The Thirteen Moves That Destroyed Downtown
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-1917-main-street-moses-1962.jpg)
What caused the downtown to collapse? How did such a busy city become so fragile? Its a question that very few people have asked, preferring to start instead with 'How do we redevelop downtown?' Jville didn't make mistakes that no one else made, ---by any stretch. But we stuck with them. Here, for your debate, information, and provocation are thirteen of the things that destroyed downtown. Feel free to agree, disagree, or add to the discussion in the comments below.
Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-jun-the-thirteen-moves-that-destroyed-downtown
I can't say for certain about the TIF's downtown, but I have never heard of TIF being constructed as described in this article. A TIF normally freezes the amount of taxes that go to the general fund. It does NOT affect the rate of taxes paid.
Example:
1) I buy a vacant lot that pays $1,000 in taxes and is worth 100,000.
2) A TIF is put in place. Going forward 1,000 in taxes will go to the General Funds of the taxing authorities (city, school district, etc.) any excess go to the TIF account.
3) I build a $500,000 building on the vacant lot.
4) I will pay taxes on $600,000 of value. $1,000 will go to the General Funds. The remainder goes to the TIF account.
5) My property is reassessed and is now deemed to be worth $700,000
6) I will pay taxes on $700,000 of value. $1,000 will go to the General funds. The remainder goes to the TIF account.
The money collected from me and all other like kind taxpayers is bonded to pay for improvements within the TIF district.
I pay no more. nor less, than I would had I done the same transaction outside of the TIF. The only difference is, outside of the TIF, all of my taxes would have gone the the General Funds. Once the area is deemed no longer distressed and the outstanding bond issues paid, the TIF goes away and all taxes start going to the general fund.
I believe that it works this way in FL. Maybe someone can confirm. I do believe that JAX has 'robbed' from the TIF to pay for things unrelated to the TIF district.
There are Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) that do increase the tax rate within it's borders. Those funds are used within the district to pay for marketing, extra police presence,etc. There is one of these DT and it is used to cover expenses for Downtown Vision.
Great article. Number 8 really sticks out to me, especially in a time where millennials crave living in an urban environment. Look how much UNF has grown, couldn't imagine having a well established campus downtown. Ugh.
The picture above number 4, was it taken right before the US repealed prohibition ?
;)
8 and 12 really standout as lost opportunities.
The seperation of rail from the riverside docks may have killed commerce but it would have happened anyway. The movement to containers made many city lose riverfront activity.
The "loss" was tearing them down and landfilling it for a parking lot.
I agree that there is a direct relationship between the meters and pushing people away. However, if Jax had deferred the meter plan or cancelled it altogether, it would have just delayed the inevitable.
I agree that downtown gave up on small biz at the expense of pursuing large corporates. But they can recover that if they are willing.
Great article and looking sharp in that pic Stephen!
All these things certainly contributed, no doubt. The one that saddens me the most is the demolition. Look how the buildings on bay street have filled in. La Villa is lost for ever. It could have grown so much, organically all these years. Now gone forever.
Interesting article Stephen. I didn't think I would read the whole thing ... but it held me ... and I digressed to all but one of the suggested readings. I didn't know it was your piece until your face arrived at the end ... a face about which I shall not engage description.
Well ... okay ...actually, it's a good photo ... but looks a bit touched with photoshop ... unless you are one of those individuals who seem to evolve a more pleasant countenance with age.
Even though I had been familiar with some of the into ... the article left me sad ... then defeated ... then angry. I began to think ... those fucking idiots. Where are they? I must throw eggs. I feel defeated still ... and angry.
Yes ... who are "they"? Hopefully, most have died.
It's amazing how sober and apparently sane individuals ... in groups ... discussing options and then perhaps voting ... can arrive at decisions so damaging to their city. Can we assume that it would have been possible for some entity to make the right decisions about downtown development? ... consistently? I am beginning to think that although it might be possible, the probability of making the right decisions is very low simply because man in general, and certainly city councils and mayors, lacks the capacity to perceive and resolve such complex scenarios as those presented during the chaotic economic and social growth mechanisms after the war. The men of the time failed the city. But could they have possibly succeeded? Was the capacity there?
