RAP Architectural Gems Preview

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A unique treasure in the neighborhood! 18,000 square feet, 10 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and dozens of stories!

Architect: Jefferson D. Powell
Builder: Neil D. Evans

Influenced by the palaces of Venice, Italy, this superb Mediterranean Revival residence is a prominent landmark on St. Johns Avenue. It was designed by architect Jefferson Powell, shortly after he returned from a trip to Venice. The main entrance projects as a two-story pavilion, whose dramatic ogee arch, as well as the star-wheel motif in the balcony, are taken from the Palazzo Contarini-Fasan on Venice's Grand Canal. Various other types of arches highlight the windows, with columns, stylized leaded-glass panels, and several other kinds of brick and cast-stone ornamentation. The porch and porte-cochere are dominated by arches and have crenelated parapets. Even the chimneys have arched windows in them. This mission-tile roof is typical of a Venetian residence. The house was built for Max Knauer, a prominent hardware dealer, at a cost of over $30,000.

Note: Stop on the sidewalk next to the home, the audio guide will tell you more about the grand white home next door and the art deco apartments across the street.

This is perhaps the "purest" Prairie Style residence remaining in Jacksonville. Thurston Roberts, vice president of the Monticello Drug Company, commissioned architect W. B. Camp to design the house. The house was considered avant-garde in 1914, and Mrs. Bertha Roberts played a major role in the design. The outstanding leaded and beveled glass casement windows designed by Mrs. Roberts are an integral part of both the exterior and interior of the house. The main roof and the porch roof are cantilevered slabs, emphasizing the horizontality of the structure and allowing the windows to be left open even during rain to allow natural ventilation.

With a facade suggestive of a Renaissance villa, this is one of Riverside and Avondale's finest Mediterranean Revival style houses. It was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth, an architect from New York who became one of Addison Mizner's chief competitors in Palm Beach. The original owner of the house was Helen L. Parrott. She was the widow of Joseph R. Parrott, the President of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway. The cost of construction was approximately $34,000. An outstanding feature of the house is its wrought-iron ornamentation, including the entrance gate, balcony, awning support rods, and elaborate window grilles. Cast stone is used extensively in the consoles that decorate the eaves, around the main entrance, and on the bracketed window sills. The weathered stucco exterior and mission-tile roof are further components of the Mediterranean Revival style. From 1958 to 1965, the Unitarian Church occupied the building.

Home of one of our favorite Live Oak trees and an incredible gazebo mosaic created by the husband and wife team, Kenny and Katie Roux, Roux Art. Created in 2013, this magical mosaic is filled with treasures. Get off your bike and snap a few pictures!

John Murray Forbes was an abolitionist from Boston who was riding on a steamboat on the St Johns RIver in 1868, he was admiring the bluff of land on the north bank of the river, Dell's Bluff, so he bought it for $10,000. There are plans to enhance this space with landscaping, signs, benches and more. For now, just admire the beauty of the river, you can see San Marco on the south bank of the river.

During the 1920's, revivals of European architectural styles were common. Among the popular English derivatives, the Tudor Revival style with its distinctive half-timbering was most often used for residences. Jacobethan Revival was another style borrowed from the English, and its monumental appearance made it well suited for educational and ecclesiastical buildings. It was often adapted to residential structures as well, however, and this house is Jacksonville's foremost example of this style. This style shows some of the trappings common with the Tudor Revival style, such as massive polygonal chimneys, a slate roof, leaded glass windows, and Tudor style arches over windows and doors. The most prominent feature of the main facade is the 3 ½-story tower with a crenelated parapet, which contributes to the castle-like quality of this house. TThe dramatic scale and riverfront siting make this one of Jacksonville's most significant mansions. It was built in 1928-1929 at a cost of over $100,000 for Leon Cheek, head of the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company, which later became the Maxwell House Coffee Company. The remnants of Cheek's huge private boat dock can still be seen in the river in front of the house.

First known as the "Rochester House," this three-story Second Empire style building was constructed soon after Miles Price began to sell lots in Brooklyn in 1868. Originally located near the present site of the Florida Publishing Company, the building was a guest hotel. It was described in 1875: "This house . . . is in the suburb of Brooklyn . . . facilities are afforded for boating and fishing. The house will comfortably accommodate from 30 to 40 guests." The property came under the ownership of Isaac H. Jameson for $1,500 in February of 1868. Isaac Jameson opened the Rochester House, also called the River House, which was named in honor of his hometown, Rochester, New York. Guests at the Rochester House came from throughout the northern states. One noted guest was Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of President Abraham Lincoln, who stayed there Dec. 1874 to March 1875. By 1885 the house was owned by Frederick M. Robinson, a well-known machinery manufacturer. Esgate's Jacksonville: The Metropolis of Florida provides a drawing of the Robinson residence and this narrative: "A large and spacious villa, with airy balconies suggestive of cool and comfort on a warm summer day, faces the river and commands a fine view of that noble waterway and the surrounding country. The grounds are prettily laid out in walks and a fine grove of orange trees lends its dark foliage and golden fruit to the beauty of the scene. A flight of stairs leads down the terraced lawn to the river, which is the common rendezvous of people of leisure who seek pleasure or health in Florida's metropolis." In 1911, the building was moved on a barge up the St. Johns River to its present site. Unfortunately, the two-tiered veranda has been enclosed and some of the dormers have been altered. The building's wooden quoins, bracketed eaves, and mansard roof present an anachronistic contrast with the modern residence next door. This displaced visitor from another century is now used as apartments. It is the only remaining hotel building from Jacksonville's great tourist era in the 1870s and 1880s.

