Jacksonville Architecture

William I. Acosta (1861 - ?) and John R. Scott (1863 - ?)

The firm of Scott & Acosta was in business in Jacksonville for only two years, 1894 and 1895, but their work included some of Jacksonville's prominent pre-Fire buildings. The City Hall was their most notable project here. Scott trained in St. Louis from 1880 to 1882 and came to Florida the following year. In Key West he designed the City Hall, Court House, and several large residences before moving to Chicago, where he assisted in the design of several buildings for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. William Acosta was born in Gainesville and learned architecture by correspondence courses. No record of the careers of Scott and Acosta after 1895 has been found.

Moving from Ocala to Jacksonville in 1902, Roy A. Benjamin is credited with the design of many notable buildings, particularly theaters, in Jacksonville and throughout the southeast. In Jacksonville, Benjamin was the architect for the Imperial Theatre (demolished), the Palace Theatre (demolished), the Riverside Theatre, the San Marco Theatre, the Arcade Theater, as well as serving as associate architect for the Florida Theatre. Being one of Jacksonville's most prolific and talented architects, Benjamin designed many other significant buildings in Jacksonville. These landmarks include the Elks Club Building, Otis Elevator Building, Fire Station #4, Leon Cheek Residence at 2263 River Boulevard, San Juline Apartments at 1617 - 1637 Riverside Avenue, Memorial Park in association with the Olmsted Brothers, Fenimore Apartments at 2200 Riverside Avenue, Hartimore Apartments at 2970 Riverside Avenue, the Park Lane Apartments at 1846 Margaret Street, the Lauderdale and Avondale Apartments in Springfield, Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, and the Elephant House at the Jacksonville Zoo (demolished). Several of these buildings and Memorial Park were designed in association with other architects, particularly Mellen C. Greeley who was Benjamin's partner from 1919 to 1924. When he retired after World War II, Benjamin sold his practice to William D. Kemp, Franklin S. Bunch, and William K. Jackson. The firm continues today as KBJ Architects, Inc. Benjamin constructed his own home in the neighborhood at 2332 Riverside Avenue. Constructed in 1921, this house has since been demolished.

A native of North Carolina, Ransom Buffalow designed his first house at the age of thirty-four in Graham, Virginia. After working in Seattle, Denver and Knoxville, Buffalow moved to Jacksonville in 1910, where he went into business as a contractor and designer. He is known for designing and constructing several houses in Riverside that shows the influence of the Prairie style including the William P. Baldwin residence at 1805 Copeland Street and the Turner Z. Cason residence at 2331 River Boulevard (demolished). Other noted residential designs by Ransom Buffalow include 2805 Riverside Avenue, 2981 Riverside Avenue, and the Buffalow residence at 3305 Riverside Avenue.

Although little is known of his architectural background, Wilbur Bacon Camp came to Jacksonville soon after the Great Fire of 1901. Some noted designs by Camp in Jacksonville include the old Duval High School (605 North Ocean Street ), Fire Station #2 (1344 North Main Street), and several fine Prairie-style residences in Riverside such as the Thurston Roberts Residence at 1804 Elizabeth Place and the residence at 2317 Oak Street.

Another prominent architect whose work is represented by buildings in the Riverside - Avondale Historic District is Bernard W. Close. After graduating from Cornell University, Close began his career in New York, and came to Jacksonville in 1925 at the height of the Florida Land Boom. He worked for a while in the office of Roy A. Benjamin before establishing his own practice. Close served as president of the Florida Association of Architects from 1930 to 1931. Mainly known for his residential work, Close's designs exhibit close attention to detail and fine sense of proportion. Three noted designs by Close in the Riverside - Avondale Historic District include the Leo Hughes Residence at 1854 Montgomery Place, the Richard Forester Residence at 1886 Montgomery Place, and Willow Branch Library at 2875 Park Street. Other excellent residential designs by Close in Jacksonville include the residences at 4321, 4346 and 4424 Kelnepa Drive in South Jacksonville, the San Marco Branch Library, the International Style residence at 1961 River Boulevard in San Marco, and the residence at 2400 Seminole Road in Atlantic Beach.

