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Englewood is bounded by Philips Highway, Emerson Street, Beach and University Boulevards.
University Boulevard
Before the opening of Jacksonville University, University Blvd was known as Chaseville Highway. One of Jacksonville's earliest auto oriented commercial corridors, University Blvd may be Englewood's most important thoroughfare.
While stalled Berkman II and the Shipyards may be the recession's gift to downtown, this proposed Home Depot site is what Englewood received. Two hotels, a gas station and an IHOP restaurant were demolished to make way for Home Depot in 2007. Nearly three years later, 10.5 acres of building foundations lie where Home Depot was supposed to sit by now.
Memorial Hospital
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Memorial Hospital is a 353-bed acute care hospital offering a breadth of services. Recent additions to the main campus include the new state-of-the-art CyberKnife Cancer Center and innovative Memorial Neuroscience Center. New in 2007, the Southside Cancer Center opened to offer oncology services and the Memorial Spine Clinic opened to treat acute and chronic spinal pain, injury and malformations.http://www.memorialhospitaljax.com/
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The year was 1969. With one powerful nudge a tall Southern pine tree was toppled by a bulldozer operated by Florida Governor Claude Kirk. A crowd of enthusiastic onlookers had gathered to witness this act, groundbreaking of Memorial Hospital on Jacksonville's rapidly growing Southside. Over the course of the next 37 years, Memorial Hospital has captured numerous national and international honors.http://www.memorialhospitaljax.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=DFFFAAC5-027A-4F9D-B0CF-5F310C1BEC73
The groundbreaking ceremony was the culmination of a dream that began in October of 1963. Realizing an ever-pressing need for an increased number of hospital beds in the Duval County area, a group of physicians met to discuss the problem and formulate a solution. In 1964 the Florida Development Commission reported that Duval County was meeting only 55 percent of its hospital bed needs. Through persistence and dedication, eight community leaders overcame political, financial and bureaucratic obstacles to build a state-of-the-art hospital to serve all of Northeast Florida. The eight founding partners of Memorial Hospital Jacksonville were Dr. J. Brooks Brown, Dr. Max Karrer, Dr. Lou Costanza, Dr. Herbert Burke, Frank Sherman, I.M. Sulzbacher, John C. Galvin and Leo A. Brinkley. The hospital was financed by a federal grant, a bond issue purchased by local citizens and mortgages assumed by local insurance companies and a bank.
Memorial Hospital opened its doors on May 2, 1969. It was named in honor of all Jacksonville-area physicians since Dr. James Hall first established a medical practice within the city limits in 1798. Since that day in 1969, Memorial has managed to compile an amazing record of accomplishments. Memorial was one of the first hospitals nationwide to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for non-professionals and in schools. It was the first hospital in Jacksonville to admit a patient delivered by helicopter, a 76-year-old woman whose pacemaker malfunctioned was airlifted by Navy helicopter from Lake City to Memorial in 1971. Memorial was also one of the first hospitals in Jacksonville to go live with an electronic bedside medication verification system, which we call eMAR (electronic medication administration record,) and was the first in Jacksonville to be designated a Bariatric Center of Excellence.
Brooks Rehabilitation
Established in 1970, Brooks is a 143-bed acute physical rehabilitation hospital near the intersection of Beach and University Blvds.
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A brief history of Brookshttp://www.brookshealth.org/why-brooks/aboutbrooks/
March 16, 1970 – Grand opening of Cathedral Rehabilitation Hospital.
September 1, 1982 – Memorial Medical Center purchases the Cathedral Rehabilitation Hospital license. The name is changed to Memorial Regional Rehabilitation Center four months later.
October 23, 1983 – The organization is moved to the renovated north wing of the Memorial Medical Center complex.
November 1992 – Construction begins on a new facility.
June 19, 1993 – The first rehabilitation outpatient center is established in the newly acquired and renovated Memorial Healthcare Plaza.
