Western Union used to control a fair amount of Jacksonville's communications with the outside world.  This photo shows the telegraph company's local headquarters not long after the structure opened in July 1931.  Western Union transferred its operations from its former headquarters at Bay & Laura streets, which the company had occupied since 1895. 

The building in the picture still stands.  It's situated at the southeast corner of Laura and Duval streets, next to Hemming Park and cattycorner from the St. James Building (City Hall).  Would the Western Union officials have ever dreamed that their building would someday house the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art?   

In the near future, the old structure will be surrounded on two sides by the new Main Library.  Scheduled to open in December 2004, the library will take up most of the block.  The top of the old Rhodes Furniture building can be seen toward the upper right-hand corner.  The structure was imploded in 2002 to make way for the library.