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 Index of LaVilla Sites References Following Stephen Crane's death, Cora returned to Jacksonville in 1902, going by the name of Cora Crane. She borrowed money and bought the southwest corner of Ward and Davis Streets in the heart of the red-light district. Here she built "The Court," which the Times-Union described as "the largest and most palatial" of the houses "on the line." Designed by architect W. B. Camp, this imposing two-story brick edifice contained fourteen bedrooms, a ballroom, and an annex with eight additional bedrooms. When temperance crusader Carrie Nation came to Jacksonville in 1908, she made a point of visiting The Court and assailing its activities. Cora Crane died in 1910, and The Court was torn down in the 1930's. Three other nearby buildings that housed bordellos on Houston Street remained in existence, although not in business, until recent years. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to their architectural significance and the colorful history of this section, these buildings were lost to demolition in 1979. 8 Another interesting aspect of La Villa's history is its paradoxical relationship to the Great Fire of 1901. The fire started in the northern part of La Villa, yet burned only a few blocks along the northern and eastern fringe of La Villa, leaving the rest of this neighborhood with a significant collection of pre-Fire commercial and residential structures. 9 For nearly a century, the portion of La Villa north of Duval Street has been a center for Jacksonville's black population. Major black civic, social, church, and business groups originated in La Villa. Shiloh Baptist Church, Stanton High School, Brewster Hospital, and the Masonic Temple are four buildings that reflect this growth of black culture. 10 The area around the intersection of Ashley and Jefferson Streets was the hub for black entertainment for many years. Black jazz greats and swing bands played there during the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, but because of strict segregation, white Jacksonville scarcely knew they were in this city. Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, and Billie Holliday performed frequently. Numerous other entertainers, including the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Earl Hines, and Billy Eckstein, played here several times. One of the most popular hotspots for jazz was the Hollywood Music Store at 605 West Ashley St. Opened in the late 1920's, it is the last of these La Villa nightclubs still operating. 11 The industrial and commercial area along Bay and Adams Streets grew in importance after the opening of the new Union Terminal in 1919. Jacksonville was a major transportation center for many decades thereafter, and countless tons of freight and millions of rail travelers arrived and departed through La Villa. As the rail traffic declined in the 1960's, so did the surrounding area. It was never a fancy neighborhood, and both the commercial area on the southern part and the black residential area on the north suffered from neglect and urban decay. An urban renewal program by the city in the 1980's and 90's has removed over 100 buildings from the neighborhood, leaving little of the residential character that was once LaVilla, Jacksonville's oldest suburb. A $25 million revitalization plan is aimed at bringing private enterprise and public facilities to the area. However, a few buildings remain from the late nineteenth century and the early part of this century. 12 1 A For key to references, see Bibliography. |
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Excerpts
of this work may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes
with credit to Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage by Wayne W. Wood. All Rights Reserved, Wayne W. Wood and Ó University Press of Florida. |
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