May 1994 – Memorial Rehabilitation Center becomes Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital. The organization is relocated and becomes a freestanding hospital and an independent system.
June 1995 – Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital becomes Genesis Rehabilitation Hospital.
January 1999 – Genesis Rehabilitation becomes Brooks Rehabilitation. The Brooks name is selected both as a tribute to our founder, Dr. J. Brooks Brown, and as an opportunity to create a unique and lasting identity.
April 2005 – Ground is broken on the new Brooks Health & Fitness facility.
May 15, 2006 – Brooks Health & Fitness opens.
January 1, 2008- Brooks donates Health and Fitness Center to YMCA of Florida's First Coast.
April 10, 2008- Ground is broken for new Brooks Administration Building: the first certified "green" building on a healthcare campus in Northeast Florida.
June 30, 2008- Brooks Home Care Advantage is added to Brooks full spectrum of rehabilitation options.
October 6, 2008- Brooks Club House Opens.
July 13, 2009- New Brooks Administration Building Opens
August 24, 2009- St. Lukes Hospital Total Joint Rehabilitation Managed by Brooks opens
Beach Boulevard
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The Noodle Bar at World Food Market - Reviewhttp://www.jacksonvilleconfidential.com/2009/04/korean-barbecue-at-world-food-market.html
We just got back from one of the most awesome lunches ever and we felt the need to tell you guys about this little hidden gem ASAP. There's this little enclave inside the World Food Market, at 5161 Beach Boulevard near the Hart Expressway overpass at Beach, that has about 5 tables and a long bar with chairs and two Asian ladies slinging some of the best Korean Barbecue and noodles in town.
The World Food Market is basically an Asian Market with a few Spanish items thrown in. It looks and smells like most Asian Markets, if you've ever happened in to one you know what we mean. The grocer carries all sorts of deliciously weird items; dried sea creatures, jars of gelatinous eyeballs peering at you from behind glass, and other odds and ends.
This short lived Rowe's Supermarket at University and Beach is now the home of Virginia College at Jacksonville.
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The new Virginia College in Jacksonville, Florida, is now enrolling students and preparing them for success in tomorrow's growing career fields. Virginia College in Jacksonville offers students fast-track career training in such exciting areas as:http://www.vc.edu/college/jacksonville-colleges.cfm
•Business and Office
•Cosmetology and Aesthetics
•Health and Medical
•Medical Billing
•Medical Office
The "Squeeze Box"
A term locals call the neighborhoods around Philips Highway which include Englewood, North St. Augustine, Spring Park, and Pine Forest.
A decade ago, the now completed widening of Barnes Road was opposed by the community because they felt it would split the neighborood.
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Rich in tradition and pride, Englewood High School was constructed in 1956 and exemplifies the concept of a "neighborhood school." Located on 37 acres (150,000 m2) on the Southside of Jacksonville, Florida, this school is one of the 17 high schools in Duval County Public School System. The school is located at 4412 Barnes Road, which is approximately 1/2 mile north of the I-95 and University Boulevard intersection. Englewood is said to have a population of about 2,000 students, which includes over 500 students from over fifty different countries.http://wapedia.mobi/en/Englewood_High_School_(Jacksonville,_Florida)
Notable alumni include Rashean Mathis (Jacksonville Jaguars), Brett Myers (Philadelphia Phillies), Fred Durst(Limp Bizkit) and Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band).
Cuba Hunter Park
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The property was originally owned by John Hunter, a retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer. The park is named after his daughter, who died protecting her nephew from a drunk driver. Cuba Hunter Park`s 10,000 sq. ft. skateboard facility has great features, including a 6-foot half pipe, a 7-foot quarter pipe, jump boxes, multiple rails and a bank ramp with a partial pyramid. Smooth cement and sturdy steel construction rank this site with other top city-owned skateboard parks across the country. Cuba Hunter Park also includes two playscapes, a multi-use athletic field, a 0.25mile boardwalk winding through more than 3.5 acres of wetlands, and a covered pavilion with three picnic tables and two grills. In 2005 a gymnasium with an elevated track and a community building were added. In 2006 an additional picnic pavilion was constructed near the lake.http://apps2.coj.net/parksinternet/parkdetails.asp?parkid=193
What was "The Miracle Mile?"
