Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax: Part II
Part two of Metro Jacksonville's series that highlights the lost stories behind downtown Jacksonville's surface parking lots.
Unfortunately, some parts of downtown Jacksonville look like a devastated war zone. Once filled with life, building demolitions over the years have left sections of the urban core littered with a weird, eerie mix of building foundations serving as surface parking lots. What was once "Railroad Row" may now be the largest cluster of dead building foundations still standing.
Railroad Row was Jacksonville's answer to NYC's SOHO, Atlanta's Castleberry Hill, and Dallas' West End. The Row was a four-block district along West Bay Street featuring a compact mix of warehouses, wholesale businesses, hotels and restaurants catering to the nearby Jacksonville Terminal Company railroad depot. Most of this downtown district was haphazardly demolished between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Here's a look at five surface parking lots and the stories of the businesses behind them.
Terminal Hotel
Terminal Hotel in 1921. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/32444
Originally known as Bettelini's Hotel, the Terminal Hotel was an early example of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Jacksonville. Located at 1023-1035 West Bay Street, the hotel was directly across the street from the main entrance to the Jacksonville Terminal's passenger concourse. Here, rail passengers could book a room while visiting town or hop on a streetcar to get to other Jacksonville neighborhoods. Like many buildings on the blocks surrounding it, the Terminal Hotel was demolished decades ago. Today, people still visit the site, parking their cars inside the remnants of its brick walls. Well, what's left of them under the Skyway's elevated infrastructure, anyways.
Terminal Hotel in 1921. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/32445
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
C.E. Guller Company
The highlighted building represents the C.E. Guller Company's location during the 1920s. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/142389
By the time the Jacksonville Terminal opened in 1919, West Bay Street, between Broad and Lee Streets, was anchored with wholesale grocery businesses, such as the J.G. Permenter Company, C.W. Zaring & Company, C.M. Lewis Company, Baker and Holmes Company, and the C.E. Guller Company. Located along the yards of the Jacksonville Terminal Company, all received rail shipments of flour and feed from the North for distribution into the State of Florida. The C.E. Guller Company was located at 910 West Bay Street.
It purchased flour, feed, corn and oats from Lyons & Greenleaf Company and Pillsbury Flour Mills Company, which was then shipped to Jacksonville via rail and distributed locally. Today, if you look hard, near the intersection of Water and South Davis Streets, you'll notice the remnants of the C.E. Guller's warehouse.
Sanborn map showing the location of C.E. Guller (Wholesale Produce) at 20 South Davis Street.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Charles Blum Beverages / Crane Supply Company
Charles Blum sketch courtesy of https://www.ca-yd.com/images/jaxcomp/employees/jaxco_emppic_blum.jpg
Charles, with his brother Jacob, established the Charles Blum Beverage Company in 1895. Between 1916 and 1918, the company operated at 738-742 West Bay Street. Blum's company was a wholesale wine, liquor and beer distributor that sold Pabst, Jung's Cincinnati and Wiedemann beers from its West Bay Street warehouse. A true businessman, Blum also owned the Home Telephone Company. In August 1914, his phone company was the first to introduce "dial" telephones in Jacksonville. With Prohibition on the way, Blum's beverage operation closed in 1918. After his death in 1920, Blum's wife, Margaret, became one of the first tenants to move into ritzy 310 West Church Apartments (Ambassador Hotel) in 1923.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Pierce-Wall Furniture
Looking down West Forsyth Street from Jefferson Street. This block on fire in November 2014.
The area around the intersection of Broad and West Forsyth Streets developed into a furniture district by the mid-20th century. Major furniture anchors of this district included the Cunningham, E.C. Newsom, Davis, and Pierce-Wall furniture companies. For many years, this block of West Forsyth Street, between Jefferson and Broad Streets, was anchored by the Pierce-Wall Furniture Company. Pierce-Wall was established on January 1, 1929 by William Swepston Wall. Margaret Bazemore was the Treasurer and Robert Bazemore was the Director.
One building on this site served as a military jail during the Spanish-American War. During the 1990s, it was decided that the time had come to revitalize this section of downtown through the practice of wholesale demolition. This block was one of many lost. During the 20 years of waiting for revitalization, the block has served as a surface parking lot. Recently, the foundations of all buildings on this block were removed, in the owner's preparation to sale the site. While the foundations were removed, no one bothered to address the former building edges along the sidewalk. Thus, today, you can walk on Forsyth Street and easily identify where storefront entrances once stood.
Sanborn map of the 600 West Forsyth Street block prior to Pierce-Wall taking over most of it.
Pierce-Wall Furniture Company block in 2015
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
The Grand View Hotel/Hotel Virginia/Hotel Gregg
Courtesy of https://www.whitewayrealty.com/Home/historical-post/famous-hotels-of-old-jacksonville
The Grand View Hotel opened in 1883, at the northwest corner of Clay and Forsyth Streets. Under the proprietorship of D.E. Cooper, it was advertised as downtown's most centrally located hotel, offering two room layouts. The American plan priced at $2.00/day and up, and the European plan at $1.00 and up. In 1912, it was sold and rebranded as the Hotel Virginia. Owned by Sherwood Thaxton, it was said to be a modern, first-class popular-priced hotel with running water and phones in every room. From 1941 to its closing in 1969, it was known as the Gregg Hotel. A few years later, a higher and best use was identified for this site. In 1974, the hotel was demolished and its foundation was preserved to live on as a parking lot. The next time you park to visit the nearby county courthouse, if you look down, you'll notice the remnants of the 513 West Forsyth Street facade.