Born in Fernandina Beach, Henrietta C. Dozier graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1899 with an advanced degree in architecture. She was only one of three women from the class of 176. After working in Atlanta for thirteen years, Henrietta C. Dozier moved her practice to Jacksonville in 1914 where she became the City's first and foremost woman architect. In 1903, Henrietta C. Dozier designed the All Saints Episcopal Chapel in Atlanta. Her favorite commission, this small chapel was later damaged by fire and incorporated into a larger structure. While still in Atlanta, Henrietta C. Dozier was responsible for the design of the vestry rooms for Saint Philips Episcopal Church in 1914. It has been speculated that Dozier also designed the sanctuary of Saint Philips Episcopal Church which was constructed around 1903 at 801 North Pearl Street in Downtown Jacksonville. Some of the more noted buildings designed by Henrietta C. Dozier in Jacksonville include the Old Federal Reserve Bank Building (1923 - 1924 in association with Atlanta architect, A. Ten Eyck Brown), Lampru Court Apartments (1924), and residences at 1819 Goodwin Street, 2215 River Boulevard and 1814 Powell Place. Henrietta C. Dozier was a devout member of the Church of the Good Shepherd. The 1914 addition to Saint Philips Episcopal Church is her first documented commission in Jacksonville.

Emil A. Ehmann (1880 - 1947)
Before he went into practice with George O. Holmes in 1914, Englishman E. A. Ehmann received his architectural training in Germany. Ehmann served his profession well as secretary of the Florida Board of Architecture and of the Florida Association of Architects for many years. He spent the last two decades of his career in Miami.

Robert Naudain Ellis (1843 - ca. 1928)

Robert N. Ellis graduated from engineering classes in New York at the age of fifteen and was hired as a draftsman for the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. During the Civil War he served as an engineer in the U.S. Navy. He came to Jacksonville in 1872, and a year later formed a partnership with architect Alfred E. McClure. The two men designed some of the finest buildings in Florida during their fifteen-year association. Ellis served for many years as the City Engineer and as superintendent of the waterworks.

Arthur Burton Gilkes (? - 1911)

One of Jacksonville's most prominent architects at the turn of the century, New York native Arthur B. Gilkes established his firm here in 1897. His commissions included many downtown commercial buildings as well as some of this city's most elegant mansions. Gilkes also designed several commercial buildings in the Downtown area such as the Brereton & Liggett Building at 15 - 17 West Forsyth Street (demolished). Gilkes designed and built his own residence in Riverside at 2160 Oak Street in 1903.

Mellen Clark Greeley (1880 - 1981)

Before his death at age 101, Mellen Greeley was long regarded as the "Dean of Jacksonville Architects." He learned the trade of architecture as an apprentice draftsman for J. H. W. Hawkins from 1901 to 1908, and then established his own practice in 1909. He joined Roy A. Benjamin in partnership for five years following World War I. He was one of the leaders in the establishment of the Florida Board of Architecture in 1915 and served as its secretary from 1923 to 1955. The first house he designed was his own residence, a 1905 bungalow that still remains, although heavily remodeled, at 2561 Oak Street. His final commission seventy-five years later was to serve as consulting architect for the remodeling of the Church of the Good Shepherd.

He also designed Old Stanton High School, the Woman's Club of Jacksonville, the Fenimore and Hartmore Apartments (in association with Benjamin), Dr. Charles E. Terry Residence (2959 St. Johns Avenue), George Couper Gibbs Residence (2717 Riverside Avenue), the John L. Roe Residence (399 Beach Avenue in Atlantic Beach), the residence at 1816 Avondale Avenue, the residence at 1876 River Road, and served as associate architect for the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Ribault Club on Fort George Island.

J.H.W. Hawkins (? - ca. 1920)
The Great Fire of 1901 also drew New York architect, J.H.W. Hawkins to Jacksonville where he was responsible for the design of numerous residences, commercial buildings and churches. He designed private homes for several noted Jacksonville citizens including Alexander Sabel, J.E. Cohen, Senator J.P. Taliaferro, W.S. Ware, and Samuel B. Hubbard. In Downtown Jacksonville, Hawkins designed the Herkimer Block (136 East Bay Street), the original section of the Guaranty Trust & Savings Bank (101 East Bay Street), Snyder Memorial Methodist Church (226 North Laura Street), and possibly the Young Men's Hebrew Association at 712 West Duval Street. In addition to designing his own residence in Riverside, Hawkins designed the Dutch Colonial Revival house at 1662 Stockton Street (A.V.S. Smith Residence), as well as the H.S. Griggs Residence at 2956 Riverside Avenue.

