Forgotten Jacksonville: Julia Street

[Metro Jacksonville]

Forgotten Jacksonville: Julia Street



Despite being in the heart of downtown, within a block of three skyway stations, and serving as a direct link between FSCJ and the Times-Union Performing Arts Center, Julia Street remains completely desolate.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/1074

[heights unknown]

Well, from what I have been reading, the Courthouse project appears to be coming "out of the ground" for sure, effective immediately and very very soon.  If that is the case, then hopefully it will spur development, growth, and activity once again around the western edge (both north and south) of downtown bordering Lavilla and even into LaVilla.

Of note, it brought back memories looking at the old Ambassador Hotel.  As a younger man in the late 70's and into the 80's (and very early 90's), during my "off the chain," liquor slinging days, I used to quite often frequent the bar in the basement of the Ambassador Hotel (though I was in the Navy and well to do, I loved to flirt with the gutter from time to time).  It was full of blue collar, low income, and a few homeless and alcoholics but we had a ball.  And yes, the weekly rent was very very low for some of the residents who lived there.

Ahh the memories (we do stupid things when we're young).

Heights Unknown

Heights Unknown

[Karl_Pilkington]

there are some cool buildings on Julia including the hq of the Fire dept (the old federal reserve bldg), KBJ architects in that awesome old house and the old post office which is an amazing building which I really hope gets renovated and used when the new courthouse is built.  It is eerily empty though.

[stephenc]

so building the new coourthouse should help revitalize Julia St. Has anyone discussed what it will do to Bay St and the adjacent streets when the courthouse moves? Will there still be enough people in that area to keep those shops and restraunts going?

[fsu813]

hopefully Bay Street will turn into the downtown nightlife center , even more so than today.

[thelakelander]

Getting it out of there will help Bay if something compatible with the "entertainment district" (like a convention center) replaces it.

[Ocklawaha]

NEWS FLASH - OCK GETS POSITIVE!

Bay Street is safe by virtue of it's corridor status. Any street that can chalk up that many vehicles and transit plus Skyway, is going to remain a focal point.

Add to that the fact that when the Courthouse and Annex moves out of Bay Street, it will open property that should be as valuable to developers as Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.

Since development begats development the new Courthouse is apparently going to spur at least 3 or 4 more signature projects. It would be just like Jacksonville (Knowing the history) to suddenly be dealing with a building boom when the rest of the nation is ready to fold their cards and go home.

I know I'm the resident transit monster and sound like a broken record but add Heritage Streetcars to this mix and jump out of the way, because I predict downtown will take off like Jack and his magic beanstalk.

This is just for Heights Unknown, About that bar and those wild times, I'll grow old, but I REFUSE to grow up... Let your "freak flag fly" man and never look back... Never Give Up - Never Surrender! Now where's my Sailor Jerry? Raise your sails 3 sheets to the wind... Solid Man!

"Now away in the near future
Southeast of disorder
You can shake the hand of the mango man
As he greats you at the border

And the lady she hails from Trinidad
Island of the spices
Salt for your meat, and cinnamon sweet
And the rum is for all your good vices

Haul the sheet in as we ride on the wind
That our forefathers harnessed before us
Hear the bells ring as the tight rigging sings
Its a son of a gun of a chorus"



OCKLAWAHA

[JaxNative68]

Hopefullly the original Independent Life building can remain as is and just be renovated/restored to its original glory.  The rendering of the proposed conversion destroys the character of a great mid 50's design.  This building as is, is one of my favorites in the city.

[urbanlibertarian]

As a resident of the Cathedral District, I'm wondering how long it will take for the law offices and bail bonds businesses to migrate to the other side of Main Street.  It might get kinda lonely on the east side for a while.  That said, the courthouse getting finally built will be a great thing.

[stjr]

It looks to me that Julia Street struggles, aside from all the vacant lots and store fronts, from a range of buildings facing it that have nothing to offer in the way of street appeal.  We have parking garage vent holes, service entrances such as truck delivery and loading docks, solid sides of buildings fronting other streets, and a lot of long solid walls with an entry door poked in them.  The old Federal Reserve and Courthouse buildings are great buildings, but not exactly street friendly. They share in common with the new Federal Courthouse, and it certainly looks like the new County Courthouse, that cold, "we mean business here" exteriors and approaches. I expect the "green space" in front of the new Courthouse will become a magnet for the homeless to rival Hemming Plaza, causing additional issues.  There will be a lot more promise from the traffic and rich lawyers in and out of the Courthouse than from our loyal City servants at Hemming.

As such, I think Julia is destined for years to come, to be a secondary street in Jax.  Don't feel bad, unfortunately, there are plenty of other Downtown streets to share this misery with.  We need to change our design standards Downtown to require street friendly facades on the majority of EACH of the FOUR SIDES of a city block, subject only to security and service adjustments.  And, while making Bay Street an entertainment zone is fine, we need to spread shopping, restaurants, and other escapes throughout Downtown if we want it all to succeed.  Until then, we can expect to have all those "dead zones" the Verizon guy is trying to eliminate  .  "Can you hear me here?"