What is there in the governing mechanism which allows for an apparent group stupidity to reign? Although a type of dictatorial local government would probably have made better decisions, there is always the gamble -- the dictator might make his own special kind of disastrous decisions.
Whereas some might assume that the destructive decisions were the result of stupidity and ignorance, I suspect that many decisions were made more as a consequence of the pressure of greed ... that the goal of money and wealth overshadowed any effort at positive rational thinking ... and long term commitment to the quality of downtown.
It's highly probable that "any" set of council members ... mayors ... or anyone else affecting decisions similar to those you outlined, would have made the same mistakes regarding downtown development. We might never know if each new threat or opportunity affecting downtown could have garnered a response avoiding the destruction you've outlined. Perhaps our ignorance ...if we are indeed ignorant ... of the exact causes of the poor decisions is simply because we are also ignorant of the exact or real dynamics of the complex environment at the time.
You didn't mention in your article about the city of Jacksonville putting it's jail down there. How about the city owning all the prime real estate, leaving us without that valuable tax revenue. How about a court house that was suppose to cost $50 million ending up costing $500 million and tearing down of several city blocks to accommodate? How about the feeding of homeless, to the ever attracting of the unwanted, being panhandled and insecure every time a family tries to go downtown to enjoy it. To "not tear down without a guarantee of rebuilding".. seriously? sometimes nothing is better than blight. The problems of downtown is at fault of our city leaders. I don't see a problem with companies moving downtown. I think it's a good thing. Maybe more thought should of gone into your article.
^There are a few items that are debateable, although I totally disagree with Yuleeian that sometimes nothing is better than blight (one man's trash is another's treasure), from an economic perspective.
Nevertheless, one item that caught my eye was the mention of the "wholesale demolition of the old black industrial district to build the Stadium District." Being black myself, graduating from a HBCU and having special place in my heart for industrial architecture and black history, this is something I've looked into in great depth after reading it in the forums.
Based off several Sanborn maps, historic imagery and research, the stadium was built in what was Fairfield Park.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/History/Jacksonvilles-Oldest-Parks/i-9mNxDtw/0/XL/Fairfield%20Park-XL.png)
1910 Sanborn map of Fairfield Park. Take note of the block labled "60".
What became Everbank Field, was originally constructed around 1927, a good decade after Fairfield Park had been established. The stadium "district" didn't really expand outside of the old park until after WWII. There were a few sparse planing mills south of Adams in the early 20th century but all of that was taken out by the construction of the St. Johns Shipbuilding Company for Liberty ships during WWII. The shipyard's old office still stands at A Philip Randolph and Adams Street. During that era, everything north of Adams was residential, with a few mixed-use commercial buildings centered along Florida Avenue (A Philip Randolph now), and churches sprinkled in.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3760662289_q6WPb35-L.jpg)
Old office of the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/4572200064_gRdxcxV-L.jpg)
Land between the SJRSC's office and the river was used as their construction yard. In later years, outside of the paint factory and an oil terminal, there wasn't anything much on this property outside of parking for the stadium.
After WWII, the shipyard closed and was converted into a maritime terminal. A chunk of this terminal became a part of the Jacksonville Shipyards. When the Hart Bridge was built in the late 60s, the ramps were elevated between DT and the bridge so they would not interfere with shipyard yard activities below. You can see this in the early 80s image of the shipyards below. Downtown was already deep in decline when all this was cleared a decade later in preparation of stadium expansion for the city's then new NFL franchise.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3914233437_wCqnmRF-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/History/Jacksonvilles-Oldest-Parks/i-vmc4GdD/0/L/Fairfield%20Park-900x1000.jpg)
Gator Bowl in 1952. The stadium sits on the park site in the sanborn above, labeled "60".
