The architecture of Jacksonville is a combination of historic and modern styles reflecting the city's early position as a regional center of business. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, there are more buildings built before 1967 in Jacksonville than any other city in Florida, though few structures in the city center predate the Great Fire of 1901. Numerous buildings in the city have held state height records, dating as far back as 1902, and last holding a record in 1981.
Prominent architects
Contributing heavily during the reconstruction period following the Great Fire of 1901, a young New York architect named Henry John Klutho would come to influence generations of local designers. Klutho's works exhibit elements influenced by both the Chicago School, championed by Louis Sullivan, and the Prairie School of architecture, popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright. As a result, Jacksonville has one of the largest collections of Prairie Style buildings outside the Midwest.
By the 1950s, modernist design principles would permeate throughout the United States, transforming the rapidly growing State of Florida. During this period, local architects Robert C. Broward, Taylor Hardwick, and William Morgan adapted a range of design principles, including
International style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
, Brutalism, Futurism and Organicism, all applied with an American interpretation generally referred to today as
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
design. The architecture firms of Reynolds, Smith & Hills (RS&H) and Kemp, Bunch & Jackson (KBJ) have also contributed a number of important works to the city's modern architectural movement. In particular, KBJ has designed more buildings in the contemporary skyline of Jacksonville than any other architectural firm. Of the 30 tallest buildings in the city, 17 are associated with KBJ. With the notable exception of works by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Welton Becket, Paul Rudolph, and Helmut Jahn, many of Jacksonville's modern landmarks were designed locally.
Few structures survive from the earliest period of Jacksonville's history, though there are a handful of notable exceptions. Built in 1797, Kingsley Plantation is the oldest surviving structure in the city and is currently maintained by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
style mansion designed by Klutho. He is better known for his works in the Prairie School style of architecture. His own home, Henry John Klutho House, is a prime example. The architecture firm of Marsh & Saxelbye would also establish itself during this period of growth. In 1925, the firm designed the Tudor Revival style Lane-Towers House. More famously, Epping Forest, completed in 1927, is a Spanish Colonial Revival style mansion designed by Marsh & Saxelbye.
Following World War II, suburbs rapidly developed throughout the United States, due in large part to the rise of personal automobile ownership. Following the opening of the Mathews Bridge, Arlington would become the most important of these developments locally. This period also coincided with the popularization of Modern design in architecture. Designed by Robert C. Broward, the Butterfly House was completed in 1957 in the Arlington neighborhood. Its design elements, including the butterfly wing shaped roof, are sometime more broadly categorized today as
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
design. The Jacksonville Beaches also host a number of modern homes built during this period. Famed architect Paul Rudolph designed the iconic Milam House in 1961, which is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. William Morgan designed the Williamson House in 1966, and his own home, Morgan House, in 1974. Both are located on the beach.
File:Jax FL Red Bank Plantation01.jpg, Red Bank Plantation House, Georgian style.
File:Fort George Island old house06.jpg, 19th century Napoleon Bonaparte Broward House on Fort George Island.
File:Cleveland Ave.JPG, Shotgun houses on Cleveland Avenue in Durkeeville, Mid-Westside.
File:Thomas V. Porter House, Jacksonville, FL, US (15).jpg, Thomas V. Porter House, located downtown.
File:Jax FL Avondale HD02.jpg, Home in Riverside and Avondale.
File:Jax FL Klutho House01.jpg, Henry John Klutho House, a
Prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
, Pringle & Smith (originally the Lynch Building)
* 1949 City Place, Moderne
* 1967 The Commander,
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
File:11eforsyth.JPG, 11 East Forsyth
CathedralTerraceJacksonville.JPG, 20th century Brutalist style residential towers in Northbank,
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
.
File:PeninsulaJacksonville-2010-02-a.JPG, High-rise condominiums on the Southbank,
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
waterfront.