In 1915, George Olaf Holmes was elected as the first president of the Florida Association of Architects, and served as the president of the Florida Board of Architecture for eight years. He also served as the City treasurer and one of the first police commissioners in Jacksonville. In 1914, Holmes formed a partnership with Englishman, Emil A. Ehmann. Together they designed the 1919 addition to the Guaranty Trust & Savings Bank, 101 East Bay Street; the Woolworth Building, 102 - 110 North Main Street, and Fire Station # 8, 625 Stockton Street. In 1922, Holmes designed and built his own residence at 2137 River Boulevard, as well as designed the Dr. L.E. Bransford residence, 1946 River Road in San Marco.

In partnership with Arthur B. Gilkes from 1906 and 1908, Rutledge Holmes came to Jacksonville shortly after the Great Fire of 1901 from Charleston, South Carolina. After 1908, Holmes practiced alone until 1924. Buildings in Jacksonville attributed to Rutledge Holmes include the Professional Building at 126 West Adams Street, the commercial building at 925 - 927 West Bay Street (demolished), and Annie Lytle Public School, 101 Peninsular Place (Gilmore Street). In addition to designing the residence of Colonel Raymond Cay which has since been demolished, Holmes also designed Colonel Cay's carriage house located at 1545 May Street in Riverside.

Henry J. Klutho was Jacksonville's most significant architect during the period between the Great Fire of 1901 and World War 1. He came to Jacksonville soon after the fire of 1901 and became Florida's foremost authority on the Prairie style. He designed many of Jacksonville's most prominent landmarks, including the Jacksonville Free Public Library at 101 EastAdams Street, the Dyal-Upchurch Building at 4 East Bay Street, and the St. James Building at 117 West Duval Street, all of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. During his later years he returned to more traditional styles, and in the 1920s, after some bad investments in Jacksonville's movie industry, formed the short-lived partnership with Fred S. Cates and Albert N. Cole. Klutho's influence on Jacksonville architecture during the early twentieth century was profound. Many of the architects who later gained prominence in the city got their start in Klutho's office. The extent and breadth of his works makes him one of Florida's most significant architects of the historic period. Buildings designed by Klutho in the Riverside-Avondale Historic District include the Napier Apartments, 1530-36 Riverside Avenue, the Nicholas Lau Residence, 2755 Riverside Avenue, the Kahler Apartments, 3225 St. Johns Avenue, the Stockton Broome Residence, 1845 Elizabeth Place, the David Saffy Residence, 3643 Hedrick Street, Drs Love & McGinnis Office and Residence, 2063 Oak Street, alterations to West Riverside Elementary School, 2801 Herschel Street, and the Alexander St.Clair-Abrams Residence, 1649 Osceola Street.

Born in Dempseytown, PA, Earl Mark moved to Jacksonville in 1901, and in 1907 began his architectural training in the offices of Henry John Klutho. In 1911, he joined in partnership with fellow architectural apprentice, Leeroy Sheftall. Mark & Sheftall designed buildings in a variety of styles popular during the early twentieth century, ranging from the Prairie School and Bungalows to the Mediterranean and Tudor Revivals. Significant designs by Mark & Sheftall in Jacksonville include the Moulton & Kyle Funeral Home, 17 West Union Street (1914); the Masonic Temple, 410 Broad Street (1912-16); the Bryson Residence ("marble house"), 1704 Avondale Avenue (1927-28); Robert E. Lee Senior High School (with William B. Ittner of St. Louis), 1200 McDuff Avenue South (1926-27); Andrew Jackson Senior High School (with William B. Ittner of St. Louis), 3816 North Main Street (1926-27); the Delgado Building, 2544 Oak Street (1919); Riverside Presbyterian Church and Sunday School Building, 849 Park Street (1922 & 1927); Oxford Hall Apartments, 1020 Stockton Street (1929); South Jacksonville Grammar School, 1450 Flagler avenue (1917); South Jacksonville City Hall, 1468 Hendricks Avenue (1915); the Royal Court Apartments, 2969 Herschel Street (1926), and the B.F. Lee Theological Seminary (Edward Waters College), 1658 Kings Road (1925-27).

William Mulford Marsh (1889 - 1946)

A native of Jacksonville, William Mulford Marsh (1889 - 1946) began his architectural practice around 1912. Prior to joining in partnership with Harold Saxelbye in 1919, Marsh designed several Prairie style buildings in Jacksonville, the most noted being the house at 2254 Riverside Avenue and the Home Telephone Company Building at 2036 Forbes Street. Marsh also designed the apartments at 2119 River Boulevard, as well as duplicate apartments at 2126 St. Johns Avenue.

After military service in the Civil War, A. E. McClure moved to Jacksonville in 1869. In 1873, he joined in partnership with Robert H. Ellis to form the successful firm of Ellis & McClure. In addition to some of Jacksonville's most prominent buildings, they designed the Clay County Courthouse in 1890. In 1901, McClure went into partnership with George O. Holmes. A native of Duval County, George O. Holmes was in partnership with McClure until 1912. Noted designs by the partnership include the Holmes Block, 107-117 East Bay Street; old Central Fire Station, 39 East Adams Street; the Hutchinson/Suddath Building, 315-319 East Bay Street; the old Jacksonville Woman's Club, 16 East Duval Street (demolished); Corse Building, 426 West Forsyth Street; and the Charles C. Bettes residence, 3744 Ortega Boulevard.

Although he never lived in Jacksonville, Addison Mizner had a profound influence on this city's architecture in the 1920's. He began his career with an architectural firm in his home state of California, but met with little success. He tried numerous other professions which took him all over the world, including gold-mining in the Yukon, publishing in Hawaii, painting in Samoa, boxing in Australia, and dealing in architectural antiquities in Guatemala, Europe, and New York. In 1918 he came to Florida and took Palm Beach society by storm, developing a reputation as an architect, interior designer, and heiress chaser. The flamboyant designer launched what became known as the Mediterranean Revival style, borrowing trappings from Italian and Spanish architecture to create sumptuous Florida villas in the 1920's. This style became quite popular in Jacksonville, although Mizner designed only one building here, Riverside Baptist Church at 2650 Park Street. He also established a real estate sales and interior design office in the old Duval Hotel on Hogan Street.

Antonin Nechodoma 1877-1928
Born in Prague, Nechodoma moved to Chicago where he started as a building contractor. He abrubtly left Chicago in 1905 (some say in scandal) and arrived in Jacksonville, where he declared himself an architect. He practiced briefly with the firm of McClure & Holmes, and he designed at least one residence under his own name (a Tudor-style residence at 1617 Liberty Street). Nechodoma soon set out for Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where he became one of the most prominent architects in the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, Nechomdoma freely copied several buildings that he observed in Jacksonville (including St. Johns Cathedral) and passed them off as his own work. He then went on to blatantly plagiarize numerous Frank Lloyd Wright designs in constructing residences for some of Puerto Rico's most prominent citizens. He designed many Prairie School buildings in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, demonstrating his genius as well as his perplexing flaws. His similarities to some of Wright's designs are excruciating, and yet the differences show Nechodoma’s true architectural brilliance. Why a man of such talents should resort to such lax improbity is an enigma that will likely never be solved.

Another noted early architect in Jacksonville who resided in Riverside was Jefferson Davis Powell who was born in Decatur County, Georgia. After coming to Jacksonville in 1907, Powell apprenticed with several Jacksonville architects before receiving his state license in 1919. After working in the firm of Benjamin & Greeley, he opened his own practice in 1924 which was in business in Jacksonville for thirty-five years. Some of the buildings designed by Jefferson D.Powell include the old First Federal Savings and Loan Building (331 West Forsyth Street), the Jones Brother Furniture Company Building (520 North Hogan Street), the Ritz Theatre Building (825 North Davis Street), and the Red Cross Life Saving Corp Station in Jacksonville Beach. Examples of his work in the Riverside-Avondale Historic District include the residence at 1836 Edgewood Avenue, the Witschen Residence at 1822 Edgewood Avenue, the Max Knauer Residence at 3404 St. Johns Avenue, and the Fire Department Drill Tower (625 Stockton Street).