The Miracle Mile was Philips Highway when it was lined with restaurants, motels and nightclubs catering to tourist bound for Miami. In the 1960s, Interstate 95 detoured life to other destinations. Philips Highway forms the west border of Englewood and is now a corridor in need of new life. Adjacent to the FEC rail line, Philips could redevelop as a transit friendly district if the proposed Southeast commuter rail project becomes reality.
Q: What's the biggest challenge facing Englewood today?
A:The same challenge that the whole city faces. We are an old neighborhood , and our infrastructure is crumbling beneath us.
Vickie Kutscher, Greater Englewood Neighborhood Association 6/21/08 Englewood has its own neighborhood activist - FTU
Although Englewood suffers from late 20th century sprawl gone stale, the neighborhoods central southside location, diversity, and proximity to the proposed Southeast commuter rail corridor makes the community a great place for sustainable redevelopment.
Article by Ennis Davis
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Abhishek
November 09, 2009, 07:52:40 AMSpring Park Rd is a very good connection for bicyclists going from Southside to Downtown.
danno
November 09, 2009, 08:50:31 AMI am surprized.... No Picture of the Twistee Treat at University and Beney Rd?
Cliffs_Daughter
November 09, 2009, 10:31:47 AMDoes anybody know what the Liberty furniture building used to be? I've always wondered why they have a drive-up covered structure there.
sandyshoes
November 09, 2009, 10:39:58 AMRe: Korean restaurants shown in this thread (and one Perivian restaurant not shown) - according to the Food Network and various other cable network cooking shows, Koreans use man's best friend in their cooking...Peruvians use guinae pig. Of course the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture would never allow such a thing here (??) but it's all I can think of when I pass those places. Also, my Chinese cooking instructor told us to sit outside any Asian market you may want to try, and just see how the "traffic" is - after 20 minutes, if not many have come and gone, leave. She said the Asian community knows whose store is clean, fairly priced and has a good reputation for quality - if they avoid a store, so should you. I'm just sayin....
sandyshoes
November 09, 2009, 10:44:30 AMThe old Liberty Furniture store was actually Vallee's Restaurant, a very nice restaurant for the time (1970's), back in the days you dressed up to go to a real steakhouse or seafood restaurant. It was huge and it was packed. They were the only place where you could get "real" scallops, not shark nuggets passed off as scallops.
David
November 09, 2009, 11:27:09 AMAhh yes, the hood where I've spent 2/3rds of my life. Great timing for me on this article, I just ran into someone I went to Englewood elementary with at a backyard BBQ in St. Nicholas this past weekend.
I’ll have to take a picture of the duck pond at the specialty hospital off Richard rd that my parents took me to as a kid and still take my nieces/nephews to today.'Tiz a nice childhood memory.
One of the notable memories I have of going to Englewood Elementary as a kid and living on the other side of I-95 was that we’d often hang out on the pedestrian overpass (or the catwalk as we called it) during our walk home after school. I always liked the rush of traffic beneath my feet and seeing the skyscrapers in the distance. But growing up in that area was a bit on the grimy side as you can imagine, it seems even worse as of late.
University Blvd @ 95 has really taken some hits as far as the urban/suburban landscape goes, the demolition of IHOP/the two motels as mentioned (which weren’t that pretty to begin with, but jeesh, that lot looks awful now) and some time back, a lowrise building, approximately 5 stories or so was demolished to make way for the new dunkin donuts I believe. It's a far cry from my parent’s memory of the area when they first moved there in the mid 1970’s. They said it had a country sideish quality to it during those days. There was no railroad overpass on University, I believe it was only a 3 lane road back then. In the place of the Taco Bell you had a Krispy Kreme and on the corner of Phillips and Univ you had a drive in movie theater.
