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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Urban change and cultural loss: 4 Vanished Main Streets

3 days 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 week 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 week 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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks 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.
Hakimian Holdings Unveils Plans for 245 Riverside

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Mike Field

Hakimian Holdings has announced plans for a dynamic redevelopment at 245 Riverside Avenue in Downtown Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood. The proposed project includes a two-story retail and office addition as well as a one-story riverfront restaurant, aiming to enhance the site’s connection to the Northbank Riverwalk and contribute to a more pedestrian-friendly Riverside Avenue.
History of the West Jacksonville Rail Yard

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

A coal locomotive engine at the shops in 1941. | State Archives of FloridaIn the late 19th century, the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad (FC&P) established its West Jacksonville rail yard and maintenance shops on the city’s western edge. In 1903, the Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL) acquired FC&P and expanded the site, making it one of Jacksonville’s largest employers by 1909, with over 1,000 workers.
The story of Dr. Walker-Brown' Business College

1 month ago | thejaxsonmag.com | Ennis Davis

The BeginningStudents of Walker Business College, c. 1916 | State Archives of FloridaWith her first husband Richard Wendell Walker, Dr. Julia S. Walker-Brown founded Walker’s Business College in 1916. Julia Saphronia was born in Georgia and attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. Richard W. Walker was from Kansas and had previously attended Fairmont University in Wichita. The school’s first location was in LaVilla, across the street from the Masonic Temple at 417.5 Broad Street.