HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE
This historical overview of Riverside is from Jacksonville’s Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future, Revised Edition, Wayne W. Wood, 1996, Jacksonville, Florida.
After the American Revolution, Spain regained East Florida from England. Eager to attract new inhabitants, the Spanish Government in 1790 began granting tracts of land to prospective settlers. The area known today as Riverside is based on such a grant to Philip Dell.
Dell received his 800-acre grant in 1801. It included all of the land along the river between McCoys Creek and a point midway between Barrs and King Streets. Known as "Dell Bluff," this property changed hands several times until 1847, when it was purchased by James Winter, who operated an extensive plantation there. In 1868 Edward M. Cheney, editor of the Jacksonville newspaper, The Florida Union, purchased the southern 500 acres of Dell’s Bluff for $10,000 in gold. He bought the land as an agent for John Murray Forbes, a Boston millionaire, who had the land platted and named it "Riverside." In fact, all of today’s Riverside remained rural in character until 1887 when the first surge of residential development occurred.
After Jacksonville’s city limits were extended to include Riverside (out to King Street), a street railway was built connecting the suburb with Downtown. In 1893, the name of the main road was changed from Commercial Street to Riverside Avenue. Two years later, Riverside was an established upper middle-class neighborhood of 2,500 residents.
Following the Great Fire of 1901, many prominent citizens built large mansions along Riverside Avenue. This gallery of elegant homes was nicknamed "The Row" and became the residential showplace of the city. Away from the river more modest bungalows and two-story houses spread southwest to King Street and beyond, following the extension of the streetcar line.
During the peak years of Riverside’s development from 1901 to 1929, a profusion of residential building styles gained popularity across the nation. With the influx of building tradesmen who came to the city after the Great Fire, Riverside became a laboratory for aspiring architects and competing residential fashions. Today the neighborhood has the largest variety of architectural styles in Florida.
Today Riverside still forms one of Florida’s unique neighborhoods. The riverfront setting, the ample parks, and the tree-canopied streets blend with the varied architecture to produce a pleasing tapestry. In recognition of these qualities, Riverside was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as Jacksonville’s first Historic District.
Period of Development:
The Riverside Historic District is a large, mainly residential neighborhood whose architecture spans a period from approximately 1871 to 1935.
The neighborhood is composed of three major subdivisions and more than twenty smaller subdivisions and replats. The major subdivisions are Riverside, Riverside Annex, and New Riverside.
Architectural Styles:
The Riverside Historic District is dominated by the Bungalow architectural style. Almost sixty percent of the buildings in the district display details and influences characteristic of that style. Prairie School and Colonial Revival style buildings are present in significant concentrations. These buildings are concentrated along St. Johns and Riverside avenues and were generally built for wealthier clients.
Mediterranean influenced architecture is represented to a lesser extent in Riverside, although there are some fairly significant individual examples. Other architectural styles represented in Riverside include Georgian Revival, which became poplar in the 1920’s Tudor Revival style, and a few isolated examples of Queen Anne Architectural. In addition, frame and brick vernacular houses may be found throughout the district.
Many of the apartment buildings in Riverside, mostly duplex and quadruplex units, utilize Mediterranean details and decoration. These buildings are especially prevalent in Riverside Annex.
Building materials used:
Even though pre-cast concrete posts in the shape of columns and tapered piers were common in other Jacksonville neighborhoods, wood posts are more common in Riverside bungalows. Another interesting feature was the relatively large use of brick veneer in Bungalows, and other architectural styles in Riverside. Many frame buildings were constructed.
An even more unusual material used in these bungalows was coquina block. Coquina, which is indigenous to the northeast coast of Florida, was widely used in foundations and fireplaces. In at least 40 instances, was used to construct entire bungalows. Its wide use in residential construction began in the 1910’s.
Commercial Development:
There are four concentrations of 1910’s and later commercial storefront developments and one newer development in the area. The most concentrated commercial development is called Five Points and is located in the northeast corner of the district. This concentration is composed of one and two-story stucco-clad buildings.
Just down Margaret street is the newest commercial development. Anchored by a 28,000 square foot Publix, the Sembler Company’s Riverside Market Square replaced the abandoned Riverside Hospital.
All of the storefronts in the other commercial areas along King Street, Barrs Avenue, and McDuff Avenue are simple brick or stucco buildings set at the property lines with large plate-glass windows and transoms.
Parks:
There are three major parks, as well as designed landscapes and green spaces, which are important features in Riverside. In the southwestern corner of the district is Willow Branch, a small creek which originally was spring fed and which now forms the core of Willow Branch Park. Memorial and Riverside parks, on the eastern fringes of the district, are other highly significant landscape features of Riverside. Two other parks should also be mentioned. Willow Branch rose garden Park and John Murray Forbes Park. Both of them are quite beautiful and less known.
Location:
Anyone would tell you that Riverside has one of the best locations in Jacksonville. In addition to the Interstate and Expressway system, Riverside Avenue, Park and Post Streets provide access to the downtown. Roosevelt Boulevard provides access to the south. Stockton provides direct access to I-10 east or west and to I-95 north or south. Riverside also has direct access to I-95 south, from the eastern section of the district.
Churches:
There are sixteen churches located in Riverside. These buildings generally date from between 1910 and 1935 and are of masonry construction. Riverside Baptist Church was designed in 1925 by Addison Mizner, one of Florida’s most significant twentieth century architects. Other significant churches in the district include Riverside Presbyterian Church, the Church of the Good Shepherd, Riverside Avenue Christian Church, and St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church.
Schools:
Mediterranean Architecture proved to be popular for the public schools in Riverside.
There are three public schools and two parochial schools in the district with at least another five parochial schools nearby.
Public:
West Riverside Elementary Robert E. Lee Senior High School
2801 Herschel St. 1200 McDuff Avenue South
(904)381-3900 (904)555-5555
Central Riverside Elementary
2555 Gilmore St.
(904)381-7495
Private:
Riverside Presbyterian Day School
830 Oak Street
(904)353-5511
St. Paul’s Catholic Elementary
2600 Forbes Street
(904) 387-2841
Additional Private School options nearby:
Fishweir Elementary (magnet), in Avondale
John Stockton Elementary (magnet), in Ortega Forest
St. Mathews Catholic School, in Murray Hill/Lakeshore
St. Marks Episcopal Day School, in Ortega
Chosen Vessels, in Murray Hill
Wayman Academy of the Arts, in Lakeshore
To check out the entire list of "magnet school" options, go to www.magnetprograms.com
Also of note:
- Two Fire Stations
- St. Vincent’s Medical Center
- Good Shepherd Willowbranch Library
