Posts by ahalstead
Historic Springfield Walking Tour
Historic Springfield Walking Tour
[STARTING POINT]
Henry J. Klutho Park
204 West 3rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Henry J. Klutho Park (formerly known as Springfield Park) is located in the Springfield Section of north Jacksonville. Most of the park and adjacent Boulevard were created along Hogans Creek between 1899 and 1901, on land donated by a developer, the Springfield Company. The City’s first zoo opened at the park in 1914, followed by the first municipal swimming pool in 1922. Founded in 1904, the Springfield Improvement Association & Archives (formally Woman’s Club) has steadfastly worked for the beautification of the park. The Hogans Creek Improvement Project of 1929-30, designed by architect Henry Klutho (1873-1964) and engineered by Charles Imeson, turned much of the park grounds into a lovely Venetian-style promenade. The City renamed a portion of Springfield Park in 1984 to honor Mr. Klutho, a Springfield resident whose high-rise buildings in downtown and Prairie School of Architecture transformed Jacksonville after the Great Fire of 1901.
[STOP 1]
Archibald Inn
125 West 2nd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Built in 1903 for Judge Robert Archibald and his wife, Dr. Mary Allen Starkweather, this three-story frame vernacular house with colonial revival influences, was one of the first licensed bed & breakfast inns in Jacksonville. Situated on the Boulevard with a magnificent view of downtown Jacksonville, the Archibald Inn is ideally located to take advantage of the beauty of Historic Springfield.
[STOP 2]
Karpeles Manuscript Library
101 West 1st Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Overlooking the open space along Hogans Creek, this creates an impressive entrance to Springfield. It is a departure from the more usual ecclesiastical styles found in Jacksonville at the time of its construction (Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Spanish, etc.), with an imposing Neo-Classical Revival façade highlighted by monumental Doric columns. Marsh & Saxelbye dominated the Jacksonville architectural scene during the 1920’s and this is a good example of the diversity of their repertoire of architectural styles.
[STOP 3]
Jacob Estate
1206 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Earliest records indicate that Horace B. Snell, president of the Florida-Georgia Syrup Company, and his wife, Annie, were the first occupants of the Jacob Estate. In 1911, Eva and Henry Jacobs purchased this majestic home, and remained here until shortly after World War II. Renovations begun on the house the first of September 1982. The downstairs living room recaptures the home’s original elegance with 19th century Louis XV reproduction furniture which was originally made for the Palm Beach home of the Vanderbilt family.
[STOP 4]
Waterworks Building
1000 North Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Originally built in 1896 with an addition in 1907. Local architects Ellis & McClure designed a brick pumphouse, adjacent to an octagonal building that covered the well. One member of this firm, Robert N. Ellis was a civil engineer hired by the city as construction superintendent for both the waterworks and the sewer system. With a capacity of one-million gallons per day, the waterworks facility was a major accomplishment for Jacksonville. But by fall of 1882, salt water intrusion had made the system unusable. A dam was erected across Hogans Creek, and the resulting pond was temporarily used as the water supply. Beginning in 1884, wells were sunk in the Waterworks Park, which provided an ample supply of fresh water. Ellis continued as waterworks superintendent until his retirement in 1891.
[STOP 5]
Confederate Park
956 Hubbard Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Confederate Park is located near downtown, in the Springfield area of north Jacksonville. First named Dignan Park, for a chairman of the Board of Public Works, it opened in 1907 and contained the City’s first supervised playground. The United Confederate Veterans chose Jacksonville as the site for their annual reunion in 1914, and the site for a monument honoring the Women of the Southland. Five months after the reunion of an estimated 8,000 former Confederate soldiers, the City renamed the park, and the monument was erected the next year. During the early decades, citizens came from all over Jacksonville to attend cultural events at the park or to see the beautiful Rose Arbor, originally placed in 1920 and restored in 2007. Visitors strolled along the lovely Hogans Creek Promenade that opened in 1930, and in more recent years attend events sponsored by the Springfield Improvement Association and Archives (SIAA).
[STOP 6]
Confederate Playground and Dog Park
949 Hubbard Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Opening in 1907, containing the City’s first supervised playground. The playground was permanently established as a separate facility from Confederate Park in the 1950’s, and today provides open space and recreational facilities for residents of the Springfield and downtown communities.
[STOP 7]
J Daniel Boone Drugstore (Pearl Building)
1101 North Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Originally built in 1896 with an addition in 1907. Local architects Ellis & McClure designed a brick pumphouse, adjacent to an octagonal building that covered the well. One member of this firm, Robert N. Ellis was a civil engineer hired by the city as construction superintendent for both the waterworks and the sewer system. With a capacity of one-million gallons per day, the waterworks facility was a major accomplishment for Jacksonville. But by fall of 1882, salt water intrusion had made the system unusable. A dam was erected across Hogans Creek, and the resulting pond was temporarily used as the water supply. Beginning in 1884, wells were sunk in the Waterworks Park, which provided an ample supply of fresh water. Ellis continued as waterworks superintendent until his retirement in 1891.
[STOP 8]
J Daniel Boone Drugstore (Pearl Building)
1101 North Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
First built as a drugstore for Percy McDonald c. 1901. It was called the J. Daniel Boone Drugstore, one of three owned by Mr. McDonald, the others – one at NE corner of 8th and Main and one on Walnut at 4th Street. Mr. McDonald lived over the one at 8th. We are fortunate that in 2006 this “Pearl” was renovated.