I never left the Englewood area until I was nearly out of high school, (insane I know) so when I discovered other parts of town like Riverside/San Marco, it was a breath of fresh air, felt like I found a new town. Englewood’s where I grew up, but man…that drive down Phillips hwy between Emerson & Univ never gets any less depressing haha. The major thoroughfares are definitely showing their age.
Off the main roads though, the neighborhood’s decent for the most part. My parent's block is pretty safe, there's a lot of young families in the area. Plus it's really diverse, that's one thing that was cool about growing up in that area, I was exposed to a lot of differnent nationities at a young age.
GideonGlib
November 09, 2009, 11:56:33 AMThe construction on these mid-century concrete block homes (and similar neighborhoods like Cedar Hills on the Westside) is so sound for Florida, solid walls that withstand possible wind damage from hurricanes, low rooflines, smaller windows and thick walls that conserve energy,etc. They may not be beautiful like historic homes in Avondale and Springfield, or flashy like newer development, but they were built well. There are some beautifully maintained similar homes/neighborhoods down in Fort Lauderdale, and that might be a good place to look for ways to keep this neighborhood vibrant.
jeh1980
November 09, 2009, 12:09:35 PMI used to live close to Beach Blvd. Ahhh, what good memories. Love before there were Rowe's there was an Albertson's Supermarket in that area.
David
November 09, 2009, 03:28:41 PMAnother tid-bid about the Englewood area: since it was established in the late 40's and early 50's, this was one of the many neighborhoods severed in two by the creation of the interstate system. I’ve always wondered what a pre I-95 map of the neighborhood looked like, or how many homes had to be claimed by eminent domain.
I-95 is probably what robbed this area of that "neighborhoody" feel. Or at least my side of it.
Wacca Pilatka
November 09, 2009, 03:41:46 PMThe book "Jacksonville Through a Painter's Eyes" by Phil Sandusky argues passionately that mid-century residential neighborhoods are underappreciated for their beauty as well as their functionality.
stephElf
November 09, 2009, 04:03:41 PMWhen I lived over there, I would ride my bike to that pond with stale bread.
It also has turtles and muskrats.. nice lil' habitat.
David
November 09, 2009, 04:05:57 PMExactly. This neighborhood was born during the "less is more" post WW II era. The houses aren't what you'd call breath taking but they do have a working-class ruggedness to it, so that can be charming in a way.
The infrastructure is in bad shape like the article said. Off Abby road, a friend had to replace the main pipe leading up to the street from their house because back in the 50's they used clay pipe instead of whatever the standard is today. The roots from a nearby tree had gone through the pipe and obstructed the flow.
And like any other older to middle aged neighborhood, the above ground power lines and heavy tree coverage make for frequent power outages as well. The hurricane season of 2004 was brutal for Englewood...idians? Englewoodagons. Englewoodanites, something....
danno
November 09, 2009, 04:08:01 PMI remember it as JP Peppercorns as well.
sandyshoes
November 09, 2009, 04:16:43 PMWow, that sounds familiar - did that happen right after Valle's closed?
danno
November 09, 2009, 04:22:27 PMNever ate there, my dad never like to cross the river. We always went to Denny Morans in Cedar Hills for a steak night out.
YellowBluffRoad
November 09, 2009, 05:56:18 PMYes, I think the Liberty Furniture Store was Vallee's first, and then JP Peppercorn's was pretty shortlived. The building was constructed as a restaurant in 1975, and by 1987 it had been vacant for a while before Liberty Furniture moved from San Jose into that space (I think they were downtown before then). The owner who sold it to Liberty had the initials J.P., so that must be where the name came from. I never did know why Vallee's closed, however, since it always seemed so popular.