Based on historical material available, it's hard for me to accept an argument that there was a significant black industrial district eliminated for stadium or that the stadium's expansion had a dramatic impact on downtown's downfall. The point about the Jacksonville Coliseum killing downtown hotels is another one I disagree with but I'll save it for another day.
Digging into the city's history though, blacks were heavily employed in the railroad and lumber industries during the turn-of-the-century. Most of that was situated just south and west of LaVilla along streets like Dennis, Myrtle, Enterprise (now Beaver), etc. So, it's not surprising that all of the urbanized neighborhoods surrounding this district (ex. LaVilla, New Town, Robinson's Addition, Brooklyn, Campbell Hill, Honeymoon, West Lewisville, etc.) were originally (and still are for the most part) black.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/1388017193_TrC7G3g-M.jpg)
Pictures from the 1920s and afro-centric architecture from the late 19th/early 20th century, pretty much confirm Myrtle would have been the major black industrial area...
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/754214685_vAx4u-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3497367970_DnrpWcv-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3497367724_s7WgK3C-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3497367732_b6C772V-L.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3497367756_RcZTgvL-L.jpg)
Luckily, it's still standing and many buildings are still in use and employing people living in the surrounding neighborhoods...
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2616330743_fPKvGQd-M.jpg)
Inside Beaver Street Fisheries in 2013.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2517651034_X879kLR-M.jpg)
At Main Metal in 2013.
However, the employment and activity are nowhere near what it was 50-60 years ago. Age and advances in technology have made most of the buildings obsolete for heavy 21st century industrial uses. The train station, railroad shops and yards that were the district's economic anchors closed in the 1970s. Same goes for many large employers once operating there like Florida Machine & Foundry, Jacksonville Terminal Company, A&P's Southeastern headquarters, the Railway Express Company, etc. There's no doubt in my mind that this district's decline has had a negative impact on downtown and the neighborhoods that grew up around it.
Nevertheless, it is a place that excites me because it's historically significant, unique in Jax, still stands and space is cheap. With the farmers market still in operation and new businesses like Eco Relics and Engine 15 moving in, it could easily develop into Jax's version of Pittsburgh's Strip District.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3865309435_SBJdbHC-L.jpg)
What's left of Campell Hill's commercial center Myrtle & Dennis Streets.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3840082500_WLpRkdT-L.jpg)
Abandoned warehouses and railroad sidings in Honeymoon.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Learning-From/Elements-of-Urbanism-2/i-MRxBDJC/0/L/P1260388-L.jpg)
Pittsburgh's Strip District
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Learning-From/Elements-of-Urbanism-2/i-p8Rj4Wq/0/L/P1260393-L.jpg)
Pittsburgh's Strip District
Hard to believe its been 10 years since I wrote this article: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2006-dec-introducing-urban-connectivity-pittsburghs-strip-district
Anyway, so in short, an industrial district surrounded by black neighborhoods and employing thousands of black residents near downtown did decline. In addition, the decline was a major factor in DT going down the tubes. However, it was on the opposite side of downtown and still stands. So if we can get our act together, it can infill to become a pretty special place.
Looking at the sum of everything that was done to destroy downtown, it seems almost insane.
While I am not saying that all of the thirteen moves were part of an "evil masterplan" or that some of these things may not have happened anyways, I do feel it should also be explored is who actually benefited from downtown's decline and the outward expansion of Jax.
Quote from: stephendare on June 24, 2016, 01:57:00 AM
We've spoken on this subject before, Ennis, (the East end of downtown) and I realize that Ive never shared with you my notes on it.
It will be next week or so, but I will get them loaded up and post a story.
You may not have found them, because like lavilla's history, you have to already have an idea of what you are looking for.
Myrtle was heavily train oriented, Fairfield heavily maritime oriented.
The last of the warehousing buildings was torn down in the 1980s if I remember correctly. There were a pair of them. Massive. you can see them in the old photos you posted above.They were where the pink marble had been stored from the Train Terminal. When the Prime Osborne was renovated, hundreds of volunteers were involved in the work, part of which was moving the old tile to the Convention Center.
