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 ...

Isaiah D. Hart Isaiah David Hart (November 6, 1792 – September 4, 1861) was an American plantation owner, and the founder of Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Georgia, Hart took up arms against Spain in the Patriot Rebellion of 1812. After moving to a lo ...

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

financial district A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Jacksonville Landing The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.Main Public Library, the

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, also known as MOCA Jacksonville, is a contemporary art museum in Jacksonville, Florida, funded and operated as a "cultural institute" of the University of North Florida. One of the largest contemporary ...

, and

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

.

History

Laura Street was named for the daughter of Jacksonville's founder,

Isaiah D. Hart Isaiah David Hart (November 6, 1792 – September 4, 1861) was an American plantation owner, and the founder of Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Georgia, Hart took up arms against Spain in the Patriot Rebellion of 1812. After moving to a lo ...

. In 1856, the city's oldest public park was designated along Laura Street, occupying the entire city block bordered by Monroe, Hogan and Duval Streets. The area attracted numerous hotels, most notably the St. James Hotel, completed in 1869, and the Windsor Hotel, completed in 1875. LauraStreet1894

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 ...

ravaged almost the entirety of today's modern downtown core, including much of Laura Street. The street did act as a fire line between the junctions of Adams Street through to the St. Johns River. Just as in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, the massive level of destruction left in the wake of the fire precipitated a robust period growth and a building boom that would last up until the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The corridor between Adams Street, where a remaining portion of the business district still existed, and Hemming Park, was the center of much of the more notable commercial development. Jaxfinpost

Originally the Mercantile Exchange Bank Building, one of the first buildings to be built after the fire was the Old Florida National Bank in 1902. It was designed by Edward H. Glidden in the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style, and is now part of a group of buildings known as the

Laura Street Trio The Laura Street Trio is a group of three historic buildings located on and near Laura Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The Trio consists of two perpendicularly arranged skyscrapers, the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building, plu ...

. Architect

Henry John Klutho Henry John Klutho (1873–1964) was an American architect known for his work in the "Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast—by ...

designed the other two buildings: the

Bisbee Building The Laura Street Trio is a group of three historic buildings located on and near Laura Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The Trio consists of two perpendicularly arranged skyscrapers, the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building, plu ...

in 1908, and the Florida Life Building in 1911, both designed in the Chicago school of architecture. He also designed the YMCA Building in 1909, and the St. James Building in 1912. New York architecture firm

Mowbray and Uffinger Mowbray & Uffinger comprised an architectural partnership in New York City formed in 1895. Known for bank buildings and as vault engineers they designed over 400 banks in the pre-World War II era throughout the country. The principals were Louis M ...

contributed two significant structures to the corridor during this period. In 1909, 121 Atlantic Place, originally Atlantic National Bank Building, opened as the tallest building in Florida.

Barnett National Bank Building The Barnett (originally known as the Barnett National Bank Building) is a skyscraper in Downtown Jacksonville, the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, at the southwest corner of Adams and Laura Street, Laura streets. His ...

opened its doors in 1926, also breaking the state height record. Local architecture firm Marsh & Saxelbye also contributed multiple works along the route, including

Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums are a private collection of more than a million manuscripts and documents in the United States, the largest such collection in the world. It was founded in 1983 by California real estate magnates David Kar ...

(1921), Schultz Building (1926), Hotel George Washington (1926) and Greenleaf & Crosby Building (1928). RTKL Associates Inc., a planning and consultant firm from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, was hired in 1970 to study the city's increasing

urban blight Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban deca ...

related to suburbanization and the development of retail malls. The recommendations were included in the 1971 Downtown Master Plan drafted by the Downtown Development Authority. The plans called for creating a

pedestrian mall Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

, a one-way transportation loop and elevated walkways that would permitting safe movement from the retail core, centered on Hemming Park, to the riverfront. The plans further called for a riverfront park, convention center with attached hotel, an exhibition center, Sears Department Store, and a high-rise offices. Though many portions of the plan never came to fruition, a few of Laura Street's features are a result of the 1971 Downtown Master Plan, the most striking of which was the

Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to: *Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California *Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California * Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California * Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California * Wells Fargo Cen ...

, designed by Kemp, Bunch & Jackson in 1974 for the Independent Life Insurance Company. In 2011, $2.3 million was spent to enhance the street by adding traffic calming features, more sidewalk space, trees with colorful uplighting and other hardscape features. In 2015, a five-block segment of Laura Street beginning at West Duval Street near Hemming Park, stretching to the

Jacksonville Landing The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.American Planning Association The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...

as one of its "Great Places in America."

Notable places

From south to north: *

Jacksonville Landing The Jacksonville Landing (informally The Landing) was a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, at the intersection of Independent Drive and Laura Street, along the Jacksonville Riverwalk.VyStar Tower VyStar Tower (originally American Heritage Life Building) is a skyscraper in the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, at the northwest corner of Independent Drive and Laura Street. Standing tall, it is the city's sixth tallest building. It ...