I knew this area from high school into my 20s, living in a very quiet neighborhood of Philips behind the old Key Buick building in the late 80s, with family off of Terry Rd. For a "car commuter community" the "Englewood" area was always very convenient when downtown was still booming with business - multiple ways to get downtown via 95, Philips, Spring Park to Beach, even San Jose, etc. Every bridge was easily accessible, too. Even the back roads to the JTB office park complexes were pretty easy to navigate then, too.
I remember the duck pond near Specialty Hospital very well since Richard Road was a main cut through to drive home. And oh I remember the ducks. One day I'd left the hospital after visiting a family member there and a flock of muscovy ducks decided to come in for a landing as I was driving past. Neither one of us could adjust trajectory quickly enough, but as I screeched to a halt I could hear the loud kathump of contact with my pickup truck topper. I was petrified that I'd killed a duck who had flown into the side of my pickup, but when I got out they were all just parked in the water acting as if nothing had happened. No mess, no feathers, no dents, no unconscious ducks, but I never quite looked at that duck pond the same way after that!
Prax_N_Jax
November 09, 2009, 11:17:24 PMwe used to live off of barnes. the apartments were called willow wick apts. i don't know what they're called anymore. but riding our bikes across to the park was always fun! long live 32216!
thelakelander
November 10, 2009, 12:03:58 AMsome old images:
The old Hess station on the corner of University and Santa Monica Blvd in 1968
Emerson Street in 1953
Beach Boulevard in 1955
A motel on Philips and Reba Street in 1954
stjr
November 10, 2009, 01:07:54 AMGreat pictures, Lake. I really like the one of Emerson as a dirt road. What was the brick cross street? St. Augustine Road? Is this looking toward Hendricks?
Here are a few more memories of the area:
At University and Philips, was the University Drive-in movie theater. You could actually see the big screen from outside on University Blvd. When movies became a bit "racier", the City wanted the drive-in to put up a super-tall (like 40 foot) fence along University to block outside viewing. I believe the theater took it to court and it eventually became a national precedent, being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. I don't remember the details but the fence did get erected.
Across University from the theater was one of the first Burger Kings in the U.S.
Also, as I recall, along that stretch of University was (still is per the Google maps) General Motors' Detroit Diesel/Allison Division regional center.
A little bit east of the drive-in, was Kings Department store. It had a tile mosaic of the American Flag on the wall out front and was like a K-mart, but even bigger as I recall. Had a balcony with a barber shop where I would sometimes get a haircut while my mother shopped. They had the best toy department in Jacksonville and I still have some toys (Erecter set and a Kenner building set with realistic plastic girders and bracing that fit into plastic columns with snap on building facades, roadways, industrial tanks, siphons, pumps, tube piping, etc. - could build a whole city of office, residential, and operating industrial plants + bridges! Where are these great toys today?
Where the Winn-Dixie is on University, there was a Pic N' Save. We shopped there all the time.
At some point, maybe upon crossing Beach, University was originally called Love Grove. There is still an elementary school at the corner with Bartram Road bearing that name.
At Beach and University, (I think the northeast corner where the church is) there were the pony rides. I think we went there more often than the train in Mandarin. A must stop for every kid growing up on the Southside.
Memorial Plaza on University was originally built as a shopping center. As I recall, the catalogue show room Standard Sales moved there from downtown. It was eventually bought by Service Merchandise.
The low rise building next to Carmel Towers on University was the original home of the Etz Chaim Orthodox Synagogue now in Mandarin.
Before the University overpass over the railroad, Bowden Road crossed Philips and came into University at the railroad crossing alongside the concrete plant. Like many RR crossings, trains would stop forever blocking University. People fought for over 20 years to get that overpass built.
