A Look Inside The Ambassador Hotel Rebirth

[Tacachale]

Once the premier hotel in Downtown, the Ambassador Hotel had become a crack house by the time of its closure in 1998. Now, work has finally commenced to breathe new life to this Downtown landmark.

Read more: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-look-inside-the-ambassador-hotel-rebirth/

[heights unknown]

Wow; what memories for me. Why? I was in the United States Navy for 20 years from 1974 until I retired in 1994. I was born in Jacksonville and lived in LaVilla as a child. We moved away later to West Central Florida and when I joined the Navy, because of my love for Jacksonville, I always tried to be based there. I was stationed at NAS Jax, and NAS Cecil Field various times, and was a wild one back in the day; so, there were three places I hung out at downtown to party; The Flamingo Lounge on Main Street, Howard's which was near the Main Street Bridge Exit Ramp, and The Ambassador Hotel Bar in the Basement. The Flamingo was my main stomping ground, but the Ambassador Hotel was where I migrated to when I got tired of the other places; Howards was a strip bar frequented by us Sailors, so you could only stomach so much of Howard's, then you moved on. The Ambassador Bar was seedy, down in the basement, and that's what I liked back then; hanging out with blue collar, real people, seedy yes, but down to earth. I even had a couple of friends who actually lived there and yes, it was a dump in my opinion, far from the two bedroom 2 bath apartments I rented next to the bases on the west side. But.......a lot of memories in those seedy walls LOLOL, drunkenness, seediness, drama, fights and brawls (hey that's what Sailors live for), and whatever else came our way. Stumbled out of that basement bar many a day and many a night blind drunk sometimes leaving my car downtown and catching the bus back to the base (in my younger days). I will miss the OLD Ambassador with my memories tucked within those walls that will soon be torn down; but I am happy that it will have a new purpose not only for the city of Jacksonville, but especially for downtown Jacksonville. I'll have to check out that rooftop bar when it's complete LOL and get a room. I wonder what will be in the basement?