After working in San Antonio and Houston, Texas, Austrian-born Carlos B. Schoeppl came to Florida in 1927 where he established an architectural practice in both St. Augustine and Jacksonville from 1927 to 1929. While in Jacksonville, Schoeppl designed some of the earliest Art Deco buildings in the City including the Downtown Chevrolet Building at 1100 North Main Street (1928-1929). Other noted designs in Jacksonville by Schoeppl include Grace the Florist Building at 1612 Cherry Street in Riverside (1928), and the Thomas M. Palmer Residence at 3790 Ortega Boulevard (1926 - 1927). By 1929, Schoeppl had left Jacksonville for Miami, where he had joined in partnership with Arnold Southwell in 1932. During their partnership, Schoeppl and Southwell produced "A Florida Brochure" highlighting their numerous projects, predominately residential structures, in the South Florida area. Arnold Southwell was the architect for the Spanish style residence at 2209 River Road in San Marco constructed in 1936.

Numerous landmark buildings in the Riverside-Avondale Historic District were produced by the noted Jacksonville architectural firm of Mark & Sheftall. A native of Savannah, Georgia, Leeroy Sheftall began working in Klutho's office in 1907. Mark & Sheftall had a very successful partnership that lasted twenty-two years, and were credited with the design of many noted buildings in Jacksonville, as well as over fifty schools around the State of Florida. (See Earl Mark, above).

The architect of several fine residences in the Riverside and Avondale area, Wilbur B. Talley, was a leader in his chosen profession. Talley was one of the founders of the Florida Institute of Architects. His commissions ranged throughout the state. He designed churches in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Lakeland and Tampa; schools in Starke, Lake City, Ocala, Kissimmee, Orlando, Eau Gallie, and Sanford; and major governmental buildings such as the Palm Beach County Courthouse, the Duval County Courthouse Annex, the Duval County Armory, and the Flagler County Courthouse. He designed the Bradford County Bank Building in Starke and the Merchant's Bank Building in Daytona Beach and numerous private residences. Talley's designs run the gamut of styles popular during the early twentieth century, ranging from the Romanesque and Gothic revivals to Classical Revival and Prairie style. His work is represented in the National Register of Historic Places by the Sanford Grammar School and the Merchant's Bank. He designed the George Bensel Residence at 2165 River Boulevard and many other significant private residences in Riverside and Springfield.

Henry Taylor began working in Jacksonville in 1911 as a construction superintendent for C.A. Brown, Jr. Starting his own contracting business, Taylor also identified himself on occasions in the city directories as an architect. Over his twenty-two year career, Taylor constructed, and also designed, numerous residences, chiefly in Riverside. Most of his houses reflected the Prairie style as evident in the first Leon Cheek residence at 2263 St. Johns Avenue, the George Thames residence at 2239 St. Johns Avenue, 2256 St. Johns Avenue, 1105 Goodwin Street, 2149 Herschel Street, and 1644 McDuff Avenue. Taylor was also the builder for the W. Mulford Marsh designed residence for James Yates at 2254 Riverside Avenue. Taylor was also responsible for the construction of the Grace the Florist building, 1612 Cherry Street; Thomas M. Palmer residence, 3790 Ortega Boulevard; and the residence at 1854 Montgomery Place. Taylor was later joined in the construction business by his son Robert, under the name of Henry Taylor & Son.

Starting his architectural career in 1881 in Massachusetts, James R. Walsh abandoned it to become a traveling salesman, and later a mining engineer in Colorado. After arriving in Jacksonville in 1895 to establish a lumber mill, Walsh returned to the practice of architecture in 1903 which resulted in him designing several landmark buildings in Jacksonville such as the old Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Springfield at 2049 North Laura Street. In addition to designing his own residence at 2743 Park Street (demolished), Walsh designed two Prairie Style residences in Riverside including the Robert W. Simms Residence (2982 St. Johns Avenue) and the residence at 2525 Riverside Avenue.

Marion Sims Wyeth (1889 - 1982)

Marion Sims Wyeth never lived in Jacksonville, but he designed several prominent residences here and was one of Florida's most important architects. Wyeth graduated from Princeton in 1910 and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1914, before going to work for the distinguished New York firm of Carrere & Hastings. He lived in Palm Beach from 1919 until his death in 1982 and, along with Addison Mizner and others, popularized the Mediterranean Revival style throughout Florida. A designer of over one hundred Palm Beach homes, Wyeth also designed the present governor's mansion in Tallahassee. In 1923, Wyeth designed a Mediterranean Revival Style residence for Helen Parrott at 3116 St. Johns Avenue, as well as Los Cedros, the Colonel Raymond C. Turck Residence at 4765 Ortega Boulevard in Ortega (1924).