Philips Highway, from Kings Road/I-95 to University, use to be almost entirely made up of motels, new car dealers (Key Buick, North Florida Lincoln-Mercury, Gordon Thompson/Jerry Hamm Chevrolet, Platt Pontiac, Langley Oldsmobile, Frank Griffen Volkswagen, etc.), and trailer parks with a few industrial equipment dealers mixed in. There was also Stricklands Townhouse, the Green Turtle, a bowling alley (used to feature midnight bowling for cash prizes), a Howard Johnson's motel/restaurant, and Philips Mall. Still standing for over 50 years, but not sure if still open, is Chopstick Charley's.
Liberty Furniture was originally downtown until they had a fire that killed one of the owners who ran back into the building to retrieve a safe or something. I remember eating at the Vallee's Steakhouse original tenant of that building. I am trying to remember what was torn down to build that but it escapes me currently.
Englewood High School, before most of the high schools had their own stadiums, used to play nearby archrival Wolfson every year on Thanksgiving Day in the Gator Bowl.
billy
November 10, 2009, 07:06:57 AMUncle John's Pancake House, near University on Beach.
sandyshoes
November 10, 2009, 09:03:30 AMWish somebody would buy that old Uncle John's and turn it back into that kind of restaurant again. Not sure what's in there now (was a place once that sold/installed tape decks) but it seems to just sitting there, all sad and derelict. Thanks for sharing all these great memories!
billy
November 10, 2009, 09:15:33 AMMy Dad's brother was named John, so my siblings and I would pretend we were
the owner's nephews.
I also remember the pony rides.
billy
November 10, 2009, 09:27:23 AMWas there a S&H green stamp store on University?
ac
November 10, 2009, 09:31:29 AMIs Uncle John's the one that had creepy portraits on the walls? Kind of a Ragtime-era theme? I have a vague memory from childhood of eating at some pancake house in town like that. Creeped me out. Sketchy server guy didn't help with not creeping out a young kid.
They had horrible Muzak playing as well- I can't hear the song "Georgie Girl" (also used in old 80's Barbie commericals, modified to "Barbie Girl") without my skin crawling. May just be due to it being a terrible song. Thankfully, aren't many places you can hear something like that nowadays, outside of Jones College radio.
Great. Now I need to seek therapy over this repressed memory. Thanks, MJ!
Tangent aside, was that Uncle John's or am I thinking of another place? Anyone else recognize/remember the place I'm talking about?
DemocraticNole
November 10, 2009, 01:31:17 PMLake, where did you get the 1968 Hess photo from?
David
November 10, 2009, 01:34:21 PMMy parents said there used to be a Jack in the box on University Blvd near I-95 back in the early 80's. It's shocking, a popular fast food chain that didn't make it in Jax? *gasp*
stjr
November 10, 2009, 11:02:23 PMYes, there was. Ate there once and the food was indigestible. Get this, the "bushes" used for landscaping were PLASTIC! At the time, they were owned by the animal feed giant, Ralston Purina. Many people thought that's what they were serving in the restaurants.
David
November 10, 2009, 11:59:11 PM^ They must've been awful back then (aside from their biscuits according to my pops) because during my trip out west last year I stumbled across one and it was insanely delicious.
billy
November 11, 2009, 12:11:54 AMGood luck in therapy. Anyone remember the Planters Peanuts store on the Arlington expressway?
stjr
November 11, 2009, 12:14:36 AMDavid
November 11, 2009, 12:22:34 AMSTJR, do you recall what approximate year the railroad overpass was built ? I have the faintest memories of sitting in the back of a mid 1970's era Chevy stationwagon as a pre-schooler (in the early 80's) while waiting on the trains forever at that intersection. I remember it mainly because my older siblings and parents would always curse at those slow moving trains for making them late for school/work.
I'm curious if this memory I have falls during those "childhood amnesia" years.
stjr
November 11, 2009, 12:31:58 AMI would say, from memory, it was in the mid-80's or a little earlier. An easy way to find out, usually, is to carefully observe the concrete barrier lining the road from one direction or the other. Every bridge for the last few decades in Jax I have seen has the date built engraved in the concrete side barrier at the beginning of the bridge from at least one direction. Unless it was rebuilt, which this bridge has not been, it would be the original date. Let us know what you find.
thelakelander
November 11, 2009, 01:09:43 AMIt was in the early 80s (1983?). The money used for it was originally set aside for the conversion of Hemming Park into Hemming Plaza.
