Urban Neighborhoods: Riverside

[deathstar]

My first Elementary School, West Riverside! I always loved that school, and hated moving from Riverside to Lakeshore Area & going to Bayview lol. From a beautiful 2 story school, to an ugly brick 1 level school (mumbles). But, I lived lol.

[Charles Hunter]

What's the story on the tiny newstand at Five Points next to the restaurant patio?

It has been there forever.  A wide variety of magazines and out of town newspapers.  And it is bigger than it looks, extending back a pretty good distance.
Back in the day, I think it had a 'special room' in the back for 'special' publications.

[Charles Hunter]

My first Elementary School, West Riverside! I always loved that school, and hated moving from Riverside to Lakeshore Area & going to Bayview lol. From a beautiful 2 story school, to an ugly brick 1 level school (mumbles). But, I lived lol.

But if you went on to Lake Shore Junior High (Middle), it had 2 floors.

Very strange -
Bayview Elementary is on Lake Shore Blvd.
Lake Shore Middle is on Bayview Road
and their sports fields back up to each other

seems they got it backwards

[deathstar]

My first Elementary School, West Riverside! I always loved that school, and hated moving from Riverside to Lakeshore Area & going to Bayview lol. From a beautiful 2 story school, to an ugly brick 1 level school (mumbles). But, I lived lol.

But if you went on to Lake Shore Junior High (Middle), it had 2 floors.

Very strange -
Bayview Elementary is on Lake Shore Blvd.
Lake Shore Middle is on Bayview Road
and their sports fields back up to each other

seems they got it backwards

True, however, the 2 story Brick Building was the 8th Grade building back then. That school is 3/4 portables, and the 6th grade building was so cramped. I went to Lee High for High School, and the architecture was reminscent of West Riverside in a way, so I enjoyed it

[Steve]

What's the story on the tiny newstand at Five Points next to the restaurant patio?

It has been there forever.  A wide variety of magazines and out of town newspapers.  And it is bigger than it looks, extending back a pretty good distance.
Back in the day, I think it had a 'special room' in the back for 'special' publications.

Why am I not surprised...

[billy]

All true, and as I remember from decades ago.
The selection of magazines, books and probably what lay behind the beaded curtain
was much better back then.

It is some sort of optical illusion, architectural space-time phenomena that the interior is somehow bigger than it should be.

[HerschelStRes]

SOMEHOW they managed to not get a single corner of my buidling in the shot..but have pictures all around it! Does anyone have old school pics or know where i could find some of the huge gray complex across from Mossfire? It was built in 1912 and is a monstrosity...i know there has to be pics of it somewhere!

[jbroadglide]

I use to belong to a model railroad club located above Owens Pharmacy at Park and Margaret. For fun each Friday night we'ed grab some chairs and sit out in front and watch the numerous near collisions by drivers trying to negotiate that 5 way intersection. Those on Park would stop and didn't have to and some on Margaret would not stop and should have. But just people watching was a blast. It is such an eclectic area. I sure do miss those Friday nights.

John

[Jason]

Welcome John!

[Coolyfett]

That intersection can very tricky if you do not live there.

[mtraininjax]

Cars on Park have the right of way and if the idiots on Margaret get in the way, well, they have less car for their errors!

[sandyshoes]

Petersons - what was up with that smell, in the place, even before they closed it had a putrid smell of, like, rancid mothballs maybe?  But it was a blast to shop in, especially for Halloween stuff.  On to better smells, anyone remember Goode's Bakery in 5 Points?

[Dog Walker]

Goode's?  You bet!  All of the family birthday cakes came from there and Mrs. Goode was always a soft touch for the kids who would come in a wheedle her for a "spoiled" cinnamon bun.

Now that the weather has cooled off, you can sit on the patio at Hovan's and watch that  intersection.  You can get bruised by the forehead slaps you give yourself when you watch some of the clueless try to decide what to do there.   Great fun.

[Westside is the Best Side]

Memories of Five Points  1960-1980

My earliest memories are going to the park and feeding the ducks and swans.  We'd save our stale bread until we had a decent size bag, then go to the park to feed them.  Once they knew you had food, they'd follow you around the fence.  We liked seeing the nests with eggs under the oleander bushes and the ducklings swimming in a row.  Sometimes they would get out of the fence, but we couldn't catch them.  There was a water wheel in the pond, if I remember correctly.  Swings were available too so we could play after the poor ducks' bellies were filled with bread.

