The Malling of Jacksonville

[Charles Hunter]

If I remember correctly, Philips Mall - like Roosevelt - started out as open or semi-open, and was fully enclosed later on.

Also, my recollection of Roosevelt Mall was that it did not have any doors (to the mall part) before it was fully enclosed and a/c added.  I remember getting real Cherry Cokes at the snack bar / soda fountain in the old F.W. Woolworth's.

[Ocklawaha]

There was a steam locomotive that came from one of the chemical companies in Jacksonville. It was a small switcher - if I recall an 0-6-0T or 0-4-0T type. (Steam engines classed by wheel type, in this case 0-6-0 meaning zero leading trucks - 6 drive wheels - zero trailing trucks {and a rare "T" meaning it carried it's own water and fuel in a saddle T or TANK across the boiler, "T" usually means it had it's own coal bin too, and thus no coal tender - but that is not always the case}) It was a handsome little engine. I understand that the mall tried VERY HARD to see it moved and preserved and last I knew the local National Railroad Historical Society had arranged to save it. I have no idea if this ever happened...Does anyone know?

As for Roosevelt, I believe you are right Charles. As I usually entered the Roosevelt Mall from the SW corner where the bicycle and hobby shop was. I do recall that the large shade area's and the design seemed to catch the air and keep a comfortable breeze blowing through. I don't EVER remember it being terrible hot as in TOWN CENTER, In fact Town Center could take a page from Roosevelt and give us those wide - expansive roofs leaving holes for the trees and gardens, insert electric transit and ban autos from the main roadway - making it a pedestrian mall (hey if it works THEN lets try it downtown!). I think your also right about the FW Woolworths, they had the best cherry colas at the fountain. Also an incredible BLT or black cow. The only other thing close was the Rexall Drugs at Timmaquana and Roosevelt. Rexall had a good view of the action on the nearby ACL mainline.

The last of the "GREAT" woolworths restaurants and fountains that I can remember was the one in Regency. It lasted well into the 1980's and had been done over so that it was quite modern - almost Dennys like. But the food and service was better. It was so well patronized, I was shocked that it not only closed but vanished.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

An interior pedestrian mall would work at SJTC before it would in downtown.  Basically, because a portion of SJTC is laid out just like an enclosed mall, including the huge surface lots surrounding it and the anchors.  The difference is instead of having air conditioned space, its a narrow open air street, intended to give off a Main Street style feel.

On the other hand, closing off a downtown street for only pedestrian use, without having any true anchors to attract and keep heavy foot traffic would end in disaster.  This was tried all across the country in the 70s and most of those projects ended up killing the remaining retail in their city cores.  Outside of a select few (those that already had good population density and heavy foot traffic) most have been reopened to automobile traffic.

[77danj7]

I would think the Landing and opening up Laura Street would be a great place to do a South Street Seaport feel like in New York...

[Knowbusiness]

I worked at the Gateway Books stores in Philips Mall and Roosevelt Mall in the early 80s. I remember going to Philips Mall as a kid also. We saw Earthquake in surround sound at the theater. I loved Renna's Pizza and try to stop by and get in at one of their locations when I come to town.

DjDonny, do you remember Chris West or Ron, who was one of the owners of the arcade? I went to school with Chris. Bambi was the manager of the bookstore when I worked there. I also remember gallagher coming into the mall once when he was in town. He was staying at the hotel that was by the interstate in the mall parking lot.

Philips Mall is where the Body Shop clothing store got its start. I was on the mall merchant board with the owner of that store.

There used to be a fitness center across from the Gateway Books in Roosevelt Mall. It was an interesting place. That mall was not fully enclosed originally. the section where the Belks is/was was added when the mall was enclosed

I grew up near the Orange Park Mall and remember riding my skateboard down the hill next to the Sears service center before the mall opened. We used to steal coins from the fountain in the middle of the mall.

I also lived near recengy Square and remember the Big Star that used to be in an outparcel. I saw Jaws at the Regency Twin. I remember that the movie was there for like 6 months straight.

