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The community of Fletcher Park was constructed in 1918 to provide housing for nearby shipyard workers. With Atlantic Boulevard at the community's center, a trolley line along this corridor was installed to give the residents of the area access to the rest of the city via transit.
The former streetcar routes are highlighted in purple. The Atlantic Avenue line was installed to connect Fletcher Park (highlighted in green) with the Hendricks Avenue line, which provided direct access into downtown Jacksonville.
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Following the United States' entry into World War I on April 6, 1917, one of the government's top priorities was the building of ships to transport troops overseas. A national Shipping Board was established to accelerate construction of naval vessels. Its success can be judged by the two million American troops who arrived on the European shore within a year and a half.
This urgent need produced large government contracts for the Merrill-Stevens shipbuilding company, but it also caused a critical housing shortage for the hundreds of ship construction workers needed at the South Jacksonville plant. In the summer of 1918, a forty-eight-acre site along Atlantic Boulevard was purchased by the US Shipping Board for a $750,000 housing project, named for Senator Duncan U. Fletcher.
Over five hundred workmen were employed by contractor W.P. Richardson to speed its completion. Architect H.J. Klutho recalled Mark & Sheftall to his office, and enlisted the help of Mellen Greenley to draw the necessary plans quickly. Construction began in July of 1918; four months later, the first house was completed.
By April of 1919, all of the 158 houses had been finished. Richardson described it as "a model town" with paved streets, a trolley line, sewers, lights, gas, water, concrete sidewalks, and parks. Originally, five stores and two large boarding houses were planned, but the end of the war in November 1918 caused these plans to be scrapped.
The houses are mainly bungalows, although some have two stories. Unlike many government housing projects, each house was individually designed by an architect, and there is quite a variety among the four basic designs. Most have wide overhanging roofs. Although none of the 98 remaining houses is particularly significant by itself, collectively they represent a unique architectural project and are a reminder of Jacksonville's important shipbuilding role in World War I.
This urgent need produced large government contracts for the Merrill-Stevens shipbuilding company, but it also caused a critical housing shortage for the hundreds of ship construction workers needed at the South Jacksonville plant. In the summer of 1918, a forty-eight-acre site along Atlantic Boulevard was purchased by the US Shipping Board for a $750,000 housing project, named for Senator Duncan U. Fletcher.
Over five hundred workmen were employed by contractor W.P. Richardson to speed its completion. Architect H.J. Klutho recalled Mark & Sheftall to his office, and enlisted the help of Mellen Greenley to draw the necessary plans quickly. Construction began in July of 1918; four months later, the first house was completed.
By April of 1919, all of the 158 houses had been finished. Richardson described it as "a model town" with paved streets, a trolley line, sewers, lights, gas, water, concrete sidewalks, and parks. Originally, five stores and two large boarding houses were planned, but the end of the war in November 1918 caused these plans to be scrapped.
The houses are mainly bungalows, although some have two stories. Unlike many government housing projects, each house was individually designed by an architect, and there is quite a variety among the four basic designs. Most have wide overhanging roofs. Although none of the 98 remaining houses is particularly significant by itself, collectively they represent a unique architectural project and are a reminder of Jacksonville's important shipbuilding role in World War I.
Source: Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage Landmarks for the Future
West Fletcher Park
This is the area of the development west of the FEC railroad corridor. Centered around Delote Green, now Fletcher Park, there were once 64 homes. Today, three remain near the corner of Julia Avenue and Alford Place. The majority of this area was demolished for commercial development over the years and is now the proposed site of East San Marco.
Fletcher Park (formerly Belote Green)
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Fletcher Park is located along Atlantic Boulevard, in the San Marco section of South Jacksonville, which from 1907-1932 was a separate municipality. First known as Belote Green, for prominent South Jacksonville politician William Belote, the park was established in 1918 (during World War I) as part of Fletcher Park, a federal housing development created to provide homes for workers that were building naval ships at the nearby Merrill Stevens Shipyard. Prominent architect Henry Klutho designed Fletcher Park, which was named for Florida’s U. S. Senator Duncan U. Fletcher (1859-1936), a Jacksonville resident who served continuously for 27 years. Later, the park also became known as Fletcher Park, which has seen many improvements since the San Marco Preservation Society formed in 1975, such as re-location of the old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church building to the grounds in 1994 and the Stockton Cottage in 2003.
http://apps2.coj.net/parksinternet/parkdetails.asp?parkid=198
East Fletcher Park
East of the railroad corridor, this area is still the home of a significant amount of war era housing stock. It includes a dense collection of residential and commercial uses on gridded streets along with two public spaces; Fulton Green and Farragut Green.
Fulton Green
This small park on the corner of Kings Avenue and Atlantic Blvd. was originally known as Fulton Green. Despite an elevated portion of I-95 now dominated the east side of the space, it still contains an aura of tranquility.
For a city still trying to grasp the concept of transit oriented development and connectivity, Fletcher Park offers a real life example of how neighborhoods can be developed to integrate with their surroundings.
Article by Ennis Davis
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billy
October 21, 2009, 06:06:26 AMMy maternal grandparents lived on Minerva.
Location is now a bank drive through lane.
Wacca Pilatka
October 21, 2009, 11:26:18 AMAnd the mystery of where St. Paul's went after it left Gulf Life Drive is solved for me. Thank you, Lake. Every time I looked at my early 90s downtown montage postcard I wondered where it went.
stjr
October 21, 2009, 11:32:13 AMSure would be a shame to mess up the ambiance of the Fletcher Park with the intrusion of a monstrous, out-of-character $ky-high-way extension. The original plan in 1918 had it right: Bring on the street cars! Atlantic Blvd. to Hendricks Ave. to the Main Street Bridge and over to Downtown.
floridaforester
October 21, 2009, 02:30:13 PMMy wife & I were married in the old St. Paul's Episcopal chapel (now called San Marco Preservation Hall) three years ago today. What a beautiful little chapel and very reasonable to rent for events.
chris farley
October 21, 2009, 03:51:25 PMI have not read the entire article but this little church St Paul's that was - they should have kept the name, was one of John Freeman Young's carpenter churches built after the Civil War. There were 17 built. There is a book about them called St. Dunstan and St Johns. This one was moved twice to save it, it was first with a museum and then floated down the river to its present position. I believe it was originally in Arlington.
John Freeman Young is buried in our old cemetery with his wife. He is responsible for us having an English version of Silent Night, he translated it from the German. Last year a group gathered by his grave at Christmas to sing the carol.
Steve
October 21, 2009, 04:10:37 PMCouldn't resist the skyway comments
Remember, a streetcar is very difficult on the southbank, not just because of the bridges, but because of the FEC tracks. FEC would have to approve the crossing, and is not likely to do so.
stjr
October 21, 2009, 04:23:33 PMRemember, a streetcar is very difficult on the southbank, not just because of the bridges, but because of the FEC tracks. FEC would have to approve the crossing, and is not likely to do so.
Steve, I can handle a challenge.
fsu813
October 21, 2009, 05:20:30 PMChris Farley knows a lot of Jax history