Urban Neighborhoods: St. Nicholas
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Metro Jacksonville explores historic Southbank neighborhoods of St. Nicholas.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-mar-urban-neighborhoods-st-nicholas
I live in the area that this article refers to as Reeds Subdivision, but have never heard it called that. Officially the neighborhood and its association is called South Shores.
Beautiful and quaint historic looking neighborhood. Never knew St. Nicholas existed. The Mudville Grille; what kind of name is that for a restaurant? What do they make mud pies? (LOL)...just kidding. Absolutely lovely neighborhood, one that I'd like to live in. Best kept secret for Jax, don't y'all think? Great thread.
"HU"
Another great article! How cool is Palmer Terrace? And wouldn't I love to see the interior of 1117!
This is my favorite area of town... but I'm biased since I grew up there. We lived in a small 3 bathroom 1 bedroom house. Dad loved it because it was so easy to repair - if a piece of wood was rotten, you yanked it off and replaced it.
We used to ride our bikes to the Riverwalk (back when it was new). I could swear there used to be an ice cream place or something in one of the shops along the riverwalk. I remember getting cotton candy, and some group of older kids jumped us, hit my friend in the mouth and stole the cotton candy.
Also I remember my friend's aunt driving past Channel 4 when George Winterling was outside in George's Garden doing a segment. We shouted "HI GEORGE!" from the car in the parking lot and he cracked up.
Good times!!
That felt like one of the most comprehensive tours yet. I guess I knew so little about the 'hood to begin with I had more to learn.
VERY well done!
Bativac, you had a 3 bathroom 1 bedroom house? ;D
St. Nicholas is home to three of the best places to chow down in town:
--Beach Road Chicken
--Bono's
--Havana Jax
Out. Standing.
Great photos and great presentation, as always!
I love this neighborhood. Drive through it every day commuting to and from work. I remember stumbling across this area of town about two years after I moved here thinking -- why didn't my realtor show me this area?!
I don't mean this as a slight to the residents, but I've always thought of this area as a poor man's San Marco. It has the charm of San Marco without all of the glitz and glamor. It's like looking at a cover model without all of the make-up. I'd love to pick up a house here some day.
Quote from: Jason on March 23, 2010, 09:17:58 AM
That felt like one of the most comprehensive tours yet. I guess I knew so little about the 'hood to begin with I had more to learn.
VERY well done!
Thanks. I learned some things myself putting this together. Just going down the side streets in places like St. Nicholas reveals many things you never would have thought about being located there. For example, before Saturday, I had no idea where the Palmer Terrace Park or the St. Nicholas Cemetery was. I also never paid attention to that city park in South Shores and didn't realize that the St. Nicholas Playground was a short walk away from the historic town center. They have a pretty decent pedestrian shed working there and could easily be built on to be a real vibrant space one day. Anyway, look for more detailed neighborhood tours like this in the upcoming weeks. I'm gearing up to tackle the neighborhoods (Brentwood, Longbranch, Panama Park, Tallulah and Northshore) of Metro North over the next couple of weeks.
Great job. You covered everything and more in that neighborhood. I just ran through it a couple weeks ago (river run), and there are some great small homes in the area. I may look into buying one.
Are you going to cover Empire Point so my old High School (Episcopal) will get some representation?
^Yes.
Jason thanks for catching that error. I'm gonna leave it in.
I wanted to mention that when I was looking for homes last year in my old neighborhood, South Shores, the prices had gone way, WAY up. Maybe they've come back down, but there were several 3 bedroom 1 bathroom homes with a $240k plus asking price. We ended up in the Empire Point area, which is nice, but I would love to have been back in South Shores.
Growing up, it was a middle class (maybe lower middle class...) area full of great starter homes. My parents paid $30K for our house in 1980. By the time my mom went nuts and they sold the house, they got $90k for it (in 1996). Nowadays they're going for almost triple that... sure is a neat area though. Just wandering the streets you find the neatest little 60 and 70 year old homes.