Memorial Park is a 5.85-acre public park with a the grand sculpture "Spiritualized Life" by Charles Pillars. This is the third-oldest park in the city, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, it was dedicated on Christmas Day 1924. The park was designed by famed lanscape architects, the Olmstead Brothers. The same Olmstead's who did Central Park in New York, the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and nearly 6,000 public parks around the country.

During the early 1900's, this section of Riverside Avenue was known as "The Row" because of its numerous mansions. Between Margaret Street and Edison Avenue, over fifty of these large-scale homes lined Riverside Avenue, making it one of Jacksonville's scenic highlights. Unfortunately, all of these mansions have now been demolished except for two this one and the home at 1541 Riverside Avenue. This house is a striking blend of the Shingle style and the Queen Anne style. Its roof and the walls are almost entirely covered with shingles, including the main porch posts and the arch over the porch entrance. A portion of the veranda lies under the upper stories of a projecting bay, a typical feature of the Shingle style. However, the profusion of gables, balconies, bay windows, latticed window muntins, and scrolled wood trim are traits of the Queen Anne style. The original owner of the house was William J. Kelly, first listed in the City Directory in 1905. He was vice president of Naval Stores Export Company. "Naval stores" was the name given to the turpentine and resin business, which was one of Jacksonville's largest industries at that time. Kelly and the other turpentine magnates were jokingly known as "the Gum Bunch." It is now one of the premiere bed-and-breakfasts in Jacksonville, stop in for high tea!

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida. Come celebrate the holidays with the Cummer on Luminaria with live music and special holiday libations in teh cafe. Be sure to step inside to do some holiday shopping in the Cummer gift shop, an amazing collection of fantastic gift ideas!

Originally slated to be a retention pond surrounded by a chain-link fence, this unique event venue was the result of a 15-year effort led by passionate volunteers. Thousands of hours went into building what would become the Riverside Arts Market visitors see today with the City of Jacksonville, including creating the name, layout, policies, and budget, and eventually bringing on staff. Activist and Riverside Avondale Preservation founder, Dr. Wayne Wood had a vision that was actualized by committee leaders Doug Coleman, Pamela Telis, Cindy Guy, and Theresa Fish, with expertise from Jeanmarie Grimsley and Michael Barnhart. District Councilmembers Jim Love and Michael Corrigan were indispensable leaders helping to advance legislation to secure use of the space. The award-winning design of the market, which features pedestrian pathways, landscaping, and picturesque lighting, was created by landscape architect Melody Bishop.

Capturing a Venetian flavor, this striking building is Klutho's best Mediterranean-Revival design. Its five-sided configuration takes advantage of its prominent corner location. The main entrance at the intersection of Oak and Goodwin streets is dramatized by an arcaded front porch and columned balcony. The deft interplay of angles and arches is continued on the interior of the building as well, with few of the rooms being rectangular in shape. The house was originally built for Dr. James Love and Dr. R. H. McGinnis, who had their offices on the first floor and their living quarters on the second floor. Noteworthy ornamental features on the exterior are the lotus motifs on the porch and balcony columns, cast-stone medallions, triple arched windows, and decorative wrought iron grilles on the attic and basement vents and on several of the windows. Perhaps better than any other house in Riverside and Avondale, this house captures the exotic mood of the Mediterranean region.

