220 E Forsyth St

[aclchampion]

MJ, you guys are so good at talking about Jacksonvilles history, I know you have an answer to this question. The building at 220 E Forsyth, I was told, use to be a stable or barn or something for the horses that once pulled Jacksonvilles Fire Wagons. Do you have any history on it or was someone just yanking my chain?

[Lunican]

The McMurray Livery, Sale & Transfer Company building at 220 East Forsyth Street.

This building is a pleasant reminder of the days when horses and carriages were the primary means of transportation in Jacksonville.  The McMurray Livery, Sale & Transfer Company was established in 1880 by Thomas McMurray, an Irishman.  He came to Jacksonville as a Union soldier in 1864, and he remained here as Chief Deputy U. S. Marshall, a post that he held for eleven years.  His original livery stable was on the corner of Forsyth and Newnan Streets, where he had a lively trade renting and selling carriages and horses.  This business burned in the 1901 Fire, and a new stable was rebuilt on the same site.  The livery business prospered with the post-Fire building boom in this city; and in 1905 McMurray Livery, Sale & Transfer Company purchased this present site for expansion purposes.  This building was constructed the following year, serving as a carriage showroom, blacksmith shop, and stable for horses. 

Over the years, as the increasing number of automobiles in Jacksonville helped bring about the demise of the livery business, this property was sold and was variously used as a plumber's shop, a printing company, a gas station, and a garage.  In 1972 architect William Morgan purchased the former livery stable and restored its facade to the original configuration. Its interior now houses professional offices and a parking garage.  The east wall of this structure marks the approximate location where Jacksonville founder Isaiah D. Hart built his log cabin when he came to Cow Ford in 1821.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-jun-remembering-the-east-bay-street-district

[aclchampion]

You guys are amazing!!!    Thanks Lunican..