Goode's Bakery was the best.  The front window display was filled with beautiful baked goods. I'd have to get on my tiptoes to see it.  You'd walk inside to the aroma of yeast, sugar,spices, vanilla, chocolate and see the displays filled with all sorts of goodies.  Of course all birthday cakes were purchased here!  Where else would you get them?  They made a delicious Canasta Fudge Cake--a moist chocolate cake with a buttercream chocolate frosting.  It was square and you always wanted to get the end pieces to get more of the frosting.  The sugar cookies were cut with a round cookie cutter with scalloped edges.  They were soft and had sprinkled sugar on top--melted in your mouth.  Eclairs were a treat--filled with a creamy custard inside instead of nasty frosting.  The cinnamon raisin break was yummy.  Sometimes we'd get lucky and it would be on the day old shelf in the corner.  One of our favorites growing up were the gingerbread boys complete with raisin eyes, raisin nose, and three raisin buttons .  We would eat the arms and legs first and leave the head for last.  We should have eaten the head first, so their little raisin eyes couldn't see what we were doing.

There was an old grocery store on the end of the strip near the Five Points intersection.  It wasn't our regular store (we went to the Winn Dixie on Roosevelt by Timuquana), but we would stop in every now and then if Momma needed something while we were there.

Shoes were bought two times a year--start of school and Easter.  My parents did not skimp on shoes.  We went to Boger's.  (There was another shop in Avondale we would go to, but I can't remember the name, but I remember the shoe shelves lining the walls and wondering how they knew what was in the box.  My first job was selling shoes at Ivey's in the Orange Park Mall, so I finally learned the 'secret').  There was always a nice Buster Brown or Hush Puppy display.  The shoe salesperson would pull out the metal foot measure to get your correct length and width.  It was imperative that you stood correctly with your weight properly distributed.  Then they would bring out all the shoes they had in that size for you to try on.  They would sit on the bench and the shoe would be placed on the angled surface of the bench for you to slip your foot in.  You couldn't help but feeling like Cinderella.  Next you would stand and the salesperson would feel your toe area to make sure there was enough room to grow into during the year.  You'd walk around and look at the angled mirror to validate the choice and size.   Now that I look back on it, all the shoes looked the same from year to year.  They were just a larger size.  Black patent (or white patent for after Easter) shoes with a strap for Sunday wear and a similar, but more sturdy leather design for school.  In the spring, we'd get leather sandals with buckled straps at the toe and ankle so you could adjust them as you grew.

Funny how when anyone mentions Peterson's, they mention the smell.  There is no description to adequately describe, but it is forever associated with the establishment.   It was a fascinating store and you could get anything there that your young heart desired.  In the back were the dime store turtles with their plastic homes and obligatory plastic palm tree on the island.  I would get my embroidery floss there and the Aunt Martha's iron on transfers to embroider pillow cases.  There were little plastic toys and thread and makeup.  I purchased some sky blue eye shadow from their 'makeup department'.  The displays were old and wooden with extra stock stored below.  It was a marvelous place.

The Five Points Theatre was big time.  If it was a kid's movie, we would just go to the Edgewood Theatre, but if it was a really good movie, we went to Five Points.  I remember my parents taking me to see "The Sound of Music" there when I was 6 years old.  I still remember having the intermission.

Some Sunday afternoons, we'd go to the Dapper Dan's Ice Cream Parlor.  It was the first one that I'd seen where they scooped the ice cream.  If you took some home, they put it in a "Chinese to go" box.  My dad like the pistachio and I always got the bubblegum.  It actually had bubblegum in it and I'd save it so that I'd have gum to chew on the way home.

My first formal gown was purchased at the Riverside Gown Shop when I was 12 years old.  It was 1972.  It was white with big flocked pink dots.  It was hideous.  I felt so grown up.

Five Points started getting run down in the 1980's.  There was no reason to go anymore.  I wish that I had appreciated it more.  Maybe if we all had, some of those wonderful institutions would still be there.  I'm still on the search for a bakery as good as Goode's.  My momma had tried to find the recipes, but someone told her that "old lady Goode took them to her grave".  If anyone has them (or something similar), please share.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Westside, thank you for sharing those memories.  Always fun to read others' memories of Jacksonville retail and neighborhood history.