Normandy was the dregs, even in the 70s and 80s.

There were also a couple of mini malls in town. One was the Expressway Mall on Arlington Expressway, where one of the first, if not the first Publix was located in town. There were about 15-20 shops in the mall with a movie theater in the back. It has a Roses department store on one side. The University mall was on University Blvd, west of Philips Hwy. There was a Publix and the first Stein Mart. That mini mall had about 10 shops and no movie theater. One other mini-mall was in Orange Park. I believe it was called Kingsley Town Center and it had 10 shops with a movie theater in the back. there was a Winn Dixie and Townsend's Pharmacy, with a DQ in an outparcel. It was just west of Park Ave on Kingsley.



There was also an Outlets Ltd. Mall on Lane Ave, just off of I-10. I believe it is a Home Depot now with a few other stores.

[DjDonnyD]

hey Biz,
Gateway books was right across from the arcade. Ron Pritchard ,was the owner I Believe. I have tried to find him... But no luck. I'm am in the arcade biz now....30years later! I was like 14-15 when I worked there.
LOL, I remember gallagher coming into the mall Too! Funny, I forgot about that. He was getting produce at Food Fair for his show. The hotel behind the mall was a Holiday Inn. Me and my brother used to sneak into there pool. We live right behind the gate gas station across from Food Fair and Woolworths. After Woolworth closed, They held a few auction there and I bought my first Pinball machine. I rolled it across Emerson behind The gate gas stationand up to my house with my brother. I bought my first stereo and my first record at Montgomery Ward in the mall. Which All of these thing started my Biz and made me who I am Today!( See My Biz At www.Party-Animalz.com) I work for many years at the hall of terror. I was just in Jax in April. When I was in Jax I went to the Renna's in Baymeadows... As soon as I walked in the door... BAM ... The smell sent me back in time. How can the Pizza Smell the same after 25 years? Amazing!  I Now live in Connecticut. I'm moving back to Jax in 3years,11 months,14days And 19hours.... LOL Not that I'm Counting! I miss it soooo Much! Thanks For Sending me on a Flash-Back Trip! If you know anything about Ron please let me know. Was his last name Pritchard? Thanks Again, Your Mall Friend DjDonny@aol.com  

[Ocklawaha]

Hey DJ we need you back man, us oldsters are dropping like hippies at an acid fest. Speaking of which when my nephew and I (about the same age) were really goof off hippies we went to a Food Fair closing. Think maybe we had the munchies or something? Anyway, they had like tons of ice cream of all flavors and were selling it for something crazy like 25 cents a carton. So we bought all that we thought the freezer could hold and carted it off in a VW bus. Packed our freezers and invited some female friends over for an evening of smoke and cuddles... Opened the ice cream and it looked like frosty the snow man had attacked. That junk had been thawed and re-frozen so many times it was a trip just looking at it. Of course we thought it was funny as hell and dumped the whole mess in a friendly neighborhood dumpster. Be funny if we all knew each other somehow.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

77Danj7
I would think the Landing and opening up Laura Street would be a great place to do a South Street Seaport feel like in New York...

Sorry to say, when I was a kid we had a seaport all along the waterfront. From the Acosta to the Hart and on both sides of the river. We tore it all down and filled in the river with a zillion tons of sand and cement piles. Now these rocket scientists can't figure out why the Northbank Riverwalk washes out? DUH? It's called scouring. We blew our chances, we also had some cool old ships including Adolph Hitlers private launch. All gone. In the case of AH's boat - symbolic nonsense over came our possession of history so not only did we make a reef out of it. We blew it to pieces when it was sunk! Within the last 30 years no less.

OCKLAWAHA

[Knowbusiness]

Ron and I played softball together for a couple of years, in 1982-1983. You probably knew Bambi, who managed the bookstore and lived behind the Gate Station sort of. She lived on the first left after you went on that street.

