Remembering The F.W. Woolworth Building

[Bativac]

I'm only 32. By the time I was born, most of the "cool stuff" was gone from downtown. But my dad remembers what a place it was in the 1950s and 60s.

These articles make me sad. At the building on Main and Forsyth is still standing. ...Right?

[danno]

Great Article... I well remember the Woolworth/ Penney's  Downtown..  along with Sears.

And today to replace these treasures, we have  a vertical glass palace, and a parking lot for a Hotel.   

Progress.

My memory of Sears was getting redskin peanuts from the candy counter every time I went with my dad.  Also in that same area on the Fourth of July going to the SCL building to see the train then watching the Iwo Jima renaactment on the roof of the Civic Auditorium.

[BCD]

"President Nixon gives his speech at Hemming Park in this 1960 image."

Correction:
That's Vice President Nixon in that 1960 photo.

[deathstar]

What a grand time that must've been. To see the picture with the old model T car and railcar passing by, and just imagining what it might be like today if we still had rail transportation. What Downtown Jacksonville "could" be, without empty lot after empty lot. Without parking garage after parking garage. Instead, with a vibrant downtown with businesses booming on every block.

Why isn't anyone in the Metro Jacksonville staff apart of City Council or some higher position within the hierarchy to convince these nuts we're not doing any good with the city we've allowed them to create for us?

[Noone]

Nice work Ennis. Appreciate the history.

[Timkin]

Imagine Downtown with even 1/3 of these treasures back.. a few of the hotels , theatres and department stores.   What a huge difference that would make in our Downtown.

[stjr]

The Windsor Hotel was demolished in 1950 to make room for a parking lot.

1950 to 2011:  Nothing in Jacksonville has changed when it comes to our "urban renewal" approach. 

I grew up buying my school clothes at Penney and May Cohens (now City Hall) downtown.  Woolworth's was the place Mom took us for some school supplies, a cold soft drink or snack, etc.  I remember the walk through from Woolworth's to Penneys too.  Nothing was more entertaining as a kid than walking the aisles of a 5 & 10 store. It would be a neat tourist attraction to recreate a fully stocked period Woolworth's store!

Compare the street vibrancy of that one block (Woolworths, Penneys, Hotel Robert Meyer) to the courthouse there now or to any other contemporary block of downtown.  I bet there was more activity on that one block in the 1950's than most all of downtown today.  I can't think of one block downtown that compares, not even the Landing.  Therein, is much of downtown's problem and potential solution.

[Timkin]

You are absolutely right , STJR!    Recreation of these places of yesteryear would immensely help to revitalize downtown.   All of the Vertical stuff SHOULD have been elsewhere.   It was as if the vision then was to make Downtown into a small NYC... and in the process, they killed it .

It is not too late.. but we have to bring back some of what slipped through our hands when  the "Master Plan" came into being .

[DeadGirlsDontDance]

My mom took me downtown to go shopping when I was a wee tiny girl, and I loved it, because we almost always had lunch at Woolworth's, and the milkshakes were amazing.

[mtraininjax]

Compare the street vibrancy of that one block (Woolworths, Penneys, Hotel Robert Meyer) to the courthouse there now or to any other contemporary block of downtown.  I bet there was more activity on that one block in the 1950's than most all of downtown today.  I can't think of one block downtown that compares, not even the Landing.  Therein, is much of downtown's problem and potential solution.

What is the major difference between the 1950s and now? Population. We have more people living better further and further from the core of the downtown area. Sprawl came to town, and downtown never recovered. People living in an apartment or downtown in less than 1000 square feet found they could double it for less further out. Jobs moved to the people and commercialism with the jobs and soon you had pockets of Lakewood, Mandarin, Beauclerc, Sandalwood, Normandy growing and expanding. To recapture downtown and the hey-dey, its all about economics. When downtown becomes cheaper than living in the burbs, you will see people move back, and with it jobs will follow as will the commercial businesses. Downtown's survival is all about economics.

[JaxNative68]

^ and with the sprawl came the shopping malls and strip malls that gave the population no reason to return to downtown.

[Timkin]

Compare the street vibrancy of that one block (Woolworths, Penneys, Hotel Robert Meyer) to the courthouse there now or to any other contemporary block of downtown.  I bet there was more activity on that one block in the 1950's than most all of downtown today.  I can't think of one block downtown that compares, not even the Landing.  Therein, is much of downtown's problem and potential solution.

What is the major difference between the 1950s and now? Population. We have more people living better further and further from the core of the downtown area. Sprawl came to town, and downtown never recovered. People living in an apartment or downtown in less than 1000 square feet found they could double it for less further out. Jobs moved to the people and commercialism with the jobs and soon you had pockets of Lakewood, Mandarin, Beauclerc, Sandalwood, Normandy growing and expanding. To recapture downtown and the hey-dey, its all about economics. When downtown becomes cheaper than living in the burbs, you will see people move back, and with it jobs will follow as will the commercial businesses. Downtown's survival is all about economics.

Agree M-train (this is kind of scary!)    However other cities have sprawl and still have a vibrant downtown.  We should as well.