But if you take a half moment to think about it, the old Union Terminal at Catherine Street was also an industrial warehousing rail connection mostly to maritime products. In fact, you might remember all the small manufactures listed in this article: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-oct-the-story-behind-the-union-terminal-warehouse-company/page/
I kept a loft in that building for a few years, back in the late 80s, early 90s, actually. There were still a lot of old timers left in the building and surrounding neighborhood.
I wouldn't equate the Union Terminal Warehouse (Eastside) or Cheek-Neal (Downtown) as Fairfield. Yes, there was maritime industry and wharfs on East Bay Street and along the railroads between Springfield and the Eastside. Up to Union Terminal (along Hogans Creek) would have generally been considered a part of the maritime based industry on East Bay. I've written several articles about this area over the life of MJ. Are these the areas you are referring too?
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Photography/State-Archives-Downtown-Jax/i-RdwKXgp/0/XL/rf00041-XL.jpg)
Did the black industrial district include the Union Terminal Warehouse (seen in top of image) or Cheek-Neal (center of image)?Perhaps my confusion is the reference to Fairfield and Stadium District. These areas are east of Hogans Creek. Industrial areas here would have been the remnants of the SJRSC, Commodores Point and Talleyrand. When I hear Stadium District, maritime industry speaking, we're basically down to the SJRSC property and Commodores Point (both covered in the article below).
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-dec-the-sports-district-life-before-everbank-field/page/
The 19th century suburbs/neighborhoods in the vicinity of the stadium (south of Oakland and what's known as the Eastside today) were originally white. Commodores still exists today. What was left of SJRSC closed with the failure of JSI and the redevelopment of the stadium in the early 1990s. Downtown was essentially dead by then.
So I may just be confused with what's being called a black industrial district being torn down for the stadium district. What was the general boundaries and specific era of time with it being associated as black?
Also, there's not much phosphate, if any, being stored in Talleyrand these days. The mining areas near White Springs have been largely depleted and closed in recent decades, leading to the closure of related shipping terminals in Jax.
Where I grew up is the epicenter of the Florida phosphase industry. Much of bone valley's mines have been deleted as well. Consolidation (it's pretty much Mosaic now) has lead to 1,000s losing their jobs but the major plants remain in Hillsborough and Polk. The mines are pretty much centered around Hardee and Desoto Counties now. Unit trains run the rock from bone valley directly to the port in Tampa, which is why it's Florida's largest port by tonnage. The old mining areas around Lakeland are being developed into new uses (ex. Saddle Creek Park, Florida Poly University, Oakridge, Lakeside Village, etc.).
Btw, if anyone ever has the opportunity, a drive across the state via SR 60 or heading to SW Florida via US 17 is a must....at least once. All the mines, fertilizer plants and prairies make it feel like you're somewhere in the Midwest or Plains as opposed to Florida.
1) The seediness of having freight move through downtown contributed to the blue-collar aspect that Jacksonville is still trying to remove itself from, generations later.
2) The concrete bulkheads were a way to clean up the blue collar trash along the river front.
3) The hotel industry failed because they could not charge for ballroom rentals? That's absurd. The industry declined because people passed over Jacksonville for other destinations. In 1920, the Jacksonville terminal was the busiest railroad depot in the world, then south Florida got closer and closer and soon people chose it, and the evil mouse over Jacksonville. It had nothing to do with being able to charge for drinks in the ballrooms, it came down to people and attendance.
4) The Baptists ruled downtown for many years, for sure.
5) Where else should the City Sports district have gone? Southside? Mandarin? Beaches? Maybe it should have been moved to Baldwin, the folks in PVB would have loved that drive.
6) I agree, the TIF was a disaster, a pre-cursor to what politicians do when they stop thinking, they tax the citizens.
7) Parking Meters? How about the lack of good diners with great coffee? No signature destination for downtown. Really, Parking meters? Why not a lack of trees as a canopy?
