Walkable Commercial Districts: McDuff Avenue
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/1671407520_6NjwKzs-M.jpg)
While much of the focus in our city is on downtown revitalization, Jacksonville's urban core and inner-ring suburbs are home to a number of long-overlooked, historic, walkable commercial districts. In our effort to promote better use of existing assets in our communities - which will facilitate sustainable growth and subsequently increase the city's tax base - Metro Jacksonville highlight's Lackawanna's McDuff Avenue.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-jan-walkable-commercial-districts-mcduff-avenue
Another nice piece of work and enjoyed the history lesson.
I remember going in that Pic N Save many times with my grandmother and great grandmother. Oh the memories. My grandfather attended grade school at Lackawanna back in the 30's.
Is that one of those railroad "turntable" things I see in the photos? Those are used for turning locomotives around correct?
Quote from: fsujax on January 17, 2012, 08:36:03 AM
I remember going in that Pic N Save many times with my grandmother and great grandmother. Oh the memories. My grandfather attended grade school at Lackawanna back in the 30's.
LOL, my grandfather used to take me in his old Ford Fairlane up to that Pic N Save and a barber shop up on McDuff on Saturday mornings.
You know you've lived in Jacksonville for a long time when you give directions that end with '... near where the old Pic N Save was'. :)
I, too, spent a lot of my time as a kid in various Pic N Saves. As I recall, we didn't go to the one on McDuff as often as Normandy or Blanding. It memory serves, that location didn't have a cafeteria. :)
Nice job, as always, Ennis.
I was always a bit more discerning on my cafeteria tastes... I prefered the Woolworths cafeteria in Roosevelt Mall or the Morrisons cafeteria downtown. Pic N Save didn't have as good Mac N Cheese as Woolworths or Morrisons did ;D
Lord knows I preferred the Woolworths cafeteria at Roosevelt. But I wasn't buying in those days. :(
Thanks, Jimmy.
Quote from: cline on January 17, 2012, 09:10:08 AM
Is that one of those railroad "turntable" things I see in the photos? Those are used for turning locomotives around correct?
Yes. West Jax had a turntable and roundhouse for the maintenance of steam locomotives.
Does anyone know what the building with the steam tractor painted on the side is? I was wondering what it was when I drove by the other day.
I can't help but have a fondness for this area, as "dangerous" as it appears to be. My dad worked out of the CSX McDuff Dispatch facility for years. That round building has earned the name "The Enterprise" because the inside looks like a space ship with all of the monitors and consoles surrounding the circumference of the walls. It's amazing inside for the lay person.
And I can't speak more kindly of Sue (the owner of The Barking Lot and a Wall Street Deli regular). We kennel our dogs there when we leave town and I wouldn't leave them any other place. The facility may appear to be a little run down, but that's not what you go there for. It's perfectly safe and she does a great job. She takes such good care of our dogs that we have a hard time getting them to get in the car to come home!
I'd completely forgotten that Pic-N-Save's had cafeterias.
Yes, I am old.
I ran in a Junior Olympics summer track meet in the summer of (19)74 at Lackawanna Park.
Quote from: acme54321 on January 17, 2012, 12:20:33 PM
Does anyone know what the building with the steam tractor painted on the side is? I was wondering what it was when I drove by the other day.
That was the original location of McDuff's Appliances in the 1940s.
The best thing I remember about Pic-N-Save was back in the late 70's & early 80's was a job working at the Pic-N-Save at 103rd st and Blanding as a night stock boy. I would stay till they opened in the morning and have the Hot fresh breakfast for 99 cents. 2 eggs, 2 pieces, toast & grits w/ coffee or juice. I looked forward to it every night that I worked. I came from a poor family that lived on Rosselle St. (One block from the Pic-N-Save on McDuff) I can't believe how much joy that breakfast gave me, It made working all night worth it. It makes me remember how far I have come. I now own an entertainment company (I started it almost 25 years ago w/ $500.00) but I still miss that simple time. I can have any breakfast I want now.... But what I wouldn't give for another visit to Pic-N-Save's lunch counter!
The other side of my family, the Loftins, owned West Feed Store on the corner of Hunt St and MacDuff, The Faust Temple - converted from a larger "shotgun" shack style house - on the other corner of Hunt and MacDuff, and most of the block going down to Edison Avenue before a lot of it was sold off before I was born. He also donated the lots across MacDuff Blvd. to the Trinity Baptist College who used it as a parking lot for years. I'm not sure what they do with it now.