P.S. I remember in the 1960's and 70's when Sunshine Stamps and Coins was in the downstairs of the Ambassador too.  As a pediatric philatelist, I was a regular visitor there!

[urbanlibertarian]

stjr wrote:
" We need to change our design standards Downtown to require street friendly facades on the majority of EACH of the FOUR SIDES of a city block, subject only to security and service adjustments.  And, while making Bay Street an entertainment zone is fine, we need to spread shopping, restaurants, and other escapes throughout Downtown if we want it all to succeed."

stjr,
I don't think increasing regulation of new development downtown is going to help it happen.  Let's let property owners have the freedom to create what they believe will work.

[stjr]

Urban, I understand your rebellion against regulation.  But, just as we have historic districts that thrive due to a symbiotic relationship, it sometimes takes regulation to give assurances to the private sector that investments made will be honored with an assured environment that fosters their success.  Having a master plan that is enforced helps to produce such results.  Not all regulation is bad.  Most of it IS poorly conceived because it's passed in the middle of the night by special interests (can you say "oil rigs coming to a beach near you?").

[thelakelander]

It is true that not all regulation is bad.  The benefits of making all new construction downtown embrace the sidewalks on portions of all blocks outweigh the negatives.  Allowing property owners to do what they want in any circumstance will only lead to what is there now.  That's surface parking, asphalt, dirt lots, blank walls at street level, garages and continued demolition of valuable building stock.

[civil42806]

It looks to me that Julia Street struggles, aside from all the vacant lots and store fronts, from a range of buildings facing it that have nothing to offer in the way of street appeal.  We have parking garage vent holes, service entrances such as truck delivery and loading docks, solid sides of buildings fronting other streets, and a lot of long solid walls with an entry door poked in them.  The old Federal Reserve and Courthouse buildings are great buildings, but not exactly street friendly. They share in common with the new Federal Courthouse, and it certainly looks like the new County Courthouse, that cold, "we mean business here" exteriors and approaches. I expect the "green space" in front of the new Courthouse will become a magnet for the homeless to rival Hemming Plaza, causing additional issues.  There will be a lot more promise from the traffic and rich lawyers in and out of the Courthouse than from our loyal City servants at Hemming.

As such, I think Julia is destined for years to come, to be a secondary street in Jax.  Don't feel bad, unfortunately, there are plenty of other Downtown streets to share this misery with.  We need to change our design standards Downtown to require street friendly facades on the majority of EACH of the FOUR SIDES of a city block, subject only to security and service adjustments.  And, while making Bay Street an entertainment zone is fine, we need to spread shopping, restaurants, and other escapes throughout Downtown if we want it all to succeed.  Until then, we can expect to have all those "dead zones" the Verizon guy is trying to eliminate  .  "Can you hear me here?"

P.S. I remember in the 1960's and 70's when Sunshine Stamps and Coins was in the downstairs of the Ambassador too.  As a pediatric philatelist, I was a regular visitor there!

A fellow philatelist!!! nice to meet you.  Had an uncle that rented a room at the ambassador for years we finally got him out of there and into cathedral towers.  Used to work in the old Independence life/Old Jea building for a few years.  Upper conference room is pretty sweet.  Seems like that street could be developed, though when I read about the owners of the ambassador hotel talking about condo conversion, couldn't stop laughing.  Building is in terrible shape inside, that was in the mid 90's can't imagine its got any better.  There  used to be a great place for lunch at If I remember correctly at julia and forsyth, "blue boy cafe"? Some of the best fried chicken.

[stjr]

P.S. I remember in the 1960's and 70's when Sunshine Stamps and Coins was in the downstairs of the Ambassador too.  As a pediatric philatelist, I was a regular visitor there!

A fellow philatelist!!! nice to meet you. 

Civil, haven't kept up with philately since my college years.  Last big move was the international Stampex show for the Bicentennial in Philadelphia where they assembled in one place the greatest collection of the worlds rarest stamps ever.  Still have the show catalog that included pix, etc. of the exhibit and a USPS Souvenir card.

What was your specialty?

I specialized in US Mints from early 1900's to the mid-1970's.  Singles, some FDC's, plate blocks, a few coil line pairs - used Scott's National Album.  Bought lot's of issues from the PO when released.  Also have a good set of mint UN to mid-70's including FDC's, inscription blocks, mint singles, souvenir cards, stationary.  And a global collection of assorted issues from over 175 extinct and current nations and territories from late 1800's to mid-70's.  Started collecting at 7 years old - second grade and still have the collection sitting on the shelf and in drawers.  Learned much about global culture, history, geography, commerce, etc.  A great hobby likely practiced by very few kids today.  Fun and educational at the same time.  I still have an urge to save stamps from the PO rather than use them.  But, just too many issues today and in larger quantities.  I'd rather return to collecting the older stuff and filling in the holes in my collection.

My other hobbies: HO model railroad on a 4' x 8' wood table my grandfather made for me in the garage, collecting Matchbox cars (when they were still made in England in the 1960's - still have all those in Matchbox plastic display cases sitting on the shelf) and snapping pictures with my Kodak Instamatic 100.

Today, all I have time for is snapping pictures.  But I wouldn't mind picking up the others when life slows down.