THE JAXSON | Before and after: The rebirth of Downtown Hastings

Located in southwest St. Johns County, Downtown Hastings is experiencing a rapid economic rebirth. Here is a brief before and after look at the transformation of this new Florida Main Street district.

The history of Downtown Hastings

Hastings was named in honor of Thomas Horace Hastings, a cousin of Florida East Coast Railroad magnate and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler. With lavish hotels in St. Augustine and Ormond Beach, Flagler asked Hastings to start a farm to grow food for his guests.

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In 1890, Hastings and his family settled on 1,569 acres owned by the Model Land Co. There, Hastings established Prairie Garden, an agricultural operation consisting of Hastings’ house, greenhouses and log cabins for his foreman and 40 workers. A railroad depot was also constructed.

Incorporated as a town in 1909, Hastings became known as the Potato Capital of the World.

Following the railroad line’s eventual abandonment of the town and the construction of Interstate 95 several miles east, Hastings fell into economic decline. The dramatic impact of the transportation changes was reflected in a steep drop the town’s population. In 1940, it was home to 1,035 residents. By 2015, the population had declined to 620. In February 2017, residents voted to dismantle their town government and revoke its charter.

However, today Hastings is a community on the rise. In 2024, along with Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside’s Florida Avenue Main Street, Downtown Hastings became an official Florida Main Street Program. Initiated by the National Main Street Center, Main Street provides resources and a structured approach to help communities renew and revitalize their downtowns and traditional “main street” commercial corridors.

The vision of Hastings Main Street is to create a vibrant and vital Downtown Hastings by activating vacant and underutilized spaces to support local businesses, maintain historic rural character and create a “welcoming” environment for all residents and visitors.

These before-and-after photographs show the dramatic implementation of Hastings Main Street’s vision: