Jacksonville Architecture

As the flames of the Great Fire roared across Jacksonville on May 3, 1901, James W. Spratt grew concerned about the safety of his business, Florida Abstract and Title Security Co., which was located on Market Street near Forsyth Street. His company had duplicate copies of most of the land ownership records for Duval County. He managed to race ahead of the approaching blaze and loaded his valuable records onto a leaky sailboat at the foot of Market Street, with which he transported them to safety on the south side of the river. The Duval County Courthouse and all of its records were destroyed in the fire, and thus James Spratt's collection of documents became the primary means of establishing title to Duval real estate. Spratt's company, with its prized abstract and title records, became the forerunner of Title and Trust Company, which constructed this building in 1928-1929. The Neo-Classical Revival facade designed by Marsh & Saxelbye presents a stately repository for the cargo of James Spratt's 1901 boat ride.