This is an image of the East side of the downtown Jacksonville waterfront as the area was making the transition from a working waterfront covered with piers and warehouses over the St. Johns River to the one we have today with bulkheaded banks and infill. Here the section of the river bank just East of the Main Street Bridge appears to be in the final phase of being bulkheaded and filled. the Duval County Courthouse on East Bay Street is to the far right and still under construction. It opened in 1958. Warehouses on docks remain between the newly created bulkhead and the Courthouse. The dome of the old Courthouse which was built after the 1901 fire can still be seen in the background. That building was demolished in 1960. This would have been photographed from the Main Street Bridge and according to the note on the back of the print, the photograph was taken March 7, 1957. The original print is in rough condition and the image is not terribly sharp but the moment in Jacksonville’s history captured by photographer Loyd Sandgren overrides those shortcomings.
Tags: 012581, boat, bulkhead, Courthouse, East Bay Street, historic photograph, St. Johns River, vintage photography, waterfront
