As 2024 got here to an in depth, the College of Florida Board of Trustees Governance Committee voted to open a brand new graduate campus and assemble the Florida Semiconductor Institute within the space surrounding the Prime F. Osborn III Conference Middle. Previous to the Conference Middle’s opening in 1986, the complicated was first the location of Henry Flagler’s Union Depot practice station starting in 1895 and later the Union Terminal starting in 1919. Union Terminal was the most important railroad station within the South and at its peak dealt with greater than 140 trains carrying 20,000 passengers every day. To assist operations of such a big facility, the Jacksonville Terminal Firm (which owned the power) employed greater than 2,000 individuals, making it the second-largest employer within the metropolis on the time.
As soon as referred to as the Gateway Metropolis, Jacksonville was a serious railroad middle for greater than 50 years. The Jacksonville Terminal Firm was a partnership made up of the rail traces that served the terminal complicated, all of which nonetheless loom massive in at present’s transportation world: Florida East Coast Railway (began by Commonplace Oil principal Henry Flagler), Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern Railway) and the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Firm (now CSX Transportation). All trains going to or coming from South Florida would originate from this facility, and subsequently the expansion of modern-day Florida occurred due to the annex of commerce which befell at this entryway to the state. The amelioration of rail transportation to and from this website was certainly the lynchpin of Henry Flagler’s plan to develop southern Florida as a serious resort space on the flip of the century. Vacationers would arrive from all world wide to Florida by way of Union Terminal, the place they’d be greeted by actual property brokers, attorneys and bankers all wanting to promote land or firm inventory for residential, hoteling and industrial developments all through Florida. Each president between Warren G. Harding and Richard Nixon handed by the terminal. Within the Nineteen Thirties, porters from the Jacksonville Terminal shaped the Jacksonville Pink Caps, an all-Black baseball crew named after the pink hats the porters wore. The Pink Caps went on to play within the Negro Main Leagues, making them the primary main league sports activities crew in Florida historical past.
The 1919 facility was designed by New York architect Kennth Murchison. He borrowed freely from the design on New York’s Penn Station, which itself had been modeled after the Roman Baths of Caracalla. Union Terminal was and nonetheless is Jacksonville’s biggest instance of the Neo-Classical Revival architectural fashion, each in scale and substance. The doorway is marked with fourteen, unfluted and colossal Doric columns produced from sandstone that bodily face Downtown. The 75-foot hovering, barrel-vaulted ceiling of the ticketing corridor and ready room is complemented by eight thermal home windows that present clerestory lighting from above. The constructing is constructed of bolstered concrete with a limestone veneer, with copious quantities of Tennessee granite and marble used all through. In all of the constructing contained greater than 150 tons of decorative iron. Passengers might even gawk at a reside alligator, which lived in a terrarium inside the concourse.
Passenger rail operations had begun to wane through the latter half of the twentieth century, with the development of interstate highways and advances in industrial aviation turning into a most well-liked technique of leisure journey. Freight rail journey was considerably extra worthwhile than passenger rail service, and rail operators turned to the federal authorities to decontrol the business and drop the requirement to hold not-as-profitable passengers throughout the nation. With the passage of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, freight carriers would not be required to function passenger rail service and the Nationwide Railroad Passenger Company (or Amtrak) was shaped. When Amtrak took over all non-public railroad passenger practice operations in 1971, three-quarters of the nation’s passenger rail companies had been eradicated in a single day. By 1974, solely 4 passenger trains had been recurrently serving Jacksonville. That very same 12 months Amtrak moved its operations to a cheaply constructed and no-frills passenger platform and parking zone on the Northside, eliminating Amtrak’s obligation to take care of the once-grand Union Terminal. By Christmas 1974, the luxurious terminal facility was dwelling to solely a few workplace tenants and a warehouse for a paint distributor.
Stretching virtually 18 acres, the outdated practice complicated was eyed as the proper website to be leveled and redeveloped for a brand new use. Across the identical time a Skyway was envisioned to attach the Gateway Mall to Downtown traversing primarily down Most important Road, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) had additionally begun to hunt Federal grant funding to amass and in the end tear down the Union Terminal complicated to be able to construct an enormous bus upkeep facility. This plan would have used taxpayer {dollars} to destroy a beloved landmark and cut back a big part of a struggling LaVilla to little greater than a parking zone for busses.
