Print Article605 North Broad Street opened as the Central Hotel in 1912, serving black patrons during the Jim Crow Era. What is now known as the Jacksonville Urban League originated out of one of its storefronts. Now, one of a few historic LaVilla landmarks still standing, the Clara White Mission has plans to refurbish this this structure. Here is a look at what has been conceptually proposed.
The Central Hotel
605 North Broad Street opened as the Central Hotel in 1912. One block north of Ashley Street, for many years it was a social landmark in LaVilla. In 1935, the Jacksonville Negro Welfare League occupied one of its storefronts. In 1947, the Jacksonville Negro Welfare League merged with a new Jacksonville branch of the National Urban League, officially becoming the Jacksonville Urban League. While it was one of the few buildings to survive Jacksonville's 1990s Urban Renewal project known as the River City Renaissance, it was almost taken down by a building fire in recent years.
Central Hotel floor plan. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office.
Central Hotel. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office
Central Hotel. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office
Central Hotel. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office
Central Hotel. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office
Today, the Clara White Mission is working to transform the structure into a mixed-use project that will include 4,600
square feet of street level office space and 16 apartments on the upper levels. Clara White Mission is also proposing new construction to the rear of the structure to house necessary ADA elevator and access facilities. The project is now known as the Beaver Street Villas.
NEXT PAGE: Beaver Street Villas Project Presentation
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