YellowBluffRoad
November 11, 2009, 01:14:42 AMI believe that RR overpass was built in the late 70s and completed in the early 80s. I've not walked over it in a loooong time, but in 1983-1984 I walked to work over that RR overpass from Wolfson H.S. the Waffle House at Richard Rd & University.
stjr
November 11, 2009, 01:28:11 AMUniversity overpass started in mid-1982 and finished in March, 1983 per the Southside Businessmen's Club web site ( http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:cgCZbgeFt5UJ:www.southsidebusinessmensclub.com/History/Index.aspx+year+built+university+boulevard+railroad+overpass+jacksonville&cd=7&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us ):
sandyshoes
November 11, 2009, 03:08:53 PMBack to Jack in the Box burgers, yes they were terrible. The meat had no flavor, whatsoever - kinda like Whataburgers now (Sorry, Mark Brunell, but all you can taste are the condiments).
David
November 11, 2009, 04:15:43 PMWow! You guys are insanely resourceful. That's why I love this site.
Not to get too off topic but I wanted to test my theory of 1982 being the earliest year I can remember, and it's pretty much true. The University Blvd overpass (or lack of) and the "Eye of the Tiger" LP being blasted while I watched PBS's the electric company at a daycare center off Spring Park rd.
/Nostalgia
And C'mon, Whattaburger's not that bad. Where else can you get a triple bypass at 630 am? hehe.
David
November 11, 2009, 04:32:03 PMAnd thanks stjr/lakelander/MJ for sharing your memories, photos and writing about the area. My parents got a kick out of reading this article. It spawned a reminiscing session that lasted several hours.
Quick question about the term "squeeze box" in the article. I assume that referes to the section of the neighborhood that's bordered by I-95 University, Emerson and Phillips hwy?
I've never heard that term before, but maybe that's because we were/are cut off from the rest of the neighborhood by 6 lanes of traffic whizzing by at 75 mph.
cayohueso
November 17, 2009, 01:51:19 AMWhat?? No Wacko's picture...come on, it's an Emerson landmark!! Oh yeah and I still miss Brinkmann's for pool and a beer although it was a dive.
There is another weird place in Englewood, the new Cambodian Buddhist Temple over on the other side of 95 off of Spring Glen.
The englewood area was always great and I still have a few friends and their families there. Close to Kuhn's for Christmas, Beach Road Chicken and the Original Bono's. Still a great neighborhood.
thelakelander
November 17, 2009, 06:37:56 AMI think you missed it.
billy
November 17, 2009, 07:09:12 AMIs the Cuban bakery still around?
Debbie Thompson
November 17, 2009, 07:32:33 AMWow! With apologies to Bob Hope, thanks for the memories. We lived in Englewood from 1966 to 2000, directly behind Pic 'n Save. So both I and my kids grew up there. I remember when the Hess Station was built, and the rest of the shopping center that you don't see behind it. Yes, the S&H store was there. I also remember a Joseppi's Italian Restaurant at one point. My first high-school waitress job was at the Village Oven diner, but later I worked at Uncle John's for several years. Don't remember any scary portraits or striped shirts...must have been somewhere else. Maybe the Fritch's Big Boy next door? It had a huge statue of a kid with yellow hair holding a burger or something. Uncle Johns...all you can eat 69 cent pancakes on Wednesdays, including coffee, Englewood High Spirit Breakfasts on Friday mornings before football games and crazy busy after church on Sundays when apparently everyone in Jacksonville wanted pancakes.
sandyshoes
November 17, 2009, 09:08:33 AMbilly, there's a Cuban bakery on Dean Road at Beach, that also makes sandwiches - is that the one?
riverside planner
November 17, 2009, 02:19:57 PMDid you happen to go to Burrell's day care?
billy
November 17, 2009, 03:32:36 PMThis was on Emerson. Maybe they moved.