File:Brooklynjax.jpg, Apartments in the
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
* 1941 Furchgott Building,
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
(originally the Atlantic National Bank Annex)
* 1953 Old Peninsular Life Insurance Building,
International style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
/
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
, Ira M. Koger (originally the Koger Center)
* 1958 Skinner Dairy,
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
/
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
/
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
/
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Jacksonville Landing
The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.Postmodern. Ben Thompson (demolished in 2020)
* 1990 The Avenues
* 2005 St. Johns Town Center
File:StJohnsTCJax.jpg, St. Johns Town Center
File:Jacksonville Landing Dec 2016.jpg,
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
Jacksonville is home to a variety of museums of varied styles. Completed in 1921, the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is a Classical Revival building originally constructed for the Church of Christian Scientist. It was designed by the local architecture firm Marsh & Saxelbye. Also designed by Marsh & Saxelbye, the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville was originally built in 1931 for the Western Union Telegraph Company, and stands as one of Jacksonville's best examples of
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
, Snelling and Potter
* 1910 Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Jacksonville), Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Late Gothic Revival, M. H. Hubbard
* 1917 Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church (Jacksonville, Florida), Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church, Late Gothic Revival
* 1927 Riverside Baptist Church, Romanesque Revival, Addison Mizner
* 1967 St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church,
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
, Blake Ellis (architect), Blake Ellis
File:Jax FL Immaculate Conception Church sq pano01.jpg, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (Jacksonville), Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
File:First Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, FL, US (03).jpg, First Presbyterian Church
File:St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church, Jacksonville.JPG, St. John the Divine Greek Orthodox Church
File:Jax FL Riverside Baptist Church01.jpg, Riverside Baptist Church
File:The Bethel Church03.jpg, Bethel Church
File:Jacksonville FL St Andrews Episc Church02.jpg, St. Andrews
Cultural architecture
Entertainment venues
The city host a number of music and performance venues, most notably the Florida Theatre. Designed by local architect Roy A. Benjamin, the Mediterranean Revival style theater opened in 1927. Benjamin designed a number of other local venues, including the Renaissance Revival style Sun-Ray Cinema, Riverside Theatre in 1927 and the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
style San Marco Theatre in 1939. Designed by Jefferson Davis Powell in 1929, the Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville), Ritz Theatre is another local example of Art Deco architecture in Jacksonville entertainment venues. The
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
Jacksonville Coliseum was built in 1960 and designed by A. Eugene Cellar and George Ryad Fisher. Demolished in 2003, the building exhibited what is now coined as Googie architecture. Built in the
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
in 1962, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts is one of many examples of buildings designed locally by the firm of Kemp, Bunch & Jackson. The newest addition to the local entertainment venue stock is the Populous (company), Populous designed Daily's Place. Completed in 2017, the venue is attached to the southern edge of Everbank Field.
File:Jax FL Ritz Theatre02.jpg, Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville), Ritz Theatre
File:Cine San Marco.JPG, San Marco Theatre
File:JacksonvilleMemorialColiseum.PNG, Jacksonville Coliseum (demolished)
File:Tupacjax.jpg, Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts
Sports venues
Jacksonville is home to several major sports venues, most notably EverBank Field, home stadium facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Completed in 1995, it was designed by the architecture firm HOK Sport. Opening in 2003, the Postmodern styled Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and Veterans Memorial Arena were both designed by the architecture firm Populous (company), Populous.