Took a drive and found the cemetary and park... both could use some TLC... :)
We lived on Old Hickory Road for about eight years after moving back to Jax in 1979. It's was/is a great neighborhood. We then moved onto to Miller's Creek for the next twenty-two years until moving to Riverside. Walked a couple of generations of dogs through those streets pictured.
Some of the old maps show a tide driven lumber mill across the mouth of the creek.
The whole area was developed by the Stockton Land Company....maybe the Stockton- Telfair Company by then. They developed the land, built some spec houses and would build a house for you from their catalog and even hold the mortgage. Full service development company.
All of the Stockton built house in the area have some characteristics in common; fireplace, curved top opening between living room and some other room and a picture rail in the living room and dining room, oak floors. They all also have a particular roof framing system that you have to go into the attic to see.
On the west side of Bishop Kenny, they were built prior to 1941 on the east side construction started again after the war. They are all off-grade and very well built.
Where Bishop Kenny High School is now was a shipyard during the war. They built Liberty ships there.
Reminds me of my days at Douglas Anderson...Thanks for the article...
Thanks for putting together a comprehensive article on Saint Nicholas! There's a photo of my apartment building, and you can almost see my car in the background. :)
Of course, now the secret may be out and more folks will discover how great this little area is. The pocket park at the end of Holmesdale -- the site from which the cover photo and other skyline photos was taken -- is gorgeous at sunset. You can see the Main Street, Hart and Mathews bridges from there, all bathed in orange, glowing light.
Someone mentioned the shipyard; it was the Merrill Stevens Shipyard. Across from BK are Merrill and Stevens streets. And of course what is now Assumption School was the MSS office, designed by Henry J. Klutho. According to Robert Broward's book, it was "the last completed commercial building by Klutho with any Prairie School detailing" (212).
When I was riding around a few weeks ago, I passed a small cemetery north of Atlantic, maybe on San Mateo or Tiber. The one mentioned in the story is south of Atlantic tucked up by I-95, at Flesher, I think.
For those who follow kickball, the playing field (used by the Springfield Hoodies) is at Saint Nicholas Park.
Quote from: heights unknown on March 23, 2010, 09:10:57 AM
The Mudville Grille; what kind of name is that for a restaurant?
Not sure how kidding you are, HU, but the name comes from the poem "Casey At The Bat," which is printed on the menu.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case.shtml (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_case.shtml)
After slowing down and rereading the part about the cemetery, I see that you wrote about the one north of Atlantic. There is a small one south of Atlantic; the name escapes me. Sounds like an adventure for this Saturday ...
Another great article. A few points to note:
The Spring Park area featuring the homes, apartments, school, and playground are in your photos but not picked up in the highlighted section of your "St. Nicholas" map. It needs to be expanded to include this area South and West of Beach Blvd. I think you will find area residents would support this as well.
Another St. Nicholas institution was the "Old South Restaurant" at the corner of Walton and Beach Blvd., now, just a small vacant lot on the corner of the strip center. It burned to the ground a number of years ago but stood on that spot for decades as a local favorite of Southern style cooking.
Ira Koger was a great philanthropist in this city and patron of the arts. He died in 2004. Unfortunately, his last decade was a debacle for him:QuoteKoger files Chapter 11
Jacksonville Business Journal - by Lisa R. Schoolcraft
Businessman and philanthropist Ira M. Koger recently filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Jacksonville.
The action is for individual protection. Koger cited his No. 1 creditor as the Internal Revenue Service, to which he owes $3.5 million in taxes.
Chapter 11, the most common form of bankruptcy, can free an individual or company from the threat of creditors' lawsuits while reorganizing finances.
Koger and his attorney, James Fischette, declined to comment.
Koger built suburban office parks throughout the Southeast and took his company public.