[STOP 9]
William B. Barnett Residence (Solomon Lodge)
25 East 1st Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
After the 1901 fire destroyed his downtown residence, William B. Barnett, the founder of Florida’s Barnett Bank chain, had this elegant mansion constructed in Springfield. It is the most imposing example of the Colonial Revival style remaining in the neighborhood. The building was designed by Knoxville architect Leon Beaver, designer of the Barnett Bank Building standing at that time. The formal façade of the house is dominated by a two-tier veranda, which features grouped Ionic columns. The second-story columns and capitals are very slightly smaller than their first-story counterparts, a visual truck that enhances the lofty perspective of the façade. A portion of the widow’s walk, which originally surmounted the flat ridge of the roof, can still be seen on the west side. With the exception of the enclosing of the part of the side veranda, the building remains relatively unchanged and is a splendid survivor of the post-Fire residential building boom. The Barnett family sold the house in 1941 to Solomon Lodge, the city’s oldest Masonic organization, while was founded in 1848 and now uses the Barnett residence as a meeting hall.
[STOP 10]
Gould House
223 West 4th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Circa 1897-98, this house originally stood in the center of a large lot; but around 1910, it was moved to the east side of the property and a duplex was built on the west side. This was apparently done to provide additional family income. The original house still stands at 223 West 4th Street but the duplex at 229 no longer exists. This was the residence of twin sisters, Lena and Kate Gould who were born in 1868 in Thomasville, Georgia. They lived together at 223 West 4th Street for almost 65 years. During this time, they watched the 1901 fire from the upstairs balcony and saw Springfield no longer being considered “out in the country”. What is also interesting is that they saw their street go from dirt, to shell, to brick. Most Springfield residents will know that this brick street survives today.
[STOP 11]
Parsonage
303 West 4th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Circa 1897-1903. This unique Prairie Style home, featured in Jacksonville Magazine as one of Jacksonville’s 25 Most Beautiful Homes, was moved to its fourth location in 1987 saving it from demolition. This magnificent house has been moved four times; originally at 1116 North Laura, Hogan and West Fifth, 218 West First Street.
[STOP 12]
The Stevens House
133 West 5th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Featured on the Home and Garden television program “If These Walls Could Talk”, this Tudor Revival two story home was constructed in 1917 by Arthur D. Stevens, President of the Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Corporation. Stevens was a renowned engineer and had patented the use of ferrous cement in the shipbuilding industry. This is one of four homes Stevens had in Jacksonville. Stevens died in this home on December 14, 1931. His partner and best friend Captain Frank Jacob Brock lived across the street at 140 West Fifth Street. The home is unique in Jacksonville’s architectural heritage due to its design and construction using ferrous cement and streel. The home has a full basement and a circular staircase cast in cement which is located in the center of the home.
[STOP 13]
The Brock House
140 West 5th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
This large, frame, vernacular home was built circa 1909 by Frank J. Brock who was a partner in the Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Corporation with Arthur Stevens who lived across the street. Frank Brock’s grandfather was Captain Jacob Brock. Captain Brock was the pioneer steamboat man of the St. Johns River and founder of the Brock Line. It was said that even among steamboat captains, he had a notable reputation for the lavish and original nature of his profanity. For almost ten years, in the early 1850’s before the Civil War and for over a decade after, the Brock Line of steamboats helped open the St. Johns River area and make it accessible to the increasing number of visitors and settlers coming to Florida.
[STOP 14]
Springfield Improvement Association and Archives (SIAA)
210 West 7th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Built in 1906, originally a Presbyterian Church which stood at the corner of Silver and 7th Street. In the early 1930’s the club purchased the structure and it was moved to its present location. It was rolled on tree trunks and pulled by mules, under the direction of Mr. Henry J. Klutho. It has served the neighborhood ever since and is available for rentals.
[STOP 15]
Cuban Consulate
1533 North Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Built in 1912, this house served as the Cuban Consulate from 1921-1960 and was occupied by Julio R. Embil, the Cuban consul during those years. When Elaine Maloney bought this house in 1989, she was attracted to the architectural style and spaciousness of older homes and to affordability of homes in Springfield.
[STOP 16]
William T. Sowder State Health Building
North Pearl Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206 (across from Henry J. Kutho Park)
The William T. Sowder State Health Building, ca. 1911. Dr. Sowder was responsible for Floridans’ health for more than three decades. He died in 2007, aged 96. This building named for him was saved from demolition by SPAR.
[STOP 17]
Drew Mansion
245 West 3rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Constructed ca. 1909, it was originally the residence of Dr. Horace Drew, physician and grandson of Jacksonville pioneer, Columbus Drew. The Drew Family continued to live here into the 1930’s.
[STOP 18]
Jewish Cornerstone
204 West 3rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
The stone represents a very important period in Springfield history and the incredible contribution made by the Jewish Congregation which dominated the Southwest quadrant for almost 50 years.
[STOP 19]
Mary Dillon Fountain
204 West 3rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
First placed in 1910, in memory of the founder of the Springfield Improvement Association. The sculptor was C. Pillars. Restoration took place in 1907 by the association in the amount of $135,000. Enzo Torcolletti was the restoring sculptor. The beautiful fountain was restored by SIAA in 2006.
[STOP 20]
Trolley Track Exhibit
204 West 3rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206
This reconstructed section of the Main Street trolley line (ca. 1906-1933) is built from original rails and pavers recovered in 2016 during emergency repairs to the Springfield Main Street Bridge spanning Hogans Creek.
This section of the Jacksonville Electric Company’s double track electric street car line was an upgrade from the original single track, mule-drawn trolley system that ran from downtown, up Main Street through Springfield, beginning in the 1890s.
SIAA volunteers salvaged these materials. The FDOT, ETM, Inc., SEARCH, Inc., and Jacksonville’s Historic Preservation and Dept. of Parks helped make this exhibit possible.
This tour is courtesy of Springfield Improvement Association and Archives (SIAA), made possible by countless hours of research over the years all by dedicated volunteers.
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