Urban Neighborhoods: Avondale

[Metro Jacksonville]

Urban Neighborhoods: Avondale



Avondale was one of the first major neighborhoods in Jacksonville to have restrictive covenants.  These covenants, requiring two story homes and specific construction techniques, have been successful in creating a community that stands out amongst its Duval County peers 88 years after its conception.

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http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/724

[DemocraticNole]

This is such a beautiful area. Thanks for posting the pics.

[Beloki]

Too bad they just don't build urban sprawl like this anymore..............

[mtraininjax]

Nice pictures. Who here knows the 4 original streets that Mr. Telfair Stockton created as the ORIGINAL Avondale? 

[Steve]

I don't know the streets for sure, but I'm going to guess Aberdeen, Seminole, Avondale and Challen.  I'm pretty sure that the existing Avondale shopping district was outside the original boundaries.

[thelakelander]

Since I know the answer from the Jax Architectural Heritage book, I'll stay out of this one.

[second_pancake]

Too bad they just don't build urban sprawl like this anymore..............

Considering there was a trolley that ran directly through this part of town to and from downtown, and it's less than a 30 minute walk to downtown, even less by horse and buggy and/or trolley, I would hardly equate this to "urban sprawl".  The building done during this time period was an attempt at staying as close to downtown (the center of commerce) as humanly possible. This is why mass transportation was invented...to keep the connection there and prevent people from having to travel long distances for work or shopping.

[stug]

I used to live in that blue quad on Donald St.! Gorgeous place, but it went downhill after Walter Williams Realty took over as property manager (it was an Atkinson and Knight property prior to that). Certain necessary improvements that were made during the years I live there exhibited no regard for the age or integrity of the building. A revolving door of renters tends to be hard on properties like this one ... it would be nice if the agencies charged with maintaining them did so properly.

[David]

Too bad they just don't build urban sprawl like this anymore..............

Considering there was a trolley that ran directly through this part of town to and from downtown, and it's less than a 30 minute walk to downtown, even less by horse and buggy and/or trolley, I would hardly equate this to "urban sprawl".  The building done during this time period was an attempt at staying as close to downtown (the center of commerce) as humanly possible. This is why mass transportation was invented...to keep the connection there and prevent people from having to travel long distances for work or shopping.

I think what they were saying is it'd be nice if the rest of jacksonville was built like this, instead of the current homoginized sprawl. I've always wondered that myself, why did we have to stray away from building such great structures to....southside blvd? I really wish I could've lived here in the first half of the 1900's...

[sandyshoes]

Beautiful.  Thank you so much for all these neighborhood pics, I can't tell you enough how much I love all of them, as I am exploring many of them today.  In picture #21, I think it's the Avondale Baptist Church now - anyone know the history of that building and possibled prior uses?  That looks like it could have been a synagogue - just an amateur's guess, noting the high windows and the relatively plain front with no cross in sight. 

[roninvirginia]

I don't know that it was any other variety of church. I attended there in the early 60's and it was ABC then. I was baptized there in 1963.