Remembering Furchgott's Department Store

[thelakelander]

Great overview of the docks. Considering loading was done by hand, thousands must have been employed at the docks. Nobody mentions the results of replacing thousands of downtown jobs with parking, on its economy.

[BackinJax05]

Major C and Jaxon, you are right, of course. The flight to the suburbs explains so much. Downtown was the business hub until that happened, and what it would take to make downtown vibrant again is a real riddle - though doing something to attract folks to live there is certainly a big part of the equation.

Back in the day - say the late '60s and earlier - downtown was not a long distance destination, and most everyone knew how to get there. That is not true today. A lot of folks don't really know where it is and when they get there profess to being frustrated by one-way streets that I find quite easy to navigate. But parking was a problem; not only patrons, but many employees of the stores had to park somewhere, and there wasn't much available other that on the street. And that is why the suburban mall met with such success.

Once upon a time there were movie theaters - and some quite decent ones downtown,  and the only ones in the 'burbs were mostly rink-dink or drive-ins. (Does anyone here remember drive-ins? and what you could do during a show?) Oh, those good old days really were good old days.

Drive -Ins ..... Lets see... the Fox ,, The Midway, Playtime,  Airbase ( closed about the time I came along)  ..

Dont remember their names, but I remember drive ins at 48th & Main, Atlantic & Bartram (now a Publix), & University Blvd. N. & Jack Rd. (became a KMart, now a library) The one on University was $5 a carload on Saturday nights back in the early 70s.

[Timkin]

If only we had a couple drive-ins.   There is something to do with a large piece of property.  I would still go to them.

[BackinJax05]

Anyone else remember when the Playtime showed adult films?

An X-rated drive in. ONLY IN JACKSONVILLE.

[Timkin]

Anyone else remember when the Playtime showed adult films?

An X-rated drive in. ONLY IN JACKSONVILLE.

I thought that was all that Playtime showed.   A church bought the property a few years ago. Now I believe it sits unused.   Perfect spot to re-create a drive in , since it is still a vacant property.

[If_I_Loved_you]

Major C and Jaxon, you are right, of course. The flight to the suburbs explains so much. Downtown was the business hub until that happened, and what it would take to make downtown vibrant again is a real riddle - though doing something to attract folks to live there is certainly a big part of the equation.

Back in the day - say the late '60s and earlier - downtown was not a long distance destination, and most everyone knew how to get there. That is not true today. A lot of folks don't really know where it is and when they get there profess to being frustrated by one-way streets that I find quite easy to navigate. But parking was a problem; not only patrons, but many employees of the stores had to park somewhere, and there wasn't much available other that on the street. And that is why the suburban mall met with such success.

Once upon a time there were movie theaters - and some quite decent ones downtown,  and the only ones in the 'burbs were mostly rink-dink or drive-ins. (Does anyone here remember drive-ins? and what you could do during a show?) Oh, those good old days really were good old days.

Drive -Ins ..... Lets see... the Fox ,, The Midway, Playtime,  Airbase ( closed about the time I came along)  ..

Dont remember their names, but I remember drive ins at 48th & Main, Atlantic & Bartram (now a Publix), & University Blvd. N. & Jack Rd. (became a KMart, now a library) The one on University was $5 a carload on Saturday nights back in the early 70s.

Don't forget "Normandy (Loew's) Drive -IN" off of 228 Normandy Blvd a Publix shopping center is there now.

[avonjax]

From an old timer who may have been to every drive-in in Jax history.I will probably get a couple of names wrong and forget on3 or two, but here goes. The Fox which I think was the drive in on the north side of Normandy where Publix is a few feet west of 295. I think it was called the Soutel Drive-in (I may be wrong) on Soutel on the Northside. There was the Midway, which I think was either on the site of the WalMart on Beach near Southside Blvd, or the corner of University and Atlantic. I think the one on U & A was the Atlantic Drive-in though. I can't remember the name but there was a drive-in at the corner of University and Phillips. There was the University on University Blvd on the site that is now the Library. If I'm not mistaken they tore down the drive-in to build a short lived KMart on that site. There was a drive in on Beach, on the Beach side of Beach Blvd. I never went but the Airbase was on 17. The Normandy Drive-in was on the site of what was the Normandy Mall. There was the Blanding where the Vystar Bank now lives. And of course the Playtime. There was a drive-in on Amelia Island on  A1A. The Main Street was on the site that is now the former Food Lion strip center. The Oceanway was on North Main passed Oceanway middle school and before the entrance to RCMP. The Pinecrest was on Howard Road right off Main Street. I think I remember the Airbase name, I just don't remember where it was. There was the Lake Forest Drive-in but I can't remember the street, but I went there a few times. I don't think I ever went to the Beach, The Airbase, the Normandy or the Blanding, but I have gone to all the others.

