Downtown Disappearing Act

[Metro Jacksonville]

Downtown Disappearing Act



Question: What does every structure shaded in yellow have in common?  

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/513

[Jason]

I thought we had a little bit more than that still left.  This image really puts it into perspective.

The saddest part is that is only part of the whole picture....

[spidey]

It really makes an impact when you see it all in one picture, doesn't it?

[fsujax]

This is a sad commentary.

[Jason]

I'd like to see the lots that were simply razed for surface parking.  Some of the losses are understood due to the new towers covering them up but the parking lots are totally uncalled for.

[Ocklawaha]

Then there are the not so obvious things we could have done... SHOULD HAVE DONE. There was the classic old Acosta Bridge that was promised to be placed in a park after it came down. The center span and towers would have made a classic industrial-historical sculpture over some pond or creek for urbanity. Where did it go? BTW Seminole and Volusia Counties saved the center span of the classic old swing bridge over the St. Johns at Sanford and today, it is the center piece of a nice little river park. Over on the Suwanne, they did the same thing near the Metropolis of Chiefland.



The entire Jacksonville Traction Company, and "The Most Beautiful Streetcar Line In The World", and we couldn't even save ONE ROUTE? Don't think it could have been done? Well your a daisy if you do!

Don't miss those car barns, once called the bus garages in Brooklyn. You know at the site of the Skyway maintenance facility. It was all an honest JTA mistake, they HAD to come down (hell they had tracks in the floor and we couldn't allow that!) because the ramps for the new Acosta bridge were going "Right Through Them!" Oops, guess not, well golly Goober, guess well just have to use that old Trolley space for our Save-All Skyway!



Fairfield, like LaVilla, GONE... Why, well we all need (and I agree) a Sports and entertainment district. Trouble is, Fairfield was the only large historic district that was spared by the fire of 1901. So do you suppose we moved all those old homes out to a newer reconstruction district? Nope! Jacksonville LOVES fireworks, and down they came.

Dixieland, Storybook Land, Oriental Gardens, The Beach Midway, Ostrich Farm and many smaller nationally known parks are now fond photos in a dusty album. The Hail storm of 1907 pretty much took out Dixieland Trolley Park, aka: "Disney world #1". But we never rebuilt, the place was probably rodent infested anyway, so the "City of South Jacksonville," (yes it once WAS a City) decided to put up a ball park instead. All the Mice fled to Orlando.

We have such a "Bold New" collective group of leaders. We will create "City" and make it in "our image". Well folks that's pretty damned funny. We ran to Boston and Baltimore to make a copy of what they had in "The Jacksonville Landing." Then built it too small, backwards and without parking and frankly after 20 years it looked pretty beat up. We ran to New Orleans and Washington to cop that statue of General Jackson to place at the landing... oh yes, it is a copy from the SAME mold! Don't forget Godbold's Aquarium, we sent people to Chattanooga and St. Petersburg and God knows where else to copy that too...but it never happened. That darn unfinished Skyway? Copy of Morgantown, West Virginia, then when it fell apart, we remade it as a modern monorail. When we put all the City buildings and parking on the Waterfront downtown, we dug up an old steamship. You didn't hear about it? Shucks y'all, you know a pile driver can whoop them buggers right through those old rotten timbers. Sure is a good thing Orville and Wilbur died, because we might have gotten an airport with a completely different look... hummm? Wonder if THEY left any old plans laying around? Xerox City Anyone?

Okay, I'm finally done. If this wasn't MY CITY and a place I love I would NEVER have said these things. I have never figured out how we can manage to be the "Worlds Most Beautiful Downtown" and the nation's dumbest City in one moment in time. Now that my BP is up to about 600/400, I think I'll spend the lunch hour listening to "Foamy" rant... If you can handle a joke with a few (okay alot) of foul words, join me at Foamy's place. "Tech Support IV" is a scream!
http://www.illwillpress.com/

Ocklawaha

[Timkin]

Where did the Old Acosta Span end up? in the Ocean?

[Ocklawaha]

First highway bridge over the St.Johns River, unique, beautiful, historic and destroyed...

That's the case, and we're quite proud of it!

The Acosta Bridge Artificial Reef, LORAN 45195.18/61922.45, took an enormous amount of energy and hard work. There were years of planning by people behind the scenes that made the Acosta artificial reef a reality.   The JOSFC started working with the architects and engineers at the design stage of the new Acosta bridge to get offshore Jacksonville listed as an alternate disposal site for the old bridge.   The JOSFC coordinated all efforts, including monitoring the placements, and was responsible for maintenance of the reef.  The placement on June 23, 1992 was the first of between six and twelve loads of material that were transported offshore between June and November, 1992.

 

OCKLAWAHA

[Timkin]

Geez... how stupid.. They should have at least saved the Center Span.  Stupid Stupid Stupid.

[Ocklawaha]

According to the word from Jake Godbold back at the time, the center span WAS going to be saved and placed in a park. We did the deep six on that plan and got a reef instead. HEY! I think I'll take the family out to see the reef tomorrow... ooh, aah, Jacksonville!

OCKLAWAHA

[Timkin]

By now the thing is probably a pile of rust on the Ocean Floor. Nice Going, Major Jake!

[Timkin]

It would have been FAR LESS COSTLY to place the bridge in a Park somewhere than to dismantle it and deep six it in the Atlantic. Sometimes it just baffles me how some of the morons who have been Mayor, got to these positions.

[billy]

beyond sad

[Jaxson]

On the bright side [gag], take great pride [gag] in our awesome suburban [gag] parks!  [Runs for nearest empty trash can]

After all, there is more to our city than just downtown [pukes into trash can].

I can't spout this crap anymore!!! 

My first reaction to the above picture of our downtown and all of the buildings that were demolished in the name of 'progress'?  Pure revulsion.

It's tough to love a city when it is so hell-bent on destroying itself...

[Timkin]

Jaxson....  It was the City's Leadership and their special interests that saw all of this razed.  The common folk like yourself and I would NEVER have been in favor of all of these places being destroyed. That is what makes me sick.