LaVilla Shotgun Houses On Verge Of Being Demolished?

[Metro Jacksonville]

LaVilla Shotgun Houses On Verge Of Being Demolished?



Not much is left of Florida's first major urban black neighborhood.  Years of urban renewal and haphazard demolition have resulted in a major loss to Jacksonville's cultural heritage and downtown's vibrancy. Now, with an effort to preserve the area's last three shotgun houses drawing opposition from council members, more of LaVilla's history disappear.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-aug-lavilla-shotgun-houses-on-verge-of-being-demolished

[fieldafm]

Besides Redman (to no one's surprise), what other Council members are in favor of tearing these down?

[Garden guy]

Will councilman Redman ever stop making himself into a fool with no heart..what a fucking redneck idiot.

[avonjax]

Redman. One of the reasons Jacksonville is so so far behind.

[Cheshire Cat]

The city spent over $100,000.00 to move those houses to that location.  Demolishing them is saying it's just fine to have wasted the money to move them to begin with. When does this city ever stop getting stuck on stupid?  As bad as they look, they can be saved and they should be.  They represent an integral part of what was the fabric of LaVilla. 

[Stephen]

The problem isn't Redman.The problem is the idiots who keep voting for him. I am going to start paying as much attention to local races as I do to national races.

[thelakelander]

I've always felt local politics are way more important than national. Leadership is typically reflective of the general population that willingly puts them into office. 

As for the shotguns, it's kind of ironic that the OED solicits an RFP for the Sax site requiring proposals to consider LaVilla's history and heritage, yet at the same time, we're seriously considering not preserving the last three 100-year-old shotguns still standing (mind you, we've already taken out thousands).  This was Florida's first urban black neighborhood and one of national historic significance. The first blues song recorded in America happened right on this block.  This type of house represents what national figures from (or who spent a considerable amount of time here) Jax, such as James Weldon Johnson, Zora Neale Hurston, Philip Randolph, Ray Charles, etc. resided in. Their grouping also provides a visual glimpse into what Jacksonville's urban residential built environment looked like during a time when if you were black, the law would not allow you to live in areas we treasure today, such as Springfield, San Marco, and Riverside/Avondale.

In reality, this issue shouldn't even be a debate.  Every building still standing (you could probably count them on your fingers now) representing the true authenticity of LaVilla should be landmarked, ASAP.  Instead of discussing the pros and cons of preserving these structures, the conversation should be centered around rebuilding this urban environment in a manner that integrates new with the old.

[tufsu1]

Redman. One of the reasons Jacksonville is so so far behind.

while some of the time Redman is very not helpful, he is the sttrong bike advocate on Council.

[m74reeves]

I agree, lakelander. I can't believe it's even open to debate as so much of this area is gone. FOREVER.

[Josh]

Redman. One of the reasons Jacksonville is so so far behind.

while some of the time Redman is very not helpful, he is the sttrong bike advocate on Council.

Which gets echoed on this forum all the time, but never with any examples to back that claim up. He let the intersections at Laura St turn into a nightmare for bikers (and cars alike) in his territory and under his watch.

[fsujax]

His mind could proabably be changed if properly persuaded. He will listen.

[thelakelander]

I just remembered, I have a random collection of old Jacksonville images on my phone, from various documents I've researched in the past.  Here are a few from the LaVilla area.

A row of shotguns in Hansontown (north side of State Street). This area ended up being demolished for an urban renewal project that ultimately never came to fruition. Definitely, not Klutho or Riverside but still a community and critical component of Jacksonville's historical makeup.


I believe this is Davis Street sometime in the late 60s.  Those who are good with cars may be able to pinpoint the exact era by the model of the vehicles on the street. Davis Street was a corridor one would enter the city from the Lem Turner area before the construction of I-95.


This is a set of old bordellos near the intersection of Houston and Davis.


Concept of the failed urban renewal plan that took out LaVilla north of Beaver Street and Sugar Hill.


While I'm at it, here's a failed redevelopment concept of neighboring Brooklyn from the 1980s.

[fsujax]

Look at that, another failed plan.

[m74reeves]

it's a shame for the localized demolition and a shame that nothing materialized after, but i have to say that's it's probably a good thing that a concentration of "public housing" as shown in second to last pic didn't happen. it's a 50's and 60's housing experiment that was shown to be a complete failure on many levels.

[Jumpinjack]

...
A row of shotguns in Hansontown (north side of State Street). This area ended up being demolished for an urban renewal project that ultimately never came to fruition. Definitely, not Klutho or Riverside but still a community and critical component of Jacksonville's historical makeup.

Brooklyn was also once a community - now forgotten history. Thanks for the photos and a quality comment,  Lake.