Vintage Jacksonville

This is another great window display captured by photographer Loyd Sandgren.  He shot them at night to minimize the reflections in the glass but often the few reflections that still show up give clues as to the location when no notes were left behind with the print, which was the case in this photograph.  In this earlier photograph of The Sport Shop there was some debate about the accuracy of the photographer’s note but there are a couple of details that help identify this business.  The curved window frame in the upper left corner matches the one in the earlier photo and this appears to be be the other part of the business’s corner shot at the same time as the previous photo. The shelf with merchandise at the right of this photograph matches the self in the left of the earlier image.  Also, on the far left side of the image there is a reversed reflection of a sign for the Hotel Floridian which was located on Forsyth Street in the same block as The Sport Shop.

Tags: advertising, business, golf, golf clubs, Golfer, historic photograph, sports equipment, The Sport Shop, vintage photography, window display

A view looking East down West Adams Street between Hogan Street and Laura Street, 1954.  The Eastman Kodak Store, Lahn’s, French Novelty, Nancy Scott and other businesses line the block which ends with the Greenleaf & Crosby Building which was built in 1928.  The Elks Club Building and Hotel Roosevelt can be seen past the Laura Street intersection.

Tags: Adams Street, business, cars, downtown, Eastman Kodak Store, Elks Club Building, French Novelty, Greenleaf & Crosby Building, historic photograph, Hotel Roosevelt, Lahn's, Laura Street, Nancy Scott, parking, parking meters, vintage photography

“This shows the way lots of pictures were taken in the 40’s. This place was on West Beaver Street.  In those days the workers would stop work and pose for the photographer.  As you can see they didn’t clean up the place either, it was a mess.”  LS

I’ve done some research and talked with the existing feed stores on Beaver Street and have not been able to come up with the exact location of this business.  It looks like there was a rail line that crossed Beaver Street coming in on the lower left of the frame but nothing today seems to correspond with this photograph.  Anyone out there with knowledge of this business or know anything about C.E. Gordon?

Update:  Jaeme Haviland contacted me with additional information that about the business.  “I worked here for several months during the 1970’s.  It hadn’t changed much from this photo. The building would have been just a block or two west of I-95, somewhere between Vega Street and North Myrtle on the South side of Beaver. They also had a satellite warehouse located a block or two East of the interstate.  Not sure what street that was on, Houston maybe?”

Thanks, Jaeme.  I always appreciate it when I can get first hand information to fill in the blanks.  I drove past the area and could not find any building that looked like the one in the photograph but there were a lot of newer structures so it has likely been replaced.  Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville

Tags: African-American, business, C.E. Gordon, historic photography, Jacksonville Feed Company, trucks, vintage photograph, West Beaver Street

An Early 1950’s view of the South side of West Adams Street at the intersection with Laura Street.  Kay Jewelers had the corner location, a women’s fashion store and a Planters Peanut store are wedged between Kay and Beck Shoes.  Just peaking into the left of the frame is a portion of the Art Deco facade of the Arcade Theatre, later renamed the Center Theatre.  Behind Kay Jewelers rises the The Florida Life Building, part of the trio buildings that anchor the corner of Laura and Forsyth Streets.  All the buildings along Adams Street in this photographs are now gone and a vacant lot awaits redevelopment.

Tags: 001655, Adams Street, advertising, Arcade Theatre, Beck Shoes, Buildings, business, Center Theatre, downtown, Florida Life Building, historic photograph, Kay Jewelers, Laura Street, Planters Peanut, store, street scene, vintage photography

Studio photograph of bathing suit clad woman with a large stick.  Perhaps this was shot as an advertising photograph but the photographer left no information with this particular image.

Tags: advertising, bathing suit, historic photography, model, stick, studio, vintage photograph, women

“These buildings were from Camp Blanding right after World War II.  They would take them from the camp and move them to your lot. Hundreds of people bought them and were very happy.  I think the cost was something like $750.00 total.  1947, 1948, 1949.”  LS

The sign in front of one of the buildings is for the Mohawk Wrecking Company.  I wonder if any of these are still around?

Tags: building, Camp Blanding, Clay County, historic photograph, house, housing, military, Mohawk Wrecking Company, vintage photography

“This beautiful scene pictures the docks between the two bridges.  It’s Southside and you can see the Lobster house.  (one of the finer eating places in town) about 1947.  No buildings in background.”  LS

This would have been the area of the St Johns River on the bank where Friendship Park is now located.  The old Acosta Bridge and railroad bridge is in the background. The photograph was probably taken from the Main Street Bridge which was opened in 1941.

Tags: acosta bridge, decay, docks, friendship park, historic photograph, southbank, St. Johns River, vintage photography

“This picture was taken looking East at the San Marco Shopping Center, about 1950.  You can see the A&P store slightly to the left of center of photo, straight ahead was the bowling alleys, then the telephone building.  The road didn’t look too good at the time.  S.H. Kress 5&10 cent store can be seen on the right, in the second block.  According to Sam’s clock it was 2:25 p.m.”  LS

This is quite the contrast to all the renovations and greening of the space that has taken place in the last decade or so.  According to information from a co-worker the bowling alley was set up for duckpin bowling.

Tags: 001669, A and P, business, cars, clouds, duckpin bowling, historic photograph, parking, San Marco, shopping, vintage photography

This is a portion of a contact sheet from what appears to have been a photographers outing to photograph the burlesque performer Betty Howard during a performance and back stage at an unknown club in Jacksonville.  The top left frame shows a group of photographers and in several of the other frames you can see flash heads set up around the stage.  There are also other contact sheets showing Howard posing in a studio setting.  In the 1950’s Howard billed herself as The Girl Who Has Everything, and showed it off during performances around the country and in Havana, Cuba.

Betty Jane Howard passed away April 13, 2013, at the age of 84 in Pleasantville, NJ.

Tags: Betty Howard, burlesque, contact sheet, dance, dressing room, drum, historic photography, performer, photographer, stripper, vintage photograph, women

Sailors celebrate the end of the war with Japan at Naval Station Mayport in this photograph by then Navy photographer Loyd Sandgren.

Germany had surrendered to the Allies May 7, 1945 ending the war in Europe. In an effort to bring the continuing war with Japan to a close on August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.  On August 8, 1945 the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded the Japanese occupied State of Manchuria (now Northeast China and Inner Mongolia).  That same day the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki.  On August 15, 1945 Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan to the Allies over the radio to his countrymen. On September 2, 1945 Japanese representatives signed the formal surrender documents on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay officially ending World War II.

Tags: celebration, historic photograph, men, Naval Station Mayport, navy, sailors, uniforms, V-J Day, Victory over Japan, vintage photography, World War II