The previous South Jacksonville Metropolis Corridor
Positioned throughout the St. Johns River from Downtown Jacksonville, the residential group of South Jacksonville grew up on former plantation land simply after the Civil Battle. Additional development got here when the Florida East Coast Railway constructed a railroad bridge in 1890, connecting the North and Southbank for the primary time. In 1907, South Jacksonville integrated as a city.
The neighborhood now referred to as San Marco was as soon as an unbiased metropolis named South Jacksonville. South Jacksonville prospered as a suburb of Jacksonville, after the completion of the Florida East Coast Railway Bridge over the St,. Johns River in 1890. By 1907, South Jacksonville was dwelling to 600 residents, however regardless of its development it nonetheless lacked primary facilities like streetlights, sidewalks and paved roadways. The residents voted to include as a metropolis, and a small authorities middle developed on Hendricks Avenue together with a metropolis corridor, energy plant, ice plant and railroad station.
In 1925, an 80-acre residential improvement named San Marco opened in South Jacksonville. In 1932, a measure to annex South Jacksonville into Jacksonville was authorized by voters in each cities. In an attention-grabbing twist of toponymy, the San Marco improvement had such a cachet that the title “San Marco” got here to be utilized to a lot of the former city, whereas South Jacksonville, or Southside, unfold to a a lot wider space south and east of the St. Johns. Immediately the misplaced metropolis stays one in every of Jacksonville’s hottest city neighborhoods.
A view of Marco Lake in San Marco.
San Marco’s Marco Lake began out as a claypit for the Gamble and Stockton Brick Firm. The corporate was based by two of Jacksonville’s elite: Robert Gamble and Telfair Stockton. Gamble’s household had owned brickworks round Florida previous to the Civil Battle, and he was additionally concerned within the Florida Ice Manufacturing Firm and Florida Southern Railway. Stockton was one in every of Jacksonville’s most outstanding builders; his firm developed upscale Avondale in 1920. Their Gamble and Stockton enterprise produced bricks, hole blocks, roof tile, drain tile, ceramic supplies and extra. Staff dug up moist clay from the pit and took it to the manufacturing amenities to be molded into form and fired. By 1923, it was producing 50,000 bricks a day.
Through the Twenties Florida land growth, Gamble and Stockton decided their property can be extra worthwhile as a residential improvement. In September 1925, they relocated the brickyard to a website on Medical doctors Inlet in Clay County, and Stockton introduced the unique property can be reworked into a brand new neighborhood referred to as San Marco. Quite than filling the brick firm’s clay pit, Stockton determined to show it right into a roughly quarter mile lengthy water function. He shored up the perimeters with a concrete seawall and dug a canal out to the St. Johns River, creating what grew to become referred to as Marco Lake, or Lake Marco. From these industrial beginnings got here one in every of Jacksonville’s most picturesque areas.
Balis Park within the coronary heart of the San Marco Sq. buying district.
The unique San Marco improvement was comparatively small, consisting of 80 acres of the previous brickyard property divided into 250 tons. To enhance vehicular entry to the event, Stockton created San Marco Boulevard, which linked the St. Johns River (Acosta) Bridge south to the intersection of Hendricks Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard. The place these three streets met, close to the crossing of town’s two streetcar strains, he deliberate a triangular formed industrial space, impressed by the Piazza San Marco in Venice. This industrial space, which included a multi-level fountain at its middle, was referred to as San Marco Sq.. Now thought of one in every of Jacksonville’s earliest city facilities, San Marco Sq. continues to thrive and survive.
San Marco’s Fletcher Park
Positioned on the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard and Belote Place, Fletcher Park was one in every of a number of parks constructed as part of the federal housing improvement in 1918. This park was initially referred to as Belote Inexperienced and named after Jacksonville politician William Belote.
Now acknowledged as part of San Marco, Fletcher Park is a historic group developed to assist the navy after the USA entered into World Battle I on April 6, 1917. As a result of constructing of ships to move troops abroad being a significant authorities precedence, Downtown Jacksonville’s Merrill-Stevens shipbuilding firm was awarded giant contracts to help within the battle effort. To fulfill these wants, Merrill-Stevens developed a South Jacksonville shipyard alongside Atlantic Boulevard.
By 1918, a essential housing scarcity for the shipyard’s employees had emerged. To handle the problem, the US Transport Board licensed the development of a $750,000 housing mission on a 48-acre tract of land between Hendricks Avenue and Kings Avenue. Named Fletcher Park, in honor of Senator Duncan U. Fletcher, Architects H.J. Klutho, Mark & Sheftall, and Mellen Greenley developed the mandatory plans shortly, resulting in the April 1919 completion of the event’s 158 homes, paved streets, streetcar line, sewers, lights, gasoline, water, concrete sidewalks, and parks. Immediately, San Marco’s Fletcher Park retains most of its World Battle I period housing, allure, scale and character, making it a singular historic setting inside the metropolis.
The William “Massive Invoice” Johnston Residence on Arbor Lane.
William “Massive Invoice” Johnson was a one-time mutuels clerk at Sportsman Park, a Chicago horse observe owned by Al Capone throughout Prohibition. He ultimately rose to the place of public relations director for Edward O’Hare. O’Hare, also referred to as “Straightforward Eddie”, was one in every of Capone’s high lieutenants. O’Hare Worldwide Airport was named in honor of Straightforward Eddie’s son and Medal of Honor recipient, Butch O’Hare.
Straightforward Eddie helped federal prosecutors convict Capone of tax evasion in 1933. Per week earlier than capone was launched from Alcatraz, Straightforward Eddie O’Hare was slain by gang bullets in 1939. After O’Hare’s loss of life, William “Massive Invoice” Johnston grew to become the pinnacle of the Capone syndicate’s canine tracks in Chicago, Jacksonville, Orange Park, Tampa, and Miami.
In later years, Johnston, who lived together with his spouse Anna at 1090 Arbor Lane in San Marco, added downtown Jacksonville’s luxurious George Washington Resort to his checklist of properties. A benefactor of public training, Florida State College’s William Johnston Constructing and Bishop Kenny Excessive Faculty’s William Johnston Stadium are named in honor of the early San Marco resident and alleged affiliate of Al Capone’s Chicago mob.
Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com