When Downtown Was The Place to Be

[heights unknown]

Here is a good shot of that building today.

It looks nice and beautiful; it's still holding up wonderfully.

Heights Unknown

[Jason]

^ I'd say there are plenty of holes left to fill before any more buildings need to come down.

[heights unknown]

I think one of the things that lured people downtown back then, other than the shops, businesses, restaurants, etc., is that there wasn't much of a problem with parking.  Notice that you were allowed to park on the street curb back then, bumper to bumper, and also notice the absence of parking meters in the majority of the pics.  Maybe we should go back to some of the "old ways" of doing business to attract people back downtown.  We do need an entertainment complex (movie theaters, video/pin ball arcades, etc.) and some type of other attraction, primarily on the Northbank, other than the Landing to lure and keep people coming back to downtown.

Heights Unknown

[Steve]

I think one of the things that lured people downtown back then, other than the shops, businesses, restaurants, etc., is that there wasn't much of a problem with parking.  Notice that you were allowed to park on the street curb back then, bumper to bumper, and also notice the absence of parking meters in the majority of the pics.  Maybe we should go back to some of the "old ways" of doing business to attract people back downtown.  We do need an entertainment complex (movie theaters, video/pin ball arcades, etc.) and some type of other attraction, primarily on the Northbank, other than the Landing to lure and keep people coming back to downtown.

Heights Unknown

Seriously - parking seems to work fine in the retail districts of San Marco, Five Points, and Avondale.  I don't have a problem with a 2-3 hour limit (maybe a couple of 30 min spaces next to the Jewelry stores to keep them happy) and no meter.  It seems to work fine there.

We also went through this phase a few years back where we widened the sidewalk at the expense of parallel parking.  Remind me why we did that?

[thelakelander]

Some in charge were under belief that wide sidewalks were essential for a vibrant streetscape.  Unfortunately, they must have not visited vibrant places like Charleston, Portland, Savannah or San Juan, PR.







Wide sidewalks can be nice, but they should not be widened at the expense of other features that play an important role in making downtown a hospitable environment.

[Steve]

Especially when you think of older, european cities - narrow sidewalks with parallel parking.  Semms to work ok for them

[copperfiend]

Was downtown the place to be tonight? It's always nice to see downtown full of people walking, talking and having fun.

[Driven1]

Well, have to say it's nice to know that Jacksonville did have a downtown life.  Seeing all those old buildings with all that commerce makes you realize how dull downtown has become both socially and architecturally.  Hopefully, new housing and new residents will bring new life to the buildings that are left.  One can only hope no more old buildings need to be brought down for parking lots or pocket parks.

Yeah...for real.  Not since I have been here.  It is better now thanany time  in the last 10 years (I got here in 99). 

[Matt]

Despite the demolition of most of downtown's building fabric, that building is one of the few remaining that have been restored.  You can see it in the middle of this group of images from Metro Jacksonville's Lighting Laura Street study.

D'oh! I have never noticed it! Dag, now I want to go see it.

[Matt]

I think one of the things that lured people downtown back then, other than the shops, businesses, restaurants, etc., is that there wasn't much of a problem with parking.  Notice that you were allowed to park on the street curb back then, bumper to bumper, and also notice the absence of parking meters in the majority of the pics.  Maybe we should go back to some of the "old ways" of doing business to attract people back downtown.  We do need an entertainment complex (movie theaters, video/pin ball arcades, etc.) and some type of other attraction, primarily on the Northbank, other than the Landing to lure and keep people coming back to downtown.

Heights Unknown

Hopefully that new development by the Prime Osborn will be built and will be that catalyst.

[DetroitInJAX]

May I ask why all of the vibrant commercial signage that was part of downtown for its first like.. what.. 100 years.. is no longer in use?  A good urban area is a mess of bright lights and retail.

[lumbee1luv]

I have live here in Jacksonville for much of my life......the good times and the bad. We have lost most of the small business that was in the Downtown area and through the neighborhoods in the city. Downtown needs the stores and shops that once were there. We do not even have a movie theater if one want to have dinner and do a movie. We do not have the social places that was once there for adults to go to.....Jazz clubs, place to go have dinner and dancing. The city lost many jobs with losing insurance and banking companies that was there. We have nothing but gaps in the city now. It such a shame that  the one massive thing we have to look at is that overprice court house and all the empty parcels of real estate that once held business and now nothing but empty blight.

[HisBuffPVB]

Memory is subjective. At the same time, people are talking about how wonderful downtown is, they forget that Bay street was a conglomeration of bars, dilapidated docks, strip shows and movies, cheap clothing stores catering to sailors, who were the primary customers on the weekends. While there were department stores and other stores downtown, it was not a Valhalla for citizens. The bus station and other public places were posted by the Shore Patrol to show all the places in Jacksonville and the suburbs that were off limits to military personnel. The fact is that the St. Johns Town Center is the new downtown. One of the reasons for consolidation was to insure that wherever companies or people decided to live in the county, these properties would be on the tax rolls.