The Signet Building is currently our home as we explore long-term downtown options. The Lavilla area in downtown Jacksonville, Fl has a very distinctive history.
John Jones, an Anglo-American colonist, received a Spanish land grant for much of this area in 1801, when this part of Florida was still Spanish territory.
At different points in the American Civil War, when Jacksonville and northeastern Florida were under Union control, the area was the site of a large Union garrison. Many slaves sought refuge with Union troops and, under the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, gained freedom. After the war, the town attracted additional freedmen, some of whom left rural areas, and was incorporated as LaVilla.
The town developed as a suburb to Jacksonville during the Reconstruction era. The population was mostly black, and many blacks were elected to positions in Lavilla's government, including mayor and councilmen.
In 1887 LaVilla and five other suburbs, including Riverside and Springfield, were annexed by the City of Jacksonville. It became a neighborhood of the city.
In 1902 the state legislature passed a new constitution, adopting barriers to voter registration and voting that resulted in the deliberate disfranchisement of African Americans and excluding them from politics.
Architectural diagrams of the LaVilla Boarding Houses made for the Historic American Buildings SurveyThe part of LaVilla north of Adams Street was for many years a center of African American life and culture in Jacksonville. The southern part of the neighborhood was developed as a major railroad hub in the late 19th century; several rail lines met at Union Station (now adapted for use as the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center). For a time, this was Jacksonville's primary red-light district.
The author Stephen Crane frequented this area during his time in Jacksonville; he met his future wife, Cora Crane, who was at the time a brothel proprietor.
Lavilla was the site of the Great Fire of 1901, which spread and destroyed most of downtown, but the neighborhood was largely spared. In the first half of the 20th century, the neighborhood was an important center of African American culture. A vibrant music and entertainment scene emerged, attracting many nationally renowned jazz artists to play at local black clubs on and off Ashely Street. Such clubs were segregated under the state laws that imposed Jim Crow. In 1929 the Ritz Theatre opened, becoming an important stop on what was called the Chitlin' Circuit for black entertainers. It became LaVilla's primary performance venue.
With this in mind a large tract of land was purchased on Union Street, surrounded by the Seaboard Air Line Railway, the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway, and Hogans Creek. Gay hired New York-based Turner Construction Company to design and build his industrial complex. Founded by Henry Chandlee Turner in 1902, Turner was known for constructing the Gair Manufacturing Company, the largest reinforced concrete building in the United States, in 1904. In 1905, Turner constructed many of Brooklyn's Bush Terminal warehouses, the largest multi-tenant complex in the country.
Lavilla's Rich Tapestry:
Venues, such as the Ritz Theatre, showcased black entertainers and catered to black audiences. The theatre still host shows and also offers visitors a look at black history.
The Jacksonville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is located on Water Street at the southern bounds of LaVilla.
The southern part of the neighborhood was once a major railroad hub, with several rail lines meeting at Union Station (now the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center), and probably not coincidentally, was also for a period Jacksonville's primary red light district.
LaVilla School of the Arts is a popular magnet middle school in Duval County that follows in the performance and art traditions of the Ritz/LaVilla area. Ritz Voices is a 100-member youth choir in the area.
The Clara White Mission is also located in LaVilla in the former Globe Theatre.
John Jones, an Anglo-American colonist, received a Spanish land grant for much of this area in 1801, when this part of Florida was still Spanish territory.
At different points in the American Civil War, when Jacksonville and northeastern Florida were under Union control, the area was the site of a large Union garrison. Many slaves sought refuge with Union troops and, under the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, gained freedom. After the war, the town attracted additional freedmen, some of whom left rural areas, and was incorporated as LaVilla.
The town developed as a suburb to Jacksonville during the Reconstruction era. The population was mostly black, and many blacks were elected to positions in Lavilla's government, including mayor and councilmen.
In 1887 LaVilla and five other suburbs, including Riverside and Springfield, were annexed by the City of Jacksonville. It became a neighborhood of the city.
In 1902 the state legislature passed a new constitution, adopting barriers to voter registration and voting that resulted in the deliberate disfranchisement of African Americans and excluding them from politics.
Architectural diagrams of the LaVilla Boarding Houses made for the Historic American Buildings SurveyThe part of LaVilla north of Adams Street was for many years a center of African American life and culture in Jacksonville. The southern part of the neighborhood was developed as a major railroad hub in the late 19th century; several rail lines met at Union Station (now adapted for use as the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center). For a time, this was Jacksonville's primary red-light district.
The author Stephen Crane frequented this area during his time in Jacksonville; he met his future wife, Cora Crane, who was at the time a brothel proprietor.
Lavilla was the site of the Great Fire of 1901, which spread and destroyed most of downtown, but the neighborhood was largely spared. In the first half of the 20th century, the neighborhood was an important center of African American culture. A vibrant music and entertainment scene emerged, attracting many nationally renowned jazz artists to play at local black clubs on and off Ashely Street. Such clubs were segregated under the state laws that imposed Jim Crow. In 1929 the Ritz Theatre opened, becoming an important stop on what was called the Chitlin' Circuit for black entertainers. It became LaVilla's primary performance venue.
With this in mind a large tract of land was purchased on Union Street, surrounded by the Seaboard Air Line Railway, the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway, and Hogans Creek. Gay hired New York-based Turner Construction Company to design and build his industrial complex. Founded by Henry Chandlee Turner in 1902, Turner was known for constructing the Gair Manufacturing Company, the largest reinforced concrete building in the United States, in 1904. In 1905, Turner constructed many of Brooklyn's Bush Terminal warehouses, the largest multi-tenant complex in the country.
Lavilla's Rich Tapestry:
Venues, such as the Ritz Theatre, showcased black entertainers and catered to black audiences. The theatre still host shows and also offers visitors a look at black history.
The Jacksonville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is located on Water Street at the southern bounds of LaVilla.
The southern part of the neighborhood was once a major railroad hub, with several rail lines meeting at Union Station (now the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center), and probably not coincidentally, was also for a period Jacksonville's primary red light district.
LaVilla School of the Arts is a popular magnet middle school in Duval County that follows in the performance and art traditions of the Ritz/LaVilla area. Ritz Voices is a 100-member youth choir in the area.
The Clara White Mission is also located in LaVilla in the former Globe Theatre.