8) Agreed, the city should have acted faster and offered more to secure more people downtown and should be doing this now, to make it easier for colleges and universities to be downtown, free parking in (7) should be part of it. Downtown needs more people, plain and simple!
9) Demolition is an extension of leadership, no leaders downtown during the time of the great teardown of downtown. Made the demolition companies happy, but turning revenue generating assets into land made no sense for the TIF or other revenue needed to keep downtown alive.
10) This point misses the issue that there are no people downtown. In 10 points, you miss the issue that there are few residences downtown to support small businesses. You have to have the people there to be able to support the businesses, and the 9-5 worker is not enough anymore to support a business downtown.
11) Read point #10, the loss was from the departure of the people.
12) What did downtown need high speed internet for in 2004? Dial-up service was still the king for most small businesses followed by DSL and then cable. Fiber was available but even more expensive than all of them, but would prove to be the ultimate solution. The City lacked leadership to invest in itself, in fact, it still is, but the Pension is a huge issue to resolve before we can discuss new initiatives.
13) La Villa will come back, just as Brooklyn is coming back. The leaders at the time decided to wipe out all non-moral compasses and La Villa was too seedy to bring in white collar jobs, so it got axed.
Good article, but I think you need to delve deeper into the real cause of failure downtown, why did people choose to leave downtown and reside elsewhere? Stores moved, sure, but the people moved 1st, and the stores/retail followed the people.
Quote from: stephendare on June 24, 2016, 09:36:08 AM
Quote from: thelakelander on June 24, 2016, 07:30:21 AM
Also, there's not much phosphate, if any, being stored in Talleyrand these days. The mining areas near White Springs have been largely depleted and closed in recent decades, leading to the closure of related shipping terminals in Jax.
True. These days. ;)
^Yeah, I'd like to see the old
PCS phosphate terminal (http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-aug-jax-shipping-terminal-waiting-in-the-dark) put back into life in some sort of fashion. The few fertilizer plants (in comparison to what's in Bone Valley and what was in Hamilton County) were too far up Talleyrand to have much of a significant impact on downtown's decline.
Jax's limited phosphate activity was directly tied to the mines in Hamilton County. American Agricultural Works closed and was converted into the National Container paper mill in 1938 (my dad's first job out of college was here, when it was Owens-Illinois) and Kerr McGee closed in 1978. PCS would have been the closest thing to what you see at Tampa's port today but it only employed 9 people when it closed in 1999. By comparison, consolidation and depleting rock reserves have resulted in the industry losing thousands of jobs over the last 30 years, yet Mosaic still employs around 1,600 at its fertilizer plants in Bartow, New Wales and Plant City. Typing all of this, I wonder where PCS is shipping out their rock today, since White Springs is still in operation.
Nevertheless, Talleyrand did have a negative impact on shipping in downtown. The municipal docks (now JAXPORT's Talleyrand Terminal) opened in 1914 and eventually much of the activity in downtown's wharfs relocated there.
Quote from: stephendare on June 24, 2016, 09:41:47 AM
Well no doubt your confusion stems from reading your own post as opposed to the original article (which makes no specific mention of fairfield) here: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-jun-the-thirteen-moves-that-destroyed-downtown/page/4 ;)
The original article said "Stadium District". That's basically the 19th century suburbs of Fairfield and East Jacksonville, roughly bounded by Commodores Point, the river, Hogans Creek and SR 115. Union Terminal Warehouse and Maxwell House fall outside of that. Doro, JSI, SJRSC, Commodores Point fall in it but these were not black owned entities or even surrounded by historically black neighborhoods.
So my interest in this particular point was the mentioning of a specifically "black" industrial area being demolished for sports activities that helped destroy downtown. What were some of the company's kicked out and when? What was the district's main street or products produced? With a little direction, I can pull and post sanborn maps and historical aerials for various decades.
Fine...........but what about the suburban mall/shopping center? Gateway, Regency, Emerson (forgot name),and countless smaller shopping centers eliminated the reason to go downtown to shop. I know that we never went down town again in the 50s after the shopping centers moved to our neighboring areas in Indianapolis.
