Lost Jacksonville

[fieldafm]

If Tallahassee just tore down this relic of a building along Monroe and Tennessee Streets that was abandoned for years...



you would have never gotten this:










If they just tore down this old, tired cigarette factory in Durham




you would have never gotten this:

[BackinJax05]

great example Lake....the same could be done with our City Hall Annex or the old JEA building!

That would be perfect for the old City Hall. A pool could be built somewhere on the property, and the 15th floor, with its awesome balcony, would make a great clubhouse.

[BackinJax05]

The Robert Meyer: It closed not many years after a group of investors renovated the original hotel and opened it again. They must have taken a huge loss on the project. Who in their right mind would try that again?

What year was that?  has Jacksonville changed at all since then?

Condos might work today. Oh wait. A bunch of short sighted morons imploded the building back in 98. Never mind

[Timkin]

The Robert Meyer: It closed not many years after a group of investors renovated the original hotel and opened it again. They must have taken a huge loss on the project. Who in their right mind would try that again?

What year was that?  has Jacksonville changed at all since then?

Condos might work today. Oh wait. A bunch of short sighted morons imploded the building back in 98. Never mind

^ We can hope the same fate does not happen to the Ambassador.  A great location, very savable, and a perfect fit for residential.  Unless of course the city decides we need additional vacant lots .

[BackinJax05]

^^ At least the Ambassador wouldnt have to be imploded. Its within reach of a crane & wrecking ball. (said sarcastically)

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

Cool pics!

[FlaBoy]

1950's Jacksonville.

[spuwho]

1950's Jacksonville.

Is that the "original" Duval County Courthouse in the middle of the picture and what is on that block now?

[thelakelander]

That's the original city hall.  It was torn down for the Haydon Burns Library during the 1960s.

[spuwho]

That's the original city hall.  It was torn down for the Haydon Burns Library during the 1960s.

Thanks I just did a Google Maps overlay and picked up on it.  What a shame.

Striking is the fact that there are 5 major parking garages today in and around that block as opposed to the 1950's.

While the Burns Library served (and still serves) a purpose, it seems to be a loss of an iconic public space.

Towns usually never tear down their court houses (or domed city halls) unless they burn down.  It probably made sense in the 1960's, but what a major loss for the city long term.  Most of these are historical museums around the country. Jacksonville's is crammed in an old doctors office, this could have been a site for a great museum.

[ChriswUfGator]

The original pre-1950's/60's Courthouse is still there, it is the colonnaded part of the complex called the Yates building where the Tax collector is downtown. Other than that, yeah, we tear down the good stuff as a rule.

[thelakelander]

The original courthouse (on that particular site) was demolished. The Yates Building was a later addition.  Here's a picture of both:

[remc86007]

When did painting lines on streets become a thing? It sure looks nicer without them haha

[FlaBoy]

The original courthouse (on that particular site) was demolished. The Yates Building was a later addition.  Here's a picture of both:

Really is sad. The density from that era that was torn down is just heartbreaking, never mind the magnificent architecture and detail. I never understood why the thing to do was demo these buildings with all the land available on the water after the shipyards in DT were abandoned in the 1960's.

[thelakelander]

Here's a depressing aerial.  Hard to image the Northbank was just as walkable as any urban district in the US prior to 1950: