The Underappreciated Side of Springfield

[Johnny]

I love our warehouse district, I wish I had a way of jump starting it's revival.

[duchessd]

I love that you took the time to do a photo essay on Historic Springfield.  The buildings are magnificent and the neighborhood is lucky to have such great structures!  I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that Vanderleigh Antiques on East 10th  Street was not included in such an essay.  The building was a grocery in the 20's and is now fully restored and functioning as an antique shop.  I am hopeful that some in the community enjoy this building as much as I do!

[Wacca Pilatka]

^ I believe that's at the corner of 10th and Market.

Thanks to both you and Billy for the info!

[Ocklawaha]

Kirby-Smith Middle School is one of the few Mediterranean Revival style buildings in Springfield.  Identical to John Gorrie, in Riverside, the school opened in 1924. The school is named after a Civil War Confederate officer from St. Augustine

Just a tad more information on these two great Floridians:

Dr. John Gorrie, was an engineering genius, since the late 1700's it was known that certain ether or volatile chemicals rapidly heated, then cooled, would form ice... and usually an explosion or fire! When Yellow Fever was wiping out the State of Florida, Gorrie was asked to come and join a team of medical, engineering and specialists from various fields on a team gathered in Apalachicola, to solve the plague. Dr. Gorrie, went back to the chemicals, started working with high pressue pumps to create the heat/cool effects he needed and in 1851, POOF, air conditioning. As electricity was still primitive in The War of Yankee Aggression, it is doubtful that the great professor ever got to enjoy fan forced - chilled air, but we all owe him big time! FYI, when the cure was sought, South Africa, Colombia, and Cuban doctors, worked to develop a vaccine. Smallpox, was the first vaccine ever discovered in Spain, in the late 1700's. A Spanish medical expedition with deputy surgeon, José Salvany, went toward today's Colombia and the Viceroyalty of Peru. They took seven years and the toils of the voyage brought death to Salvany at Cochabamba. Doctor Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, from the university of Bogota, would discover the first highly successful vaccine for maliria. (told you we have good medicine in Colombia and it's air conditioned too!)


Edmond Kirby Smith, was born in St. Augustine, and studied in West Point, becoming a US Army Major in the Indian wars, mostly in Texas. When Texas left the Union in 1861, Smith refused to surrendered to State Forces, telling them he would fight them with his command first. A few days later, he resigned his commission following proper channels, and was recruited into the Confederate States officers corps. He led regiments, brigades and finally divisions with Jackson, in the Shenandoah Valley. Promoted to Brig. General he led the Confederate Army's in a successful rout of the Federals in Kentucky, battle of Richmond. After the fall of Vicksburg, Smith was assigned the Confederate Department of the Trans-Mississippi, total command of everything west of the River. Given the make up of these forces, a strange mix of seasoned soldiers, French Cajun, African American business and plantation owners, Bushwhacker's, Mexican, Cowboy's, and the Cherokee Mounted Rifles, he was really more successful then historians generally record. The last Confederate to surrender his command (not including the Confederate Navy which would fight on for 6 more months) on May 26, 1865, and arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 2, whence he fled to exile in Mexico and then to Cuba.

Just an idea, but a story on our named schools might be cool, if anyone besides me cares.

OCKLAWAHA

[Overstreet]

Dr Gorrie's air conditioning was to hand a block of ice in a suspended bowl above the patient and let convection currents coming off the ice fall and cool the patient.   The system was not practical. The big invention was the steam powered ice maker that made the ice.

A while later fellow named Carrier modified it and made the systems we are familiar now.

You can visit the Dr Gorrie museum in Apalachicola. 
http://www.floridastateparks.org/johngorriemuseum/default.cfm

[chris farley]

The hall of statuary in Washington DC allows two statues per state.  There are only 98 such statues since two states (I have forgotten which) have only placed one.
The two statues from Florida are of Gorrie and Kirby-Smith, both done by noted sculptor C. Adrian Pillars, who did the Dillon fountain in Klutho Park and The Life  Statue in Riverside memorial park, this one put in the park in 1924 as a war memorial.  Florida and especially Springfield are well represented in the Statuary Hall

[thelakelander]

I love that you took the time to do a photo essay on Historic Springfield.  The buildings are magnificent and the neighborhood is lucky to have such great structures!  I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that Vanderleigh Antiques on East 10th  Street was not included in such an essay.  The building was a grocery in the 20's and is now fully restored and functioning as an antique shop.  I am hopeful that some in the community enjoy this building as much as I do!

The day I took the images, there were too many people outside of the building.  Since its inconsiderate to snap close up shots of people, I decided to pass.

[sandyshoes]

Just an idea, but a story on our named schools might be cool, if anyone besides me cares. [/color] [/b]

OCKLAWAHA
[/quote]

Heck, yeah!  Great idea. 

[sandyshoes]

Wheeeeee, I'm not Newbie anymore....and now, back to Thread.

[cybertique]

Fantastic pictures, really enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

[untarded]

Here is a link to Vanderleigh's website with some pics of the building on east 10th.  I believe it is mixed use with upstairs residential.  Definitely another great building. 

Lake what about some of your work on W 6th(?)

[untarded]

and Main St. is so close to completion we can taste it!!!  When did it begin, 2000?

[Lunican]

I love that you took the time to do a photo essay on Historic Springfield.  The buildings are magnificent and the neighborhood is lucky to have such great structures!  I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that Vanderleigh Antiques on East 10th  Street was not included in such an essay.  The building was a grocery in the 20's and is now fully restored and functioning as an antique shop.  I am hopeful that some in the community enjoy this building as much as I do!

Vanderleigh's has been added to the article.

[jason_contentdg]

We are also working on a photo shoot of the amazing interior of Vanderleigh's .

Veronica and I toured the awesome building a couple of days ago, and its just brilliant.

Crazily, I had no idea the place was there, nor how cool it is.

Fantastic place, and I had to purchase one of his teak benches, made out of reclaimed teak from an old Asian railroad car, a couple years ago.

Its a hidden gem over there, love his vinyl laminated wood floor upstairs, looks and feels like the real thing, old wooden floors.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Does anyone know if Vanderleigh's carries any antiques or artifacts that are specific to Jacksonville or old Jacksonville businesses?

Thanks to everyone for all the historical and other information upthread.  I can't wait to tour 10th St. now on my next visit to town.