The Florida Yacht Club is a private

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mari ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, U.S. It is the oldest social club in Jacksonville, and is the fourth oldest surviving yacht club in the U.S. It was founded in downtown Jacksonville in 1876 , and moved to its present location in the Ortega neighborhood in 1928.

History

The Florida Yacht Club was established by seventeen charter members in 1876. New York businessman

William Backhouse Astor, Jr. William Backhouse Astor Jr. (July 12, 1829 – April 25, 1892) was an American businessman, racehorse owner/breeder, and yachtsman who was a member of the prominent Astor family. His elder brother, financier and philanthropist John Jacob Astor II ...

, was the driving force behind the creation of a club promoting

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

and water sports in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. Astor felt that the broad and slow

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

was a perfect location for boating, though he was the only person in Jacksonville to actually own a

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

at the time. The original clubhouse was constructed at the end of Market Street in downtown Jacksonville, and cost $3,500, to which Astor contributed $500. The original Florida Yacht Club building was a large two-story edifice, with the second floor being used for gatherings and

dances Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its reperto ...

. Astor served as the club's first "Commodore".Wood, p. 326. The original building burned down in the

Great Fire of 1901 The Great Fire of 1901 was a conflagration that occurred in Jacksonville, Florida on May 3, 1901. It was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the third largest urban fire in the U.S., next to the Great Chicago Fire, and the 1906 S ...

. The club moved to a temporary clubhouse in the

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

neighborhood, before relocating to a new dedicated facility on Willow Branch Creek in 1907. In 1928 the club moved to its present building in the Ortega neighborhood. The current clubhouse was designed in the

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

style and cost $90,000.

Notes

References

External links

Official site
{{coord, 30.2524, -81.6897, type:landmark_region:US-FL, display=title 1877 establishments in Florida Buildings and structures completed in 1928 Buildings and structures in Jacksonville, Florida History of Jacksonville, Florida Sailing clubs in Florida