Park & King Shopping District: Photo Tour

February 14, 2007 4 comments Open printer friendly version of this article Print Article

Located in the heart of the Riverside-Avondale Historic District, and once known as the Great White Way for it's rows of ornate street lights, the Park King Shopping District is now enjoying a period of revitalization as residents rediscover our unique districts of yesteryear.



 

Highlighted in green, the Park & King shopping district is centered four blocks west of St. Vincent's Medical Center and six blocks west of the St. Johns River.

 

The aroma of this block with Pizza Palace and Brown Brothers BBQ next door will make the average passerby instantly start thinking about what's for dinner.



Locally owned and operated, Carter's Park & King Pharmacy has been operating for over 50 years and continues to flourish, despite the Walgreen's store across the street.

 

The Whiteway Corner building has been a major destination anchor for the shopping district since 1927.  Today, it maintains its dominance serving as the home to over 12 specialty retail shops and restaurants, including the Whiteway Delicatessen.  The Delicatessen is a locally owned establishment that been apart of the Park & King scene for over 73 years.

 


Cool Moose is a popular coffee house and breakfast spot located in Whiteway Corner.  To learn more about the businesses at Whiteway, visit: www.whitewaycorner.com



The Escape Hair Studio and the Art Gallery are two of several businesses located in a row of single story bungalows along Park Street, just South of it's intersection with King Street.




Originally constructed as the Orange State Oil Company gas station, the European Street Cafe is a great example of what's possible when we save our older buildings and incorporate them into new uses.

 



Completed in 2005, the streetscape project included utility improvements to the corridor, the addition of antique lights, a landscaped median along King Street, hexagon-shaped sidewalks, diagonal parking, and crape myrtles to provide shade in the Summer.



While not constructed in a pedestrian friendly layout, similar to it's urban surroundings, the Park & King district is the home of a Walgreens, something most of Jacksonville's other urban shopping districts still lack.

 



This renovated building on King Street now houses Chef Liz Grenamyer's "Bella Sera".  The Bella Sera is a 10,000sf Italian farmhouse-themed catering facility with an open-air courtyard and main dining room seating 200 with a full-service bar.

 



Kickbacks is a popular neighborhood restaurant with a sports bar theme, staying open and serving food as late as 2am on a daily basis.

 



This small, yet detailed commercial building at the intersection of Post and King Streets was constructed in 1927.

 



The revitalizing shopping district covers a decent amount of pedestrian friendly landscape, meaning there's still a lot of room for future businesses to come in and open up shop, creating stronger synergy with the businesses already operating.

 



A view of King Street, just east of the Park & King intersection.

 



The Riverside Baptist Church is located on the Northeast corner of Park & King.  It was designed by famed South Florida Architect Addison Mizner in 1924.

 



The West Riverside Elementary School was originally built in 1911 and expanded in 1922 by Henry Klutho.  Due to three major expansions in the early 20th century, it is dominated by three different architectural styles.  Neo-Classical Revival, Prairie School and Mediterranean Revival.