That’s when a charismatic fellow brimming with the unabashed vitality of man who had simply turned 30, determined it was time to avoid wasting this iconic construction. His title was Dr Wayne Wooden, a younger optometrist that moved to Jacksonville from Texas to be able to take up work along with his uncle. He was a revered skilled with a fascinating attract and fast wit. However beneath the white lab coat, Wayne was stirred by a hippie-esque altruism, satisfied the world could possibly be saved by divergent considering and the occasional sit-in.
Step one can be to checklist the property on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. That course of started in 1976. Earlier than JTA sought funding for a bus upkeep yard, the Jacksonville Terminal Firm had preliminary explorations about changing the older Station right into a “Gaslight district” alongside the traces of Underground Atlanta. When the prices for such an endeavor ballooned to greater than $4 million, and growth companions couldn’t decide to elevating the mandatory capital, the JTA’s bus yard plan seemed to be the simplest path to eliminate the property. Fearing restrictions on redevelopment choices, the Jacksonville Terminal Firm initially opposed historic designation.
These pictures present Flagler’s unique Union Depot in 1900, how this portion regarded in 1975 having been built-in into the 1919 Terminal Station redevelopment and the way many of the remaining Union Depot complicated was destroyed in a 1979 hearth by way of Jax Fireplace Museum
Wayne would schedule a go to with Prime Osborn, the president of Seaboard Coast Line. Prime was a warfare hero, who distinguished himself in Saipan and Iow Jima earlier than incomes a legislation diploma and starting a profession within the railroad business. As Normal Counsel of Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Firm (ACL), he orchestrated the merger with Seaboard Air Line in 1967 to kind Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Firm (SCL).
Wayne remembers “his workplace resembled a grand church and when he arose to shake my hand he regarded like an absolute big in my thoughts.” Unshaken he smiled, regarded Prime sq. within the eyes and mentioned, “I’d wish to borrower your practice station for just a few months to throw just a few events and check out to reserve it.” The rail govt burst out laughing and exclaimed “Son, you’d want 1,000,000 {dollars} in insurance coverage to drag one thing off like that.” Three days later, Wayne returned to the SCL authorized workplace with insurance coverage in hand.
Now very a lot a practice conductor in his personal proper, Wayne and a fervent military of volunteers sprung into motion to patch up the 4 buildings that made up the majority of the complicated. After years of Amtrak stewardship, a common lack of upkeep and an abrupt abandonment, there was a lot to scrub up.
In the course of the 1960’s, a drop ceiling was put in in the primary terminal and coated with acoustic tile. Reducing the ceiling was completed to scale back noise and set up a extra economical air-con system that will not have to chill such a big space. A deal was struck with Burkhalter Wrecking Firm whereas Burkhalter would take away the drop ceiling and as soon as once more expose the cavernous 75-foot terminal ceilings, and in change they’d maintain the metal trestles and maintain no matter different beneficial scrap was eliminated through the restoration course of.
The deserted station was recurrently patrolled by safety, nevertheless vagrants had infiltrated many of the complicated, setting small fires and stripping out wiring, copper and decorative items. On condition that {the electrical} system had been rendered ineffective, Paxon Electrical stepped as much as quickly re-wire the venue in order that it might accommodate just a few raucous events.
The Sermac Firm completely cleaned greater than a decade of grime from the partitions, whereas waxing and sprucing marble flooring to the identical situation which as soon as greeted passengers when the station opened in 1919.
Wayne then used his connections to enlist the companies of the Probationer’s Residence Program, a state-run residence program for non-violent offenders that had been required to conduct neighborhood service to fulfill their sentencing necessities. Working alongside dozens of RAP volunteers, this rag-tag group of sinners and saints refurbished wood benches, cleaned stained glass ceilings with a toothbrush, restored railroad indicators, patched cracks within the plaster partitions and repaired baggage carts as soon as left within the practice station to rust and decay.
At the least twice, vagrants broke into the constructing, requiring much more volunteer hours to scrub up what had already been scrubbed simply days prior. In all, a number of hundred volunteers and greater than three dozen companies donated time, cash and companies to quickly restore the terminal right into a state worthy of internet hosting a monumental gala.
