Print ArticleThis week Jacksonville will celebrate Christmas for the 182nd time. Here's four major Christmas traditions that don't happen anymore in a city that continues to change.
Flagship Department Store Window Displays
There was a time when it was an annual tradition to head downtown and witness the Christmas storefront window displays in Downtown department stores. Furchgott's, Levy-Wolf (originally Levy's), JCPenney, Sears, Ivey's and May-Cohens (originally Cohen Brothers) provided a huge economic and cultural impact for Christmas in Jacksonville. The Big Store (Cohen Brothers) was known for its ability to frame the Hemming Park retail district with window decorations with enough animation and trappings to invoke the holiday spirit among the most jaded pedestrians. Unfortunately, between 1981 and 1987, downtown's flagship full-line department stores closed one-by-one and along with them, went their window displays.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com
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