[Timkin]

Airbase Drive in was on the site of where 84 ( I think this is right ) Lumber company.  Just south of the Navy Surplus Facility on the West Side of Hwy 17 and just North of  Collins Road. In fact you could turn to go on to Collins or directly into Airbase drive in.   It closed in the early 60s

[finehoe]

There was the Lake Forest Drive-in but I can't remember the street

Does anyone remember where this might have been?

[BackinJax05]

How did an article about Furchgott's evolve into a discussion about drive ins?

Oh well, drive ins are another thing kids of today will never experience. Or maybe even their parents. Drive ins have been gone for a LONG time now. 

[Timkin]

How did an article about Furchgott's evolve into a discussion about drive ins?

Oh well, drive ins are another thing kids of today will never experience. Or maybe even their parents. Drive ins have been gone for a LONG time now. 

It happens , BIJ 05.  Didn't really mean to .   

I definitely Miss the drive-ins .. Most notably the Midway, which was just blocks from where I lived at the time.  Funny.. At least two drive-in sites  are now occupied by Wal-marts.  I have to wonder why  Theaters still exist, but no drive-ins? what a great era that was.

[MajorCordite]

I have a couple of comments about the development of the waterfront between CSX and the Independent Life/Modis Tower.  During Haydon Burns tenure this piece of waterfront was seen as a blight area.  Even before Burns all of the waterfront to the shipyards was considered an "industrial blight zone."  Jacksonville, at that time, never considered anything as having historical value.  Jacksonville was the Bold New City of the South and that meant everything old must go in the name of  progress.

Jacksonville lacked a historical culture like those found in the older cities of Charleston and/or Savannah.  Perhaps if things were different then this maritime district could have been preserved.  I went to the grand opening of the new and modern Haydon Burns Library when I was in grammar school.  This was Jacksonville on the cutting edge of modernity.   Now look at it.  How long did the new last?  Not Long.

Even as late as 1970 we were still going downtown to shop, going to movies and visiting older eating establishments.  Looking back, I now see this time being much like visiting your elder grandparents in their final days.   You could since the demise.   And how quickly did it all happen.  I worked with the Auchter Company when they began demolishing the buildings to build the Independent Life Tower.  Even during the  construction years of 1971 - 1972 we would walk up the street and have lunch in the older buildings that still had lunch counters.

From 1968 through 1971, as a student of Terry Parker High School, we always took our dates to the Atlantic Drive-In on Atlantic Blvd and Bartram. (Publix is there now).    Saturdays were spent at the beach and come nightfall we headed to the movies.  Money was short and it was chore to find money for gas, dinner, and a movie.  I had a Volkswagen Van Camper and sometimes we snuck in a couple of people by hiding them under the back fold-out seat.

I remember one time we came straight from the beach and we had no shoes with us, not even a pair of flip flops.  Our dates insisted that we buy them a box of popcorn and a couple of Cokes.  My friend and I attempted to get out of the van but the ground was covered with sharp rocks and gravel and we couldn't walk.   The girls whined and we gave up our man cards.  I found a couple of used butter popcorn boxes on the ground, under the van, and I proceeded to take my pocket knife and cut out sections for my feet to fit into.  I walked to the concession stand with butter and yellow oil oozing between my toes.   Needless to say everybody at the concession stand was laughing at my red and white, hot butter square pop corn shoes.

It wasn't a bad night after all.  Next week I celebrate my 40th wedding anniversary with this young girl who was my date.  I'm going to surprise her with a box of popcorn.  NO and not on the feet!   

     

[Treadwell]

This is an old thread, but I wanted to post this pic:
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j54/Treadwell_Jay/07284571-a2d0-47f8-8689-7d230ce54f9e_zpsiusaqoql.jpg

Old gift boxes such as this one are still a part of my family's Christmases. The boxes are still too sturdy and useful to toss out. Ivey's boxes show up as well. They get packed up with all the Xmas stuff every year.

[MusicMan]

Well the Hayden Burns Library is "born again", perhaps the same can be done for Furchgott's.