetcar line, this shotgun features a bit more ornamentation that the typical shotgun structure built throughout the city. Completed in 1914, at 1558 Florida Avenue, this 15’ wide, 756 square foot shotgun is made of brick construction.

7. 1568 Evergreen Avenue was completed in 1922. Like many remaining shotgun houses built in the Eastside’s Campbells Addition plat, this 840 square foot structure features an extra level of porch ornamentation, when compared to the typical Jacksonville shotgun.

8. 1542 Evergreen Avenue was completed in 1916 in the Campbells Addition plat. Like many structures built in this section of the Eastside, this 810 square-foot structure includes a porch design and ornamentation, creating a visually unique front facade in comparison to its neighbors.

9. For many years, this 936 square-foot shotgun house at 1473 Evergreen Avenue was the residence of John C. Hurston, Jr. Completed in 1909, Hurston was the older brother of Zora Neale Hurston. During her time in Jacksonville, Zora lived here with her brother and his family. An African-American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist known for her contributions to African-American literature, Zora Neale Hurston would eventually become a leading figure in the New Negro Movement and Harlem Renaissance.

10. Completed in 1904, 1375 Evergreen Avenue is a rare Jacksonville example of a camelback shotgun.

A camelback house, also called humpback, is a variation of the shotgun that has a partial second floor over the rear of the house. Camelback houses were built in the later period of shotgun houses. The floor plan and construction is very similar to the traditional shotgun house, except there are stairs in the back room leading up to the second floor. The second floor, or "hump", contains one to four rooms. Because it was only a partial second story, most cities only taxed it as a single-story house – this was a key reason for their construction.

Source: Pamphlet Architecture 9: Rural and Urban House Types

Camelback shotguns are a common variation of shotgun architecture in New Orleans. With this Eastside example, the second floor increases the shotgun’s overall size to 926 square feet.

11. 1339, 1335 and 1333 Evergreen Avenue predate the Great Fire of 1901. Built in 1899, they may well be on their way to meet the wrecking ball in a city that has a bad track record with preservation of African-American history.

12. Currently owned by Helpful Citizens, Inc. and within walking distance of EverBank Field, 707 and 709 Franklin Street, are two of the smallest examples of surviving shotguns in Jacksonville. Originally, completed in 1907 as 14-wide, 336 square-foot residences, rear additions have increased their overall square footage to 476 square-feet.