Throughout this time, the Jacksonville Terminal Firm relented and agreed to designate the constructing for historic safety standing, supplied that pointless and traditionally insignificant parts of the property had been excluded. The historic designation successfully barred JTA from receiving federal funds to tear down the buildings to be able to assemble a bus upkeep facility. The JTC pivoted to promote the previous Railroad Specific Company (REA) rail terminal facility alongside Myrtle Avenue to JTA. The REA Terminal was as soon as the most important specific terminal within the nation, however closed in 1975 as air freight and tractor trailers took on extra supply of specific packages (equivalent to FedEx and UPS). The remnants of the REA Terminal had been principally demolished to assemble the JTA bus upkeep yards, that are nonetheless in operation at present because the JTA Myrtle Avenue Operations Campus.
*Prime picture exhibits the previous REA Terminal within the 1950’s. Backside picture exhibits the JTA Myrtle Avenue Operations Campus in 2025.
By November 1977, the primary of three events can be held within the complicated known as the “Station Celebration”. That first Station Celebration featured the acclaimed 16-piece orchestra of Jimmy Glenn. The Silver Meteor and Pink Cap bars bought champagne for the debutants and nickel beers for the bacchanals- usually interchanged. Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton silent movies had been proven in opposition to the grand hovering, concourse partitions. A live-action on line casino dubbed the ‘Golden Spike’ was erected providing possibilities to win fabulous prizes. Smaller rooms all through the power provided themed dance events: one a disco full with a mesmerizing mild present and one other a honky-tonk in a room with stained glass ceilings.
*After months of labor, the practice station is lastly able to as soon as once more welcome visitors.
Whereas Jacksonville had hosted the annual Florida Georgia soccer recreation since 1933, higher referred to as the World’s Largest Outside Cocktail social gathering, the magnitude of the Station Celebration social gathering was merely with out precedent. Over 7,000 social gathering crammed into the power. In the present day, legal professionals and hearth marshals would by no means permit that dimension of a crowd to congregate inside, however this was the Nineteen Seventies and other people clearly didn’t want a lot of an excuse to look the opposite method. Regardless of a truck load of kegs being consumed that evening, the place was so packed nobody might fall over from drunkenness. It was certainly the social gathering of the century. Wooden remembers fondly, “Individuals had been lined up down Bay Road practically a half hour earlier than our doorways even opened. This was throughout a time when few dared to be seen within the space after darkish.”
Dr Wooden satisfied supervisor Peter Lyons of Victoria Station to stage the Nice Barbecue Rib Promotion, promoting barbecue ribs to hungry social gathering goers that first evening, with all income benefiting RAP. Peter didn’t fairly accurately estimate the insatiable appetites of these packed within the terminal. Though an enormous smoker was positioned exterior the constructing, twice all through the night, Victoria Station would run out of ribs. Complicating issues was a logistical nightmare because the pitmasters couldn’t fairly determine tips on how to carry enormous trays of ribs whereas concurrently searching for to navigate by the lots of folks that packed the terminal standing shoulder-to-shoulder. In lower than two hours, over 900 slabs of ribs had been gone. They might have been bought out in lower than an hour, if not for these logistical obstacles.
RAP was then the town’s largest preservation group, and the events had been staged to point out potential builders that there was substantial curiosity in saving the buildings and discovering them new life. Shopping for a $10 admission ticket was a method of declaring that ‘Sure, we would like this constructing saved’. Admission tickets had been bought for $10. A number of thousand social gathering goers forged their vote by attending, and RAP raised practically $50,000 that first evening.
The Station Celebration was the delivery of a brand new spirit in Jacksonville that went far past a single constructing. There have been individuals in attendance from each a part of the Jacksonville populace, making it a real neighborhood occasion. On the time, it could not be exaggerating to say that at the very least half of Jacksonville had as soon as arrived or departed from the practice station. That frequent bond stirred these from all walks of life to come back collectively and save the buildings.
The success of the events proved that inventive concepts might deliver the town collectively to perform issues as soon as thought unimaginable. As bulldozers had begun to degree the historic cloth of downtown all through the 1960’s and 1970’s, it was clear that many Jaxsons had been on the lookout for a brand new path that was intent on restoring the architectural gems and cultural establishments that had as soon as made Jacksonville such a novel place.
