I was just doing some research and was curious as to what is the oldest structure in Downtown Jacksonville. With the majority of Jacksonville destroyed in 1901, what is still standing that wasn't taken by the fire or short sighted individuals in the name of progress?
One building in question is in the 500 block of West Bay that houses Fox Jewelers and The Saint James Inn. The front of the building says it is named for Adams and was built in 1895, and city records agree. Are there others? Is their a thread already devoted to this subject. I searched but couldn't come up with one.
Thanks in advance.
The recent MJ article on Lavilla showed about 3 buildings that predate the great fire.
The Church next to the Baseball Stadium predates the Great Fire. Hogan Creek stopped the fire from reaching that area. I can't remember the name but it is owned by the Jax. Historical Society now.
Quote from: vicupstate on December 25, 2012, 11:13:11 AM
The Church next to the Baseball Stadium predates the Great Fire. Hogan Creek stopped the fire from reaching that area. I can't remember the name but it is owned by the Jax. Historical Society now.
I noticed that church walking to the Jags game one day. I was wondering the history on it.
The church is St. Andrew's. It was the tallest structure in the city when it was built (I think 1887) and the architect is Robert Schuyler from Fernandina. Wayne Weaver made a grant to the Historical Society to preserve the church and convert it into a HQ.
I think the oldest structure downtown is the El Modelo building next to the 1895 Adams referenced at the top of the thread. I believe it was built in 1886.
The oldest building to survive the fire was the Ritz-Woller building but it was demolished in 1981. It was on the site of the Bank of America building.
I thought I read somewhere that the couple of shotgun-ism houses in Brooklyn were believed to be post civil war era, maybe?
Quote from: acme54321 on December 25, 2012, 01:27:54 PM
I thought I read somewhere that the couple of shotgun-ism houses in Brooklyn were believed to be post civil war era, maybe?
Yes, that's right - they're mentioned in Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage.
And there are a couple of non-downtown pre-Civil War structures in Duval, of course - the Richard house in Arlington and Kingsley Plantation.
Here's a good article on the Richard House from 2009 with some photos from the TU:
http://jacksonville.com/lifestyles/home_and_garden/2009-09-11/story/jacksonvilles_oldest_home_is_still_lived_in_161_years_la