Jacksonville History: The Seminole Hotel

[Metro Jacksonville]

Jacksonville History: The Seminole Hotel



In this guest article, Leif Sodergren of Gothenburg, Sweden shares the memories of Jacksonville's long lost Seminole Hotel, the place to be seen in downtown in 1913.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-aug-jacksonville-history-the-seminole-hotel

[Wacca Pilatka]

It's criminal that this building was torn down.

One of the terra cotta heads is on display in the Currents of Time exhibit at MOSH too.  Allegedly these were molded from Klutho's face.

[thelakelander]

Here are a couple of images from the State's collection. The Seminole looked like a pretty cool place. Too bad it's gone because it would have been a nice boutique hotel in today's landscape.


Lunchroom at the Hotel Seminole. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51448


Hotel Seminole's bar and bartenders in 1935. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51460


The Hogan Street side of the Seminole Hotel. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51210


The lobby and stairs in 1936. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51686


State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51479


Taken in March 1936, Florida's future governor Fuller Warren is 9th from the left. Note the WJAX radio station microphones in the foreground. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/128837


General notes: The images, originally created for the Florida Times Union newspaper, were then entered into the World Book Encyclopedia 19th Annual photo competition.
Rocco Morabito won a Pulizer Prize in 1968 for the image "The Kiss of Life."
Accompanying note "Girl in winner of Miss Navy Wings of Gold, Contest."
State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/16802


The Seminole Hotel's elevators in 1936. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/51692

[Wacca Pilatka]

Thanks for sharing these!

This is my favorite building of all that have been torn down.  Agreed that it would've been a perfect boutique hotel.  Astonishing to me how quickly it was torn down after the hotel closed, and that it was sacrificed for that generic little Duval Federal building that itself was torn down later.