^Those malls opened 25 to 30 years before the stores started closing in downtown. In fact guess what opened before Ivey's built its 6-story department store in downtown in 1962? Gateway in 1959, Philips in 1960, Cedar Hills and Roosevelt Square in 1961. Looking at suburban malls and saying they killed downtown retail is an easy out. The true answer is somewhat more complicated and includes a lot of moving parts. The region's population grew rapidly as the suburban malls were coming online. Growth in the city had slowed but there was enough market for all of them...downtown included. However, downtown's environment also became pretty hostile to the end user during this era. Changes included streetcars being eliminated in 1936, parking meters installed all over downtown in 1948 and tolls coming with the Fuller Warren, Mathews and Hart bridges in the 1950s and 60s. In short, coming downtown and getting around became a pain in the ass.
In 1962, WJXT did a survey of area shopping habits. That year, 55% of the local population preferred downtown, while 45% preferred the burbs. By 1970, it had flipped to 25% downtown and 75% burbs. 97% of the respondents claimed free parking. They also preferred the burbs for small item purchases (clothes, linens, etc.) and downtown for large purchases (appliances, furniture, etc.).
During this same period of time, the industry along the waterfront and most of its jobs, disappeared when the wharfs were razed for surface parking. Freigh rail operations and associated warehouses, markets, etc. were relocated in the late 50s to make way for Sears Cadillac Store. The train station, once a major employer in downtown with 2,500 workers, flat out closed in the early 70s. So not only is getting downtown a pain in the ass, thousands who made good money in downtown were not working and spending money in the same area when their industries were relocated. Then by the 1980s, retail trends had completely changed from what they were in the early 20th century. New department stores were a fraction of size of the 4, 5, 6-story flagship stores operating in aging buidings downtown. Sears relocated to Regency in 1981. Levy's and Furchgotts closed in 1984, JCPenney and Ivey's in 1985 and finally May-Cohens in 1987. By the time May-Cohens closed, they were operating the store on one floor of a 4-story, 300,000-square-foot building.
Nevertheless, guess what else was dying at the time downtown's flagship stores were closing......all those suburban malls that opened in the 1950s and 60s (excluding Regency of course).
I would modify the graphic with the railroads to reflect the following:
1955 - 7 passenger routes - 4 local freight and passenger railroads, 5 including terminal company
1963 - 7 passenger routes - 4 local freight and passenger railroads, 5 including terminal company became 6 passenger routes after FEC strike.
1966 - 6 passenger routes - 4 local freight and passenger railroads, 5 including terminal company Southern Railway cut the last train Royal Palm
1967 - 6 passenger routes - 4 local freight and passenger railroads, 5 including terminal company
MERGER OF THE ACL AND SAL TO FORM SCL
1968 - 5 passenger routes - 4 local freight and passenger railroads, 5 including terminal company FEC ends all passenger service
1969 - 5 passenger routes - 3 local freight and passenger railroads, 4 including terminal company
1971 - 4 passenger routes - 3 local freight railroads, 4 including terminal company. Amtrak joined the ranks of operating companies as the sole passenger carrier
1974 - 4 passenger routes - 3 local freight railroads + Amtrak. Terminal company closes
1976 - DISTANT MERGER FORMS CONRAIL IN THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST FROM THE: Penn Central (formerly the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads) and Erie Lackawanna, Ann Arbor, Lehigh Valley, Reading, Central Railroad of New Jersey, Lehigh and Hudson River and Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines
1979 - 3 passenger routes - 3 local railroads + Amtrak. Amtrak cuts service in half.
ALSO
1982 MERGER OF SCL'S FAMILY LINES Louisville & Nashville, Seaboard Coast Line, and Clinchfield into the new Seaboard System Railroad
1986 MERGER OF SEABOARD SYSTEM AND CHESSIE SYSTEM (Chessie System was the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, which had merged with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and Western Maryland Railroad) to form CSX, Jacksonville chosen as the HQ city.