Addison Mizner was the flamboyant architect of great mansions in Palm Beach and Boca Raton and was the most important individual in popularizing the Mediterranean Revival style in Florida during the boom years of the 1920's. Although Mizner was not known for his religiosity, he was persuaded by Dr. Marshall Taylor and other members of Riverside Baptist to design this church. Perhaps because Mizner had promised his mother that he would design a church in her memory, he agreed to work on Riverside Baptist, the only church he ever designed. Mizner charged no fee for this work. True to the architect's eclectic tastes, the resulting building combines ingredients of Romanesque, Byzantine and Spanish church architecture. Built in the shape of a Greek cross, the church has a large octagonal nave at its center. The interior and exterior are richly adorned with stone carvings, religious ornamentation, and statuary. The red tiles used on the floor were obtained by Mizner from the ruins of a 16th-century Spanish cathedral. Upon completion of the building, some members of the congregation resigned, complaining that the new church was better suited to Episcopal or Catholic taste. Such humorous touches as the sculptured faces of a nun and a monk looking down from the transept walls led some members to feel the architect was mocking them. However, there is evidence Mizner took the design very seriously. Before beginning his design, he sat on a crate every day for a week in the vacant lot, studying the movement of light on the building site. As a result of this careful study, a pleasant bluish light is diffused over the congregation from the blue-tinted windows high above, and the altar is illuminated with a golden glow from the amber windows in the rear gable. The walls of the church were sprayed with milk and rubbed with umber to simulate centuries of age and to create an Old World atmosphere. Riverside Baptist Church displays the vivid genius of Addison Mizner and ranks as one of the most remarkable churches in Florida.

This house on Lydia is typical of vernacular farmhouses found on North Florida's plantations at the time of the Civil War, where life was generally rustic and with few amenities. This house is L-shaped with decorative vergeboards, collar beams, and pendants in the two gables. The porch and the dormers were added after the turn of the century, as was the rear wing. The approximate date of the house is confirmed by the presence of beams and joists cut with a circular saw, which was not used in this area prior to the mid-1850's. The roof was originally covered with wooden shingles, or shakes, which were also circular saw cut. The structure of the house shows an early example of balloon framing, and old-fashioned cut nails were used in its construction. This structural evidence dates the house between 1855 and 1870, making it the oldest known building remaining in Riverside.

Willow Branch Park Willow Branch Park, a popular location for local musicians during the late 1960s to develop and expand their audience. Named after the “Human Be-In,” San Francisco’s 1967 counterculture celebration, Jacksonville’s “be-ins” spawned several notable acts, including the Allman Brothers Band and many more. The park was also home to the first Pride Picnic in 1979. Today the park honors the LGBQT heratige with murals throughout the park in honor of local residents who died from AIDS. The basketball court mural, created by the Bridge Muralists is a pond filled with fish, manatees and one rainbow trout. The gazabo in the center of the park is painted with butterflies and names of those who passed. Under the bridge on Park Stret, you will find a Sunflower Mural created by Keith Doles.

Lucius T. Smith, a real estate developer, was the first owner of this house. Although its architect is unknown, the overall design was obviously influenced by Klutho's George W. Clark Residence at 2059 Riverside Avenue (built in 1911 and now demolished). Smith's house originally had a red brick first story, like the garage in the rear, which further emphasized the horizontal flow of the exterior. In 1946 the house was converted to an osteopathic hospital, and a highly unsympathetic addition was added to cover much of the front of the house. Thirty years later it was dramatically restored to become a residence again, but the brick of the lower story could not be salvaged. The identity of the architect of this house has never been officially documented.

Edward M. Cheney, editor and publisher of the Florida Union and one of the founders of Riverside, lived in this house in 1870. It occupied a site near the present-day Cummer Gallery of Art and was just two doors down from the residence of John Murray Forbes, the neighborhood's other founding father. Today it is one of the area's oldest residences. Lumberman Wellington W. Cummer built a large house adjacent to the Cheney property in 1898, at which time his son Waldo took over this old house. A few years later, Waldo moved the house about two-hundred feet toward the river, where he lived until a new residence was completed on the original site. About 1908 Waldo Cummer barged the old house down the river to Willow Branch Creek, then hauled it to its present location. It was too wide to fit properly on the new site, however, forcing Cummer to turn it sideways and reportedly exclaim in exasperation: "It is so far out in the country, no one will ever notice!" And so it stands today, with its front door facing the neighbor's side yard.

Due to its prominent location, the "Marble House" has been one of the most well-known symbols of Avondale's elegance since the time of its completion. It is an interesting variation of the Mediterranean Revival style, with classical elements such as the ornate entrance porch and a balustrade across the terrace. The most unusual feature of the house is its exterior veneer, which is marble quarried in Georgia. The residence was originally built at a cost of over $70,000 for contractor Walter Bryson, who had to sell the house shortly after completion due to the "crash" at the end of the Florida Land Boom. However, his son was able to buy the house back fifteen years later and lived there for many years.

This mural serves as a welcome to Avondale moment. The tree in the mural is the tree from Mom's Park. The children all attended Fishweir Elementrary School, just down the street. Luminaries represent the annual holiday event, Luminaria where the neighborhood sparckles with luminaries and house parties. The mural was created by Hearts 4 Minds, a not for profit who creates murals with meaning, using public art to connect people to mental health resources. Scan the QR code to learn more. Mural was created by artists Corey Krisel and Ramses Allen.