The Avenue of Progress: Edgewood Avenue

[James]

charles, i assume it was on the woods pharmacy side of edgewood, since what I've read on comments already placed is that Jones College was a theater.  I think there is a chinese restaurant on the end, across from Jones College now.

JeffreyS, was 17 south a club? Bar?  Was that also on the first block? 

[James]

stug I totally agree, it will never be ritzy, but I love the community feeling that it has, I'm going to get a slice at Moon River this afternoon 

[RiversideGator]

Edgewood Ave has some great potential for densification and infill development as well as gentrification.  I think its proximity (and that of MH) to Riverside/Avondale and downtown and the relative affordability will really make this area better and better as time goes by.  It would be even better if we can get a commuter rail/light rail station right there at Roosevelt and Edgewood.

[JeffreyS]

17 south was a club many moons ago on the first block. A few others have been there notably Phat cats. 

[James]

Yeah I remember Phat Cats, but I guess 17 south preceded it

[Timkin]

Phat Cats,  17 South, The Continent at 17 south, College Station.  Different names ... all the same location. It is vacant now.  I remember when the Edgewood Theatre was open thats been a while.

[James]

The billiard hall is due to open Wed!

[James]

http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/displayphoto.cfm?IMGURL=http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/spottswood/sp02756.jpg

http://www.floridamemory.com/PhotographicCollection/displayphoto.cfm?IMGURL=http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/spottswood/sp02742.jpg

Here are a couple pics of edgewood theater circa 1948, anyone know the official years of operation?

[Ocklawaha]

THAT INCREDIBLE THEATER!

I don't know when Jones College got it but my heart sunk... Even though I attended Jones, long enough to get on the deans list... and everybody else's list as well... EDGEWOOD IS A THEATER DAMN IT! I remember my big sister, (I'm talking about a 20 year difference big sister) taking us kids there to see Jungle Book when it first came out. Oh So Cool. But not cool enough, Just as the Monkeys kidnapped the kid, the Atlantic Coast Lines, West Coast Champion blew the horn for the crossing outside! I suddenly had to go to the bathroom, vanished like a flash, then discovered they don't let you back in without tickets! I finally talked my way back, and all was well. Somehow the kid was back with the Bear, and my Purple, Silver and Gold lover was streaking across Flemming Island at 90+ MPH. Times were good.

BTW, the streetcar line came over the ACL at a grade crossing about College and the Ice Cream Plant, then turned along the railroad in that large grassy area... About 2 blocks North of the Theater it turned West to a cross street then back south. It ended at the center of Edgewood, right at the west end of the central parking lot.

Just up the street from the theater, was THE HOBBY SHOP. Fields? Anyway, it was also there for about 1,000 years and had every manner of specialty train or RC plane known to man. Looks like today all that we have is the one in Orange Park, hidden in a corner, South of the mall in a mini plaza off Blanding. Oh shoot! @*(#&$*(@# Hang on fella's I forgot your holding on to my Trolley Car for me!

Ocklawaha

[mtraininjax]

Ock - Only 1 Hobby shop in Orange Park, Hobby World, has 2 stores, the one in OP, and then the other on 103rd street. Don is the owner and he is at the 103rd street location. Great guy!

James - If you want to know more about the MHPA, come to a meeting. We meet the 4th Thursday of every month at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church. We had COJ Property Enforement there tonight and they were great. We have all the history about the area and we love seeing new people, old people, people who remembered when Jones College was a theatre. There is a new Merchants Association and the President of it is also the owner of Edgewood Bakery.

I live in Avondale, but we own 10 properties in Murray Hill, and yes there are boarded up homes in Murray Hill as well. Even on the "good" side, but crime is everywhere that you see more people per square mile. Sure we have more incidents per 100 people, but we have a lot more people living closer to each other than there are people doing the same thing in Mandarin.

The Town Center project had almost 700,000 allocated for the work. It was clear that we could not fund all of the blocks from the "First Block" to Post Street, so we chose to do as many blocks as we could with what we had from the City. Murray Hill has over 5,000 homes in its boundaries and we have a great and proud heritage. Come to a meeting sometime and get involved. You will be glad you did.

[stug]

"James - If you want to know more about the MHPA, come to a meeting. We meet the 4th Thursday of every month at the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church. We had COJ Property Enforement there tonight and they were great. We have all the history about the area and we love seeing new people, old people, people who remembered when Jones College was a theatre. There is a new Merchants Association and the President of it is also the owner of Edgewood Bakery."


Mtrain ... what time are the meetings?

[James]

stug - they're at 7

[sandyshoes]

Here are more blasts from the past...yup, I remember Edgewood Theatre, and those cool Wednesday morning double features in the summertime, with prizes, etc...got my first pair of glasses from Dr. Knight's, Optician on Edgewood, close to Trask...had my first job at Dr. Koosed's on 1118 Edgewood (who owns that? nobody's ever turned it into anything and I can just imagine all his old dental equipment still in there?  Ate at the lunch counter at the old Woods Pharmacy, before that young whippersnapper (Glaros) took over in 1979...ah, nostalgia.