Courtesy of https://www.whitewayrealty.com/Home/historical-post/famous-hotels-of-old-jacksonville
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com
Railroad Row was Jacksonville's answer to NYC's SOHO, Atlanta's Castleberry Hill, and Dallas' West End. The Row was a four-block district along West Bay Street featuring a compact mix of warehouses, wholesale businesses, hotels and restaurants catering to the nearby Jacksonville Terminal Company railroad depot. Most of this downtown district was haphazardly demolished between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Here's a look at five surface parking lots and the stories of the businesses behind them.
Terminal Hotel
Terminal Hotel in 1921. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/32444
Originally known as Bettelini's Hotel, the Terminal Hotel was an early example of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Jacksonville. Located at 1023-1035 West Bay Street, the hotel was directly across the street from the main entrance to the Jacksonville Terminal's passenger concourse. Here, rail passengers could book a room while visiting town or hop on a streetcar to get to other Jacksonville neighborhoods. Like many buildings on the blocks surrounding it, the Terminal Hotel was demolished decades ago. Today, people still visit the site, parking their cars inside the remnants of its brick walls. Well, what's left of them under the Skyway's elevated infrastructure, anyways.
Terminal Hotel in 1921. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/32445
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
C.E. Guller Company
The highlighted building represents the C.E. Guller Company's location during the 1920s. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, https://floridamemory.com/items/show/142389
By the time the Jacksonville Terminal opened in 1919, West Bay Street, between Broad and Lee Streets, was anchored with wholesale grocery businesses, such as the J.G. Permenter Company, C.W. Zaring & Company, C.M. Lewis Company, Baker and Holmes Company, and the C.E. Guller Company. Located along the yards of the Jacksonville Terminal Company, all received rail shipments of flour and feed from the North for distribution into the State of Florida. The C.E. Guller Company was located at 910 West Bay Street.
It purchased flour, feed, corn and oats from Lyons & Greenleaf Company and Pillsbury Flour Mills Company, which was then shipped to Jacksonville via rail and distributed locally. Today, if you look hard, near the intersection of Water and South Davis Streets, you'll notice the remnants of the C.E. Guller's warehouse.
Sanborn map showing the location of C.E. Guller (Wholesale Produce) at 20 South Davis Street.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Charles Blum Beverages / Crane Supply Company
Charles Blum sketch courtesy of https://www.ca-yd.com/images/jaxcomp/employees/jaxco_emppic_blum.jpg
Charles, with his brother Jacob, established the Charles Blum Beverage Company in 1895. Between 1916 and 1918, the company operated at 738-742 West Bay Street. Blum's company was a wholesale wine, liquor and beer distributor that sold Pabst, Jung's Cincinnati and Wiedemann beers from its West Bay Street warehouse. A true businessman, Blum also owned the Home Telephone Company. In August 1914, his phone company was the first to introduce "dial" telephones in Jacksonville. With Prohibition on the way, Blum's beverage operation closed in 1918. After his death in 1920, Blum's wife, Margaret, became one of the first tenants to move into ritzy 310 West Church Apartments (Ambassador Hotel) in 1923.
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Pierce-Wall Furniture
Looking down West Forsyth Street from Jefferson Street. This block on fire in November 2014.
The area around the intersection of Broad and West Forsyth Streets developed into a furniture district by the mid-20th century. Major furniture anchors of this district included the Cunningham, E.C. Newsom, Davis, and Pierce-Wall furniture companies. For many years, this block of West Forsyth Street, between Jefferson and Broad Streets, was anchored by the Pierce-Wall Furniture Company. Pierce-Wall was established on January 1, 1929 by William Swepston Wall. Margaret Bazemore was the Treasurer and Robert Bazemore was the Director.
One building on this site served as a military jail during the Spanish-American War. During the 1990s, it was decided that the time had come to revitalize this section of downtown through the practice of wholesale demolition. This block was one of many lost. During the 20 years of waiting for revitalization, the block has served as a surface parking lot. Recently, the foundations of all buildings on this block were removed, in the owner's preparation to sale the site. While the foundations were removed, no one bothered to address the former building edges along the sidewalk. Thus, today, you can walk on Forsyth Street and easily identify where storefront entrances once stood.
Sanborn map of the 600 West Forsyth Street block prior to Pierce-Wall taking over most of it.
Pierce-Wall Furniture Company block in 2015
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
The Grand View Hotel/Hotel Virginia/Hotel Gregg
Courtesy of https://www.whitewayrealty.com/Home/historical-post/famous-hotels-of-old-jacksonville
The Grand View Hotel opened in 1883, at the northwest corner of Clay and Forsyth Streets. Under the proprietorship of D.E. Cooper, it was advertised as downtown's most centrally located hotel, offering two room layouts. The American plan priced at $2.00/day and up, and the European plan at $1.00 and up. In 1912, it was sold and rebranded as the Hotel Virginia. Owned by Sherwood Thaxton, it was said to be a modern, first-class popular-priced hotel with running water and phones in every room. From 1941 to its closing in 1969, it was known as the Gregg Hotel. A few years later, a higher and best use was identified for this site. In 1974, the hotel was demolished and its foundation was preserved to live on as a parking lot. The next time you park to visit the nearby county courthouse, if you look down, you'll notice the remnants of the 513 West Forsyth Street facade.
Courtesy of https://www.whitewayrealty.com/Home/historical-post/famous-hotels-of-old-jacksonville
Stories Behind the Concrete Slabs of Jax - Part 1
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com