Lost history: Saving what's left of Sugar Hill

[Metro Jacksonville]

Lost history: Saving what's left of Sugar Hill



In honor of Black History Month, here's rare images and the story of Jacksonville's Sugar Hill neighborhood. Prior to largely being destroyed by desegregation, highway construction, medical center expansion, and urban renewal, Sugar Hill was the epicenter of black prosperity in Northeast Florida.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2017-feb-lost-history-saving-whats-left-of-sugar-hill

[wanderson91]

I'm 95% sure my mother was born in Brewster Hospital. She grew up in Campbell Hill, though, not Sugar Hill

[BridgeTroll]

Ennis... I think we all understand the disastrous effects of the freeway cutting through the neighborhood but you state in your article... " The combination of a new expressway and Desegregation ruined its business district along Davis Street. With the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, there was no need for a black hospital, which led to the closing of Brewster Hospital in 1966. "  I at least was unaware that these well meaning programs had such a deleterious effect on this and other neighborhoods...

[thelakelander]

^Yes an unintended consequence of Desegregation was the decline of African-American business districts in neighborhoods all across the country.  For decades, these districts had a captive audience and customer base that provided economic stability for them. With Desegregation came black flight, from those who had the financial means to relocate to areas they once could not reside in.  Sugar Hill is a prefect example. Many of its residences were built for black millionaires and the middle class.  Many of the houses that remain just west of I-95 are no different from what you'll find in parts of Springfield and Riverside.







It's a shame that this remaining enclave has been largely overlooked, despite its proximity to UF Health Jax.

[RattlerGator]

Love that photo of Duke Ellington.

[Wacca Pilatka]

The A.L. Lewis house is an especially tragic loss.  Thank you, Lake, for highlighting the history of this neighborhood.