File:EverBank1.jpg, EverBank Field
File:Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.JPG, Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
File:Jacksonville_Veterans_Memorial_Arena.JPG, Veterans Memorial Arena
Transportation architecture
* 1895 Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, Flagler Depot (partially demolished in 1918)
* 1919 Prime Osborn Convention Center, Union Station, Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-arts, Kenneth M. Murchison and W.B.W. Howe
* 1968 Jacksonville International Airport, Original Jacksonville International Airport Terminal
* 2005 Jacksonville International Airport
File:JAXTicketing.JPG, Interior of Jacksonville International Airport
File:PrimeOsborneCenterJAX.JPG, Jacksonville Terminal
File:Hemmingplazastation.JPG, James Weldon Johnson Park station
File:Downtown Jacksonville, New Acosta Bridge.jpg, Acosta Bridge
File:Meetup DamesPt 6-14-10-9419.jpg, Dames Point Bridge
File:Fuller Warren Bridge, Jacksonville FL 2 Panorama.jpg, Fuller Warren Bridge
File:Hart Bridge in Jacksonville.jpg, Hart Bridge
File:MSBJaxFL.jpg, Main Street Bridge (Jacksonville), Main St Bridge
File:Mathews Bridge.jpg, Mathews Bridge
Parks and historic sites
* 1564 Fort Caroline (destroyed in 1568; reconstructed in late 20th century)
* 1797 Kingsley Plantation
* 1852 Old City Cemetery (Jacksonville, Florida), Old City Cemetery
* 1857 James Weldon Johnson Park (formerly Hemming Park, originally City Park)
* 1878 Old St. Luke's Hospital 314 North Palmetto
* 1899 Henry J. Klutho Park, Klutho Park (originally Springfield Park)
* 1919 Memorial Park (Jacksonville), Memorial Park, Olmsted Brothers and Roy A. Benjamin
* 1947 American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps Station, Art Moderne, Jefferson Davis Powell
* 1965 Friendship Fountain,
Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is a movement in interior design, product design, graphic design, architecture and urban development that was present in all the world, but more popular in North America, Brazil and Europe from roughly 1945 to 197 ...
, Taylor Hardwick
File:KingsleyPlantationSunset2.jpg, Kingsley Plantation
File:OldStLukesJax.PNG, Old St. Luke Hospital
File:Memorial Day 2014 v2.jpg, American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps Station
Tallest buildings
The 10 tallest standard structures:
Chronology of the tallest buildings in Jacksonville:
Accolades
"Florida Architecture: 100 places, 100 years", compiled by the Florida chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Styles and schools
Jacksonville architects used many design styles and belonged to a variety of architectural schools. Below is a list of those styles and schools.
*American Foursquare, American Four-Square
*
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
/Streamline Moderne, Moderne
* Beaux-Arts
*Brutalism
* Chicago School (also known as Commercial Style)
*Classical Revival (also known as Neoclassical architecture)
*
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
*Craftsman (also known as American Craftsman)
*Dutch Colonial
*Stick style, Eastlake/Stick
*Egyptian Revival
*
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
*International Style (architecture), International
* Mediterranean Revival
*Modern architecture, Modern
* Prairie School
*Queen Anne Style architecture, Queen Anne
*Renaissance Revival (also known as Neo-Renaissance)
*Shotgun House, Shotgun
*Spanish Revival (also known as Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival)
*Tudor Revival architecture, Tudor Revival
See also
*List of tallest buildings in Jacksonville
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Duval County, Florida
References
Further reading
* Wood, Wayne W., Davis, Judy (1989). ''Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future''. University Press of Florida.
* Robert Broward, Broward, Robert (1984). ''The Architecture of Henry John Klutho''. University Press of Florida.
* Hochstim, Jan (2005). ''Florida Modern: Residential Architecture 1945-1970''. Rizzoli.
* King, Joseph (2005). ''Paul Rudolph: The Florida Houses''. Princeton Architectural Press.
* McCarter, Robert (2002). ''William Morgan, Selected and Current Works''. Images Publishing Group.
* Taylor Hardwick (2014). ''Taylor Hardwick: 60 Years of Design''. Taylor Hardwick.
External links
Jacksonville Planning and Development Dept. *
{{DEFAULTSORT:Architecture of Jacksonville
Architecture in Jacksonville, Florida,
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida-related lists
Buildings and structures in Jacksonville, Florida
Architecture in the United States by city, Jacksonville