, Independent Drive *

Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to: *Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California *Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California * Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California * Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California * Wells Fargo Cen ...

, between Independent Drive and Bay Street * Bank of America Tower, between Bay and Forsyth Streets * CenterState Bank Building, Forsyth Street * 121 Atlantic Place, Forsyth Street *

Laura Street Trio The Laura Street Trio is a group of three historic buildings located on and near Laura Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The Trio consists of two perpendicularly arranged skyscrapers, the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building, plu ...

, Forsyth Street *

Barnett National Bank Building The Barnett (originally known as the Barnett National Bank Building) is a skyscraper in Downtown Jacksonville, the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, at the southwest corner of Adams and Laura Street, Laura streets. His ...

, Adams Street * Greenleaf & Crosby Building and Jacobs Jewelers Clock, Adams Street * Elks Club Building, Adams Street *

The Carling The Carling, formerly known as the Carling Hotel and Hotel Roosevelt, is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, United States built in 1925. It is located at 31 West Adams Street in Downtown Jacksonville. As its former names indicates it wa ...

, Adams Street * Schultz Building, Adams Street *

Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church Snyder Memorial Methodist Church, originally known as Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic 1903 church in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at 226 North Laura Street in Duval County (on the historic corner of Laura and Monroe stree ...

, Monroe Street * Main branch of the

Jacksonville Public Library The Jacksonville Public Library is the public library system of Jacksonville, Florida. It primarily serves Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, Duval County, and is also used by the neighboring Baker County, Florida, Baker, Nassau County, Fl ...

, Monroe Street *

James Weldon Johnson Park James Weldon Johnson Park is a public park in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Originally a village green, it was the first and is the oldest park in the city. History Beginnings The area was established as a public square in 1857 by Isaiah H ...

, between Monroe and Duval Streets *

Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, also known as MOCA Jacksonville, is a contemporary art museum in Jacksonville, Florida, funded and operated as a "cultural institute" of the University of North Florida. One of the largest contemporary ...

, Duval Street *

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

(St. James Building), between Duval and Church Streets *

Florida State College at Jacksonville Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is a public college in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of several institutions in that system designated a "state college" as it offers a greater number of four- ...

downtown campus, between State and 1st Streets *

Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums are a private collection of more than a million manuscripts and documents in the United States, the largest such collection in the world. It was founded in 1983 by California real estate magnates David Kar ...

, 1st Street *

Klutho Park Henry J. Klutho Park is an public park, located between downtown Jacksonville, Florida and the historic neighborhood of Springfield. It is part of a network of parks that parallel Hogans Creek, Klutho Park being the largest. Klutho Park is home ...

, 1st Street

Transportation

The Jacksonville Landing is at the southern terminus of Laura Street and offers access to the Jacksonville Water Taxi as well as other marine services. The

Jacksonville Skyway The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people mover in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). Opening in 1989 with three stations in Downtown Jacksonville, the Skyway was extended in 19 ...

serves two stations near Laura Street: *

Hemming Park station James Weldon Johnson Park station (formerly Hemming Park station) is a Jacksonville Skyway monorail station in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located on Hogan Street between Duval Street and Monroe Street in Downtown Jacksonville. The station is ad ...

at Monroe Street *

Rosa Parks Transit Station Rosa Parks Transit Station is an intermodal transit station in Downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It is operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and previously served as Jacksonville's main city bus station as well as a station for the ...

at State Street (central JTA bus station)

Gallery

File:The Jacksonville Landing, Jacksonville FL, Southeast view 20160706 1.jpg, Jacksonville Landing and Riverwalk on the St. Johns River File:OneECenterW.jpg, Statue of Andrew Jackson at the terminus of Laura Street at Independent Drive File:MLKDayWFC.jpg, Wells Fargo Center File:LaurabayWFC.jpg, Corner of Laura and Bay Streets File:LaurastBOAT.jpg, Laura Street entrance of the Bank of America Tower File:Hemming Plaza.JPG, Intersection of Laura and Forsyth Streets File:LauraStreetFinancialDistrict.jpg, Postcard depicting the Financial District of Jacksonville LauraStreetTrio20s.jpg, Laura Street Trio in the 1920s File:Jacobs Jewelers Street Clock, Jacksonville.JPG, Jacobs Jewelers Clock at the corner of Adams Street File:DTJax.jpg, View of the Northbank core from the Federal Courthouse File:MOCAFEDJax.jpg, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville

References

{{Coord, display=title, 30.32732, -81.65922 Northbank, Jacksonville Downtown Jacksonville Economy of Jacksonville, Florida Economy of Florida Financial districts in the United States Shopping districts and streets in the United States Chicago school architecture in Florida

Description

History

Notable places

Transportation

Gallery

See also

References