Two Northeast Florida communities — Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside and Main Street Hastings — have been named to the state’s Main Street Program.

The designation gives them technical assistance to track down investment resources for local revitalization and historic preservation efforts.

The Historic Eastside is one of the largest and most historically intact African American neighborhoods in Florida. Hastings, in St. Johns County, grew from agricultural importance as Henry Flagler expanded railroads through Florida.

“These organizations exhibit the pride and passion we seek in our participating programs,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in a news release. “I look forward to their successes and achievements in the new year and in the future.”

Florida’s 39-year-old Mainsreet Program offers technical assistance to community-based redevelopment programs. It helps communities create jobs through revitalized business districts and can help improve an area’s tax base, while also protecting existing investments. It also helps preserve a community’s historic resources, according to its website.

Historic Eastside

Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside is just north of the Mathews Expressway and the Downtown sports complex. The community has a documented Black presence dating before the Civil War and saw many former slaves move there after the war due to its proximity to the St. Johns River and the city’s rapid growth and industrialization, state officials said

A. Philip Randolph Boulevard grew with multiple restaurants, bars, grocery stores, retail shops and a theater. Then urban renewal began affecting the neighborhood as the Mathews and Hart bridges and their Downtown expressways cut into the community, displacing large numbers of residents, as did the addition of baseball and concert venues around the football stadium nearby.

Through the urban sprawl, the Historic Eastside persisted as a community. Data provided by Byrd’s office shows more private and public investment there, with 83% of buildings in the program area locally owned and no absentee ownership.

LIFT JAX, the philanthropic organization responsible for Eastside’s Main Street campaign, is working with partner organizations like the Eastside Legacy Business Council to revitalize the business corridor. Activities include efforts to beautify 10 blocks of businesses with six new murals, plus plans to improve lighting and signage to help local businesses. Additionally, the community hosts the Melanin Market, with more than 150 Black-owned businesses, nonprofits and artists lining A. Philip Randolph Boulevard on a regular basis.

“Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside is one of the last historically intact African American neighborhoods in our city, which means preserving its history is more important now than ever before,” LIFT JAX COO Travis Williams said in a news release. “Part of that history is a commercial corridor bustling with commerce and activity. We believe having the corridor added to Florida Main Street gives the business community and residents a major tool to begin rebuilding our corridor for the future.”

Avery McKnight, president of the Eastside Legacy Business Council, said: “As a business owner along the A. Philip Randolph corridor, and a fourth generation Eastsider, I am excited about all the possibilities that come along with this Florida Main Street designation. With our current investments already underway, this will give us guidance and a proven strategy to lead the corridor’s revitalization efforts going forward.”

Upcoming Melanin Market events include the Black 365: Buy Out The Block event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 3, at A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park, 1096 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. From noon to 5 p.m. March 3, the Black History 365 Parade & Celebration will take place on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard.

Main Street Hastings

Fifty-two miles south of Jacksonville’s Eastside is Hastings.

With Flagler’s railroad and business expansion in the late 1800s, Thomas Horace Hastings established a large agricultural operation there along the Florida East Coast Railway. Formally incorporated in 1909 as Hastings, it became known as the Potato Capital of Florida, its downtown catering to the agricultural industry as the railroad made it an important trans-shipment point for local farmers, state officials said.

Now Hastings Main Street Inc., formed to redevelop the downtown off Florida 207, is working to capitalize on momentum gained from recent community events, the state said.

Those include the Hastings Fall Festival of Art and the annual “Cabbage, Potato, and Bacon Festival.” The county is moving the Hastings public library from its current home in an old high school building to a new facility nearby. And plans are being discussed to convert the century-old library structure into a new First Coast Technical College campus. The former Stanton Ford dealership on North Makin Street has been renovated into The Venue, a new event space.

Being part of the state’s Main Street program is a tremendous benefit for Hastings, said Jena Dennis, head of the Main Street Inc. board of directors.

“It not only acknowledges our rich history, dating back to the late 1800s when Henry Flagler and Thomas Horace Hastings played pivotal roles in our development, but also sets the stage for revitalization and economic growth,” he said in the state’s news release. “Receiving a Main Street designation means a commitment to preserving our unique heritage, while fostering new opportunities for our residents. … We believe that through this program, we can enhance our local economy, attract visitors, and create a vibrant and sustainable future for Hastings.”

Upcoming events in the community include the Coffee & Conversation Community Meeting at 10 a.m. Feb. 3 at 6195 S. Main St., with updates on Main Street initiatives. Then Hastings Main Street Inc. hosts its Pop-Up Market at 9 a.m. Feb. 10 at 301 N. Main St., with local crafts, food products and other items, followed at 10 a.m. by the Seventh Annual Boulevard Car Show.

Lead image: The Jacksonville Melanin Market takes place on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard. | LIFT JAX