Developed by Sam Morris Spevak, Paxson Procuring Heart was one among Jacksonville’s early suburban plazas to problem downtown as the town’s retail epicenter.
After serving as a lieutenant within the U.S. Marine Corps in Korea, Spevak returned to Jacksonville along with his newlywed spouse, Elaine, in 1951 and noticed a marketplace for new properties for returning veterans. They quickly borrowed cash to begin a home-building undertaking in North Jacksonville. Some years later, they observed that consumerism was transferring away from the downtown space and into the suburbs, offering extra comfort for buyers.
With the growing reputation of suburban growth all through the nation after World Struggle II, a brand new type of buying heart could be created exterior of conventional downtown borders throughout America. To handle this retail area of interest in Jacksonville, the Spevaks constructed their first retail developments, Arlington Highway’s Arlington Plaza in 1955, Paxon Procuring Heart in 1958 and Norwood’s Gateway Procuring Heart in 1959. A extremely profitable early retail developer in Jacksonville, Spevak’s tasks attracted retail chains, similar to Publix and G.C. Murphy, that beforehand had no presence in Jacksonville.
Positioned at Edgewood Avenue North and Broadway Avenue, early tenants on the 123,000 sq. foot Paxon included A&P Shops, Leibo’s Division Retailer, O’Steen’s Pharmacy, Economic system 5 & Dime Shops, Western Auto, New York Laundry and Edgewood Heights Bundle Retailer & Lounge. In a metropolis that has witnessed many buildings being demolished through the years, all of Spevak’s early suburban buying facilities throughout city nonetheless survive right now.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com Pictures courtesy of Loopnet.com