With proceeds earned from the Station Celebrations held in 1977, 1978 and once more in1981, Jerry Spinks would set up a revolving mortgage fund for RAP to amass distressed properties. With volunteers and donated companies, RAP would rehabilitate and re-sell the properties with income going again into the fund for added acquisitions. Greater than a dozen buildings had been saved due to this mortgage fund. This got here throughout a time when the Riverside and Avondale neighborhoods had been struggling to draw wanted investments to rehabilitate practically century-old properties. Now, the neighborhoods are dwelling to a number of the costliest items of actual property within the metropolis. To assume {that a} small spark within the neighborhood’s turnaround would ignite due to the pioneering spirits and cash raised from the preservation-minded adventurers that staged the Station Celebration sequence.
These properties and others had been acquired and rehabbed from a revolving mortgage fund seeded with proceeds raised on the Station Celebrations
Whereas attending the social gathering, a number of Lee Excessive College alumni led by Lee McIlvaine and Bob Howard obtained collectively to suggest redeveloping the terminal right into a multi-million greenback lodge, restaurant and leisure complicated modeled after the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Closed in 1970, the Chattanooga Terminal was renovated in 1973 and re-opened because the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hilton and Leisure Complicated. McIlvaine, who handed away in 2009 on the age of 92, was a legendary businessman and philanthropist in Jacksonville. He bought the property from JTC and continued to stabilize the buildings after a 1979 hearth that broken practically all remaining parts of the unique Flagler Union Depot buildings. Based mostly upon the repairs required after the fireplace, the redevelopment plans needed to take a again seat to be able to save the remainder of the remaining buildings.
Whereas that plan by no means left the station, a former Constitution Firm govt and Station Celebration-party goer Steve Wilson was impressed to take up the helm. Wilson launched Mayor Jake Godbold to representatives from the Rouse Firm about opening a pageant market in Jacksonville. Wilson thought the terminal’s finest use would have been good for the pageant market idea, or maybe a big park-n-ride facility to feed riders to/from an leisure complicated close by. The Chamber of Commerce, Metropolis Council, the Downtown Improvement Authority and the Mayor’s workplace simply so occurred to be exploring the necessity to construct a contemporary conference middle to draw vacationers to a struggling downtown on the identical time. Clearly the winds of change had been sweeping by Downtown, and alternative was abounded. Shortly after the third and last Station Celebration, Wilson had positioned the Union Terminal beneath a purchase order contract in 1981. He had preliminary conversations with Rouse about changing the power right into a pageant market. Rouse although most well-liked a smaller website and one nearer to the central enterprise district’s current retail shops and workplace staff.
Satisfied that the big dimension of the terminal complicated and its direct entry to the interstate freeway can be the proper website for a conference middle, Wilson cobbled collectively a who’s-who of native executives equivalent to Prime Osborn, Charlie Tower, Martin Stein, William Nash, Wesley Paxon, WW Homosexual and Jack Demetree to execute his buy settlement. For 2 years the group negotiated to enter right into a public-private partnership with the Metropolis of Jacksonville to redevelop the primary terminal constructing and assemble a contemporary, 265,000 sq. foot conference middle alongside the previous rail spurs behind the terminal. After practically the conference middle lastly broke floor, Rouse started working with Godbold to amass a riverfront website to ultimately assemble the Jacksonville Touchdown.
On October seventeenth 1986, the brand new conference middle would open, adopted by a wildly-successful four-month run of the Ramses II touring show- the most important assortment of historic Egyptian artifacts. Ramses II was a coupe for Jacksonville, because it was solely exhibited in 4 cities throughout North America. Having handed away a 12 months prior, the conference middle was named for Prime Osborn- the person that when thought Wayne Wooden was loopy to avoid wasting, and who later put up his personal cash to assist restore.
In the present day, funding is in place for the Metropolis of Jacksonville to discover restoring the Prime Osborn as a central rail station and convey new passenger rail connections to Jacksonville. Whereas the terminal constructing and close by railroad trackage might see new life by an outdated use, the College of Florida will ultimately be utilizing parts of the present conference middle to assemble later phases of a graduate campus and accompanying residential buildings. If trains ever do come again to the terminal, maybe it could be becoming to call any new passenger amenities for the person that had the attention for all of it, Dr Wayne Wooden- the practice conductor who by no means as soon as labored as a railman.