1990 MERGER OF SOUTHERN RAILWAY AND NORFOLK AND WESTERN to form NORFOLK SOUTHERN
1993 - 4 passenger routes - 3 local railroads + Amtrak. Amtrak extended the Sunset Limited through Jacksonville.
1997 CSX (of Jacksonville) and NS agree to purchase and divide the assets of CONRAIL.
2004 - 3 passenger routes - 3 local railroads + Amtrak. Amtrak eliminates all service through Ocala on the 'S' LINE.
2005 - 2 Passenger routes - 3 local railroads + Amtrak. Amtrak eliminates the Sunset Route to Los Angeles after Katrina.
You could also add.
1932 - 60 miles of urban railway extending from San Jose to Moncrief and from Yukon to Panama Park, much of it on exclusive right-of-way.
1936 - Last Streetcars ran on December 12
Like Lakelander has stated, I doubt keeping the terminal open would equate to the same or similar activity as in the past. One cause is Amtrak's 45 year track record of doing absolutely ZERO to further advance passenger rail services throughout the country, while continuing a long legacy of cutting trains and services. Amtrak would not use the terminal to split or connect trains as the railroads did until 1969 or as they did in 1971. They also eliminated Postal contracts, and railroad express services as well as sharply cut dinning and lounge car services even closing those facilities at their new Amshack in NW Jacksonville. Meanwhile there are no passenger ships or even many buses to transfer to in the urban core.
Stevedores no longer swarm over docks downtown or anywhere else, most today are highly skilled machine operators who load and unload containers with push button ease. The wharves downtown were almost all wood and were rotting in place, some had in fact already collapsed into the river before the dumb idea to create a massive parking lot. Containerization, not the city, killed them.
Lastly, I would take issue with your contention that Ed Ball started "The most violent labor war." Quite the opposite is actually true. During the Great Depression, control was purchased by heirs of the du Pont family. After 30 years of fragile financial condition, the FEC, under leadership of a new president, Ed Ball, took on the labor unions. Union's were demanding a pay increase from all railroads, but Ball stood firm that the company could not afford the same costs as larger Class 1 railroads and needed to invest saved funds in its infrastructure, fast becoming a safety issue. The FEC hired replacement workers after the workforce walked out. This started what became one of the most violent labor conflicts of the 20th century from 1963 until 1977. What should be crystal clear that the overt acts of violence by a small minority of affected employees reflected poorly on all employees; then as well as now. Deliberately blowing up and derailing trains, shooting at replacement workers was/is never called for. On the day President Johnson was visiting Florida, disgruntled striking employees dynamited two trains, the president ordered federal authorities had to intervene to stop the violence, which included several cases of bombings, shootings and vandalism. However, the courts ruled in the FEC's favor with regard to the right to employ strikebreakers. During this time, Ball invested heavily in numerous steps to improve its physical plant, installed various forms of automation,was the first US Railroad to operate two man train crews, eliminate cabooses and end all of its passenger services (which were unprofitable) by 1968.
Thus not only did Ed Ball save the FEC Railroad, his modernization efforts proved to be a model for the entire national system, Thanks in no small part to his stance, an industry that was flirting with extinction is now a American success story. Today we are watching the FEC teach the world that they believe there is even a future for the passenger train. It will be interesting to see what their ALL ABOARD FLORIDA/BRIGHTLINE project shows us.
Excellent observations. Growing up in the late 70s, 80s into the early 90s I saw all of this happening Downtown. There is so much potential in the city that may never be realized unless people act.
Epic newsworthiness, fascinating stuff. Wow. Blown AWAY by #11. ABSOLUTELY SPEECHLESS on that one...if only they could have seen in that crystal ball!!!! And #12 is simply confounding. CONfounding. Thanks for the rich fodder!
fascinating- all of it- article and especially the "corrections" and commentary.
Good article, lots of info. Common sense completely absence in the history of downtown "development."
Other cities have made dramatic turnarounds, can ours?
This was a good read.