The Jaxson

The Jaxson is a multimedia initiative created by Modern Cities in partnership with WJCT Public Broadcasting. It focuses on urban life and culture in Florida’s First Coast. This project builds on Modern Cities' commitment to exploring urbanism in a detailed, local context, offering an in-depth look at Jacksonville and the surrounding areas in Northeast Florida.

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Milldale: A Long-Forgotten Early Jacksonville Mill Town

4 days ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

The USG Jacksonville plant today. In 1896, recognizing the value of Florida’s cypress and timberlands, Wellington Wilson Cummer established the Cummer Lumber Company at Sandfly Point. The sawmill quickly grew into the Jacksonville area’s largest employer. With business thriving, the adjacent area developed into a community providing housing, shops and other amenities for the mill workers. This area became known as Milldale.
The Legacy of Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers

5 days ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

The BeginningThe Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers plant viewed from the railroad. | University of FloridaThe Jones-Chambliss Company was officially incorporated in January 1911 with a capital investment of $30,000. The company name was a fusion of its founders’ names, Charles A. Jones and John O. Chambliss. That same year, John Chambliss partnered with Walter and William Graddick, Barney Hart, Robert Stewart, and William Smith to establish the Jacksonville Cattle Company at 406 Forest Street.
Sights and Scenes: Honey Dripper Weekend

1 week ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp paid tribute to the city’s historic Eastside neighborhood by rebranding as the Jacksonville Honey Drippers for two Memorial Day weekend games against the Memphis Redbirds. As part of the celebration, the team donned specially designed Honey Drippers hats and jerseys. Fans attending Honey Drippers Weekend at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena were also treated to the city’s iconic frozen treat.
Urban change and cultural loss: 4 Vanished Main Streets

3 weeks ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

Downtown’s Main StreetLooking north at the intersection of Main and Forsyth Streets during the 1950s. | National Archives CatalogOn February 24, 1893, Jacksonville’s Main Street made history as the site of Florida’s first electric streetcar line, connecting Downtown Jacksonville to the growing neighborhood of Springfield.
The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Duval Laundry

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

An early 20th century photograph of Duval Laundry. | Gary WatsonIn 1901, Thomas Hilditch founded the Hilditch Steam Laundry on Washington Street, near Jacksonville’s Old City Cemetery. By 1915, Hilditch had partnered with Thomas Burroughs to construct a large, modern laundry facility at 413 East 9th Street in Springfield. The newly built two-story brick plant stood adjacent to a prominent lumber mill operated by the J.C. Halsema Manufacturing Company.
AC Hotel proposed in Brooklyn seeks DDRB approval

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Mike Field

An AC Hotel and parking deck is planned for 800 and 825 in Brooklyn. Established as AC Hoteles C.A. in 1997, AC Hotels by Marriott is a midscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International serving business and leisure travelers. The Brooklyn project will be the second AC Hotel by Marriott location to open in Jacksonville. The first, near St. Johns Town Center, opened in March 2024. The applicant for the Brooklyn project is Chris Allred, AIA of Charlotte, NC-based firm, The RBA Group.
From rust to revival: 5 dream adaptive reuse projects

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

April 2025 photographs of the redeveloped Union Terminal Warehouse. | Columbia Ventures2013 photographs of the Union Terminal Warehouse. | Metrojacksonville.comAlthough long associated with older industrial cities across the country, this approach is gaining traction locally as developers increasingly recognize the potential of early 20th-century industrial properties throughout Jacksonville’s urban core neighborhoods.
The Great Southern Box Company Food Hall & Bar

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

The roots of The Packing District trace back to 1920, when the Dr. P. Phillips Company was formed to consolidate Dr. Philip Phillips’ extensive citrus holdings. In the years that followed, the company constructed a citrus packing house at the northeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Princeton Street, then situated on the rural fringe of Orlando. By the 1930s, Dr. Phillips had become the world’s largest individual grower of oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines.
Before & After: The S-Line Urban Greenway

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

History of the S-Line Urban GreenwayIn 1886, the Jacksonville Belt Railroad was constructed between Springfield and the Jacksonville Terminal area in LaVilla to connect the Fernandina & Jacksonville Railroad to the Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Railroad. The railroad was acquired by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) system in 1902.
When the Machines Stopped: Jax’s Forgotten Industry

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

American Motors Export Company801 West 15th StreetThe American Motors Export Company plant in Northwest Jacksonville. | Florida State ArchivesIn 1921, American Motors opened in Jacksonville with the goal of manufacturing the Innes automobile. The car was the brainchild of Henry L. Innes and was intended as a revival of the short-lived Simms automobile, which had been produced in Atlanta, Georgia, only a year earlier in 1920.