Bativac
November 18, 2009, 01:33:29 PMYou weren't asking me -- but I went to Burrell's in the early to mid 80s (1984 I think, maybe a year or two after that). I have vague memories of a big playground with lots of fun, dangerous, old-fashioned equipment. Even a broken-down old schoolbus we were allowed to play in. I remember watching Inspector Gadget cartoons in the mornings... good times.
riverside planner
November 18, 2009, 01:58:20 PMI went there during the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, I remember the playground being huge and having lots of equipment that would NEVER be allowed today! Summers were the best though because they had a day camp off of Tiger Hole Road with horses, a pool and a stocked pond. I can only imagine the waivers and insurance forms that would be required for that these days!
roninvirginia
November 19, 2009, 08:19:10 PMWhen I was 3 we lived on the corner of Mimosa and Abby Lane, my dad said he paid $8,000 for the house. In 1953 we moved to Mayfair Village on Beach Blvd. Don't remember much about that place except for the playground in the middle. We moved to Copper Circle East in 1955, the year I started school at Spring Park. The very next year, Englewood Elementary opened and I was there until the middle of the sixth grade when we moved to Avondale. That was a traumatic move that took me a long time to get over.
As children we played in the "woods" where the Lincoln-Mercury dealership was later built. It was uncleared land that offered ample opportunities for adventuresome boys to spend their energy and time wandering about, building forts, looking for "stuff" and just generally doing what young boys do. We were gone from breakfast till dinner, with a break for lunch. Our parents never worried about what we were doing...... those were the days.
Bativac
November 20, 2009, 07:50:07 AMCamp Chippewa! Back when we were allowed to run around dressed as politically incorrect Indians... And I remember five-minute-long horseback rides in a big circle. Good times. Good times.
David
November 20, 2009, 07:55:29 AMNo, but actually it's good that you asked that, I had to look that daycare center up. Turns out I do have a slight case of childhood amnesia. I went to a place off Spring GLEN road, not Spring Park. I always mixed those two up!
Battgirl328
July 31, 2010, 10:03:23 PMmy mom worked at uncle johns, haven't heard that name in a long time!
Battgirl328
July 31, 2010, 10:11:40 PMI was just telling david how we used to walk to the pic n save, and i remember when they built the phillips hwy overpass, and although i don't remember uncle johns, i remember your stories about it
Timkin
August 01, 2010, 02:21:34 AMIt was JP Peppercorns before Liberty Furniture, and Origonally Valle's
Paisleyparker330
August 09, 2010, 03:28:55 PMMy Dad was the chef at Uncle John's, there was a write up about him in the Times Union. I remember the pigs in a blanket, but I don't know about any creepy art work on the wall. I worked there too for a while bussing tables.
greater englewood
May 20, 2011, 03:59:00 PMI am a resident of Greater Englewood and love the neighborhood. I've lived here about 5 years and am hoping that the neighborhood improves over time. It was great reading through the postings on this thread. I learned a lot about the area. I started a Facebook page for people interested in improving the neighborhood. Friend me at Facebook.com Greater Englewood.
videojon
June 28, 2011, 11:52:16 AMLiberty Furniture is closing after 87 years.
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-06-28/story/liberty-furniture-close-doors-after-87-years-jacksonville
Dashing Dan
June 28, 2011, 03:08:09 PMWhen I left Jacksonville in 1975 Brinkman's was still going strong on Beach near University, i.e. across from the K-Mart. If you brought in a beer can that they didn't already have on the wall, you'd get a free beer and the privilege of having your beer can added to their incredible collection. A crowd of plannners used to go to Brinkman's on Fridays after work.
What happened to that place?