By 1988, Koger Properties and the Koger Co., a subsidiary that owned and operated the office parks, had combined revenue of $90 million. His company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1994.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2000/10/09/story7.html
When you do adjacent Empire Point, I am sure you will feature one of Jax's most outstanding historic structures and oldest residences, home of the first swimming pool built in Jax, Marabong ( River Point Road):(http://newimages.fotopic.net/?iid=yo9pzh&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1)
Ever gonna venture into or around Valley Forge? My Grandparents live in that area, their backyard has always been a favorite for me as a kid since it's so huge.
Where is Valley Forge?
The Railroad history is way off track... Pun intended. I have extended an offer to help spruce it up.
FEC never built a railroad through St. Nicholas. Flagler was "mugged" by the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railroad, the little narrow gauge line from South Jacksonville to St. Augustine that saw endless dollars in milking the Aristocrat of his hard earned cash for every brick and stick moving to his hotels. The Jacksonville and Atlantic was likewise a narrow gauge line and a connection with the longer STA&HR
got their cars up to the ferry landing in South Jax.
Well, there is much more, let's see if they're interested.
OCKLAWAHA
Bumping an old thread to mention the home that stjr mentioned in his post, Marabong. I was walking the dog thru Empire Point when my wife pointed out this house. We were impressed and when we got home, I Googled the address. This link: http://bigelowsociety.com/rod2000/jackvil7.htm has as much info as you would ever want about that house.
Really neat to be able to stumble upon something like that while you're out roaming the neighborhood! I urge anybody in the area to walk over and check it out. The pool is easily seen from the street.
Nice followup, Bativac. Add the Lehigh University founder to the ranks of prominent citizens that have passed through Jax at one time or another. Thanks. QuoteA short distance southwest of Marabanong, Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University, purchased a site in 1881 on Hazzard's Bluff. But Packer and his son, who had encouraged his interest in the property, both died soon thereafter, leaving the property to his daughter. Mary A. Packer, who married a wealthy industrialist, Charles A. Cummings. She named the site "Keystone Bluff" in honor of her home state of Pennsylvania. The original building on the property burned in 1890 and was replaced by a twelve-room house. Over the years, additions to the property included stables, a bowling alley, carpenter's shop, laundry. boathouse, and a concrete swimming pool. Mrs. Cummings died in 1912, leaving the property to St. Johns Episcopal Parish. The house and the bowling alley, moved from their original location, form part of the Episcopal High School campus.
Site of Bishop Kenny High School in 1947
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The water front public access street end at Holmesdale Ave. would be an awesome pocket pier for Dist.4
Palmer Terrace Park is an awesome kayak launch for Dist.4
The pictures capture it.
If I had to bet I'd put my money on Dist. 5 and that will be the first district in Jacksonville that could receive FIND money for the first pocket pier (floating dock) in Duval county that will tell the state to Visit Jacksonville, Visit Downtown, Visit our St. Johns River our American Heritage River.
My greatgrandfather, Simon Peter Higginbotham owned considerable acreage in St. Nicholas. West of Greenlawn Cemetery to at least adjacent or including the area on which Southgate Plaza was built. He was a farmer/fisherman. My grandmother's house was built on some of that land. On the corner of Beach and LaMee Ave. Back in the 50's, when Beach Blvd was widened that house was partially taken over and used for offices by those in charge of the construction.
We used to go shrimping on the river at Holmesdale Rd.
http://news.wjct.org/post/business-brief-overland-bridge-project-could-make-st-nicholas-area-next-brooklyn
Ennis commented on the general St. Nicholas area. Do you think we can see the commercial strip on Beach revitalize in the near future?
Brooklyn isn't even finished becoming Brooklyn and now there is a 'new Brooklyn' becoming Brooklyn.
Well, gee golly gosh
My guess is the places that spring up around the Kings Avenue corridor will say they're in San Marco. If anything, the Overland Bridge project is proving how the design of infrastructure can kill or stimulate economic development. This corridor went down the tubes after the original construction of the expressway limited access in the area. With full access coming back, new development projects are popping up left and right.