I haven't lived there in 21 years now. I used to live on Clinton Avenue, around the corner from Allen Collins' (Lynyrd Skynyrd) mom.

My favorite thing at Renna's other than the pizza was the bread, 3 for $1 back then. You would have them drench it in butter and oil and just gorge yourself on it. They made the best hot subs around too.

[deathstar]

Roosevelt Mall might have its anchors, but the layout is HORRIBLE! If you're coming from Lakeshore BLVD. and take the entrance by Charles and George's Car Wash, headed towards Publix, your best bet is to make a left and find a parking spot that way. One car at a time can only turn at both ends of the Publix branch of buildings. The parking situation is something people have been griping about for a decade now. No angle parking, very few parking spots in just 1 row, and customers complain about having to park by Belk, Fuji Sushi, and Panera.

We're also out of room inside that store. If you go into the Publix on Argyle, you'll see it has the same exact design. You'd also think their store is Bigger!! Nope, that's not the case, they don't do the type of business WE do. The back room, and even the Frozen Food Freezer, is so small and tightly compact, that we're barely able to fit our backstock anywhere!

Although Roosevelt Mall brings in heavy business, its a big failure as far as parking, building designs, and location!

[Charles Hunter]

We're also out of room inside that store. If you go into the Publix on Argyle, you'll see it has the same exact design. You'd also think their store is Bigger!! Nope, that's not the case, they don't do the type of business WE do. The back room, and even the Frozen Food Freezer, is so small and tightly compact, that we're barely able to fit our backstock anywhere!

Which must explain why the customer aisles are always FULL of carts of stock, waiting to be put on the shelves or in the freezer cases.  Getting up and down the aisles is a real challange.

[Ocklawaha]

They just need a good transportation guy Charles. Wonder if I should apply?

Deathstar, I think if you go back and read over the thread - we're discussing the original enclosed or semi-enclosed malls in Jacksonville. Roosevelt has been wrecked and rebuilt into a whole new animal, not even close to the original mall or it's later enclosed version.

It's been all downhill from there...

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Here's some more pics and plans of a couple of these malls....

Roosevelt Square - the original layout



Philips Mall - the original layout



Market Square Mall (Philips during the 1980s)



Grande Boulevard Mall (what it looks like today as FCCJ)

[civil42806]

Roosevelt Mall might have its anchors, but the layout is HORRIBLE! If you're coming from Lakeshore BLVD. and take the entrance by Charles and George's Car Wash, headed towards Publix, your best bet is to make a left and find a parking spot that way. One car at a time can only turn at both ends of the Publix branch of buildings. The parking situation is something people have been griping about for a decade now. No angle parking, very few parking spots in just 1 row, and customers complain about having to park by Belk, Fuji Sushi, and Panera.

We're also out of room inside that store. If you go into the Publix on Argyle, you'll see it has the same exact design. You'd also think their store is Bigger!! Nope, that's not the case, they don't do the type of business WE do. The back room, and even the Frozen Food Freezer, is so small and tightly compact, that we're barely able to fit our backstock anywhere!

Although Roosevelt Mall brings in heavy business, its a big failure as far as parking, building designs, and location!

Odd I didn't think the Roosevelt Square, hasn't been a mall in years, was in the business of parking or design.  They are selling a bunch of crap though, parking lot is usually full.

[DjDonnyD]

Hey Lake Lander!
Outstanding Stuff From Philips Mall! Where you and Ock. Find this stuff?! Everyone Keep the mall stuff coming!
It is amazing how much I forgot about the malls around Jax! Oh, And how much I Do really remember!How Long did Market Square last at the old Philips mall? Did it really make any money? How long did the mall sit empty? HEY KnowBiz? Is Ron's Last name Pritchard? I would love to track him down! Oh, Yes, I think I do remember Bambi! Yes, She lived on the street across from my front door. The street Was off of Copper Circle West. Thanks All! Keep Up the Great Work! I Can't Wait to get back to my Home In Jax! DjDonnyD@aol.com