THE JAXSON | 6 major projects planned for LaVilla

A rebirth of Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood continues. In addition to a new graduate campus proposed by the University of Florida, here are six major projects already under construction in the historic neighborhood.

LaVilla selected for the University of Florida’s new graduate campus

Located immediately west of Downtown’s historic core, LaVilla is one of Jacksonville’s oldest Gullah Geechee communities. Originally established as a town of its own in 1869, LaVilla became a cultural exchange partner with New Orleans and emerged as a major epicenter for ragtime, jazz and blues during the early 20th century.

According to the Indianapolis Freeman, the first published account of blues singing on a public stage occurred in LaVilla’s Colored Airdome on April 16, 1910.

Ultimately, LaVilla was largely destroyed by a series of major urban renewal projects, including the construction of Interstate 95 during the 1950s and the 1990s River City Renaissance plan. In recent years, local stakeholders led by the LaVilla Preservation Association have worked behind the scenes to promote a revitalization strategy that preserves the neighborhood’s history, culture and heritage, while embracing economic rebirth.

On Dec. 12, the University of Florida Board of Trustees Governance Committee approved LaVilla as the location of its new graduate campus. The 22-acre site surrounds the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center and will include the Florida Semiconductor Institute, funded by President Biden’s CHIPS Act as part of a national effort to drive research and development of semiconductor chips. With a University of Florida graduate campus now in the pipeline, here are six additional projects either already underway or proposed for LaVilla.

1. Johnson Commons, 3 blocks bounded by West Adams, Stuart, Forsyth and Lee streets

Johnson Commons is a two-phase, 3.4-acre infill mixed-use development under construction near the recently completed Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park. The first phase of the project involves the construction of 91 three-story townhomes with one-car garages that architecturally pay homage to the historic two- and three-story residences that once dominated the LaVilla neighborhood. 

A second phase fronting Lee and Forsyth streets, could be all retail space or a mix of multi-family residential and retail with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of retail on the first floor. Johnson Commons is a joint project of JWB Real Estate Capital LLC. and the Corner Lot Development Group.

2. LaVilla Heritage Trail

From ragtime, blues and jazz to the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Movement, and many local food dishes we enjoy today, the neighborhood of LaVilla has played a significant cultural role. The proposed LaVilla Heritage Trail is a series of interpretive markers that will share the unique and largely overlooked history of sites in LaVilla and the individuals and events associated with them. 

The trail is one of many projects aimed at revitalizing LaVilla. The design of this Downtown Investment Authority project was guided by LaVilla residents, business owners, historians and other stakeholders with the goal of educating people about the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and landmarks. A bid for fabrication and installation was recently released by the Downtown Investment Authority.

3. Jacksonville Terminal, 1000 Water St.

During its heyday, LaVilla’s Jacksonville Terminal was the largest passenger railroad station in the South and Florida’s official gateway for worldwide travelers. Millions of railroad passengers passed through the station’s concourse or platforms each year, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1941 and every president between Warren G. Harding and Richard Nixon. Traffic peaked in 1944 when nearly 40,000 trains passed through the terminal, carrying nearly 10 million passengers. To support operations of such a large facility, the Jacksonville Terminal Co. employed more than 2,000 people, making it the second-largest employer in the city at the time. With the decline of rail travel, Jacksonville abandoned the massive station in 1974. During the 1980s, it was converted into the Prime Osborn Convention Center.

The return of passenger rail has been a longtime goal of the LaVilla community and many Downtown advocates. Also a major initiative of Mayor Deegan’s administration, the goal to reactivate LaVilla’s historic economic anchor is now moving forward.

In September 2024, the city of Jacksonville was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Build America Bureau, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to support management of the LaVilla Transit Innovation and Equity Project. The goal is to transform existing transit facilities into a cohesive, multifunctional transit hub Downtown. Specifically, the city will explore restoring the Prime Osborn as the central rail station that it has served in the past, and encouraging nearby transit-oriented development that can bring new passenger rail connections to Jacksonville.

4. LaVilla Place, 525 W. Beaver St.

The second licensed Black mortician in Florida, Lawton Pratt, started his first funeral home in Jacksonville in 1900. Completed 16 years later for Pratt, the existing building may be one of the last surviving commercial structures designed and constructed by noted Black architect Joseph Haygood Blodgett.

Born in 1858 in Augusta, Georgia, Blodgett moved to Jacksonville during the 1890s with one paper dollar and one thin dime. Initially working for the railroad for $1 a day, Blodgett went on to start a drayage business, a woodyard, a farm and restaurant before becoming a building contractor around 1898. Following the Great Fire of 1901, Blodgett built 258 houses, keeping 199 of them to rent, eventually becoming the first black millionaire in Jacksonville. His own residence, Blodgett Villa, was said to be one of the finest owned by an African American anywhere. Famous guests at Blodgett Villa included Booker T. Washington.

Affiliated with Jacksonville-based Silver Street Capital, 525 Beaver, LLC. is in the process of rehabilitating the former funeral home into 13 apartments and a retail space that could potentially become a restaurant, coffee shop or wine bar. The developer also plans to add a courtyard, swimming pool and parking lot just west of the building.

5. JTA Autonomous Innovation Center, 650 W. Bay St.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (is in the process of building an Autonomous Innovation Center for its Ultimate Urban Circulator project on a LaVilla block bounded by Water, Broad, Bay and Jefferson streets. The U2C is a comprehensive program to introduce autonomous vehicles into JTA’s transportation system. The Autonomous Innovation Center is expected to serve as the “nerve center” for the U2C.

JTA’s original plans were opposed by LaVilla stakeholders because of a belief that the project did not align with design standards and vision for the community. As a response, JTA worked with the community to significantly modify the design of the structure. The $40 million Autonomous Innovation Center is expected to be completed by summer 2025.

6. Daily’s Gas Station, 618 W. Forsyth St.

Bold City Brewery will operate a microbrewery and restaurant on top of a Daily’s gas station and convenience store. The two-story project also will include a rooftop bar. Owned and operated by Brian Miller and his mother, Susan, Bold City Brewery was founded in 2008. Bold City operates a microbrewery and taproom in Riverside and a Downtown location on East Bay Street, which will relocate to the gas station location planned for a 1.4-acre block at the intersection of Bay and Broad streets.

In August 2020, First Coast Energy paid close to $3.3 million for the property in LaVilla and razed a historic structure to build the gas station. Original plans were opposed by the LaVilla community, which was unimpressed with the suburban gas station layout considered at the time. Ultimately, a modified plan was developed, better allowing the project to align with the neighborhood’s goals of ensuring all new infill construction is pedestrian friendly.