SPRINGFIELD IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION & ARCHIVES PRESENTS THE

29thANNUAL

Welcome Inside Cover

Home Stories p. 1-8

Tour Map Insert Front

Tour Sponsors Inside Cover, InsertBack & Back Cover

*Interpreters for the Saturday tour are provided by UNF’s ASL/English Interpreting Program. Contact interpretingdegree@unf.edu for more information.

Friday, Dec. 11 &Saturday, Dec. 125-9 pm

*a past toremember

neighborhoodto preserve

a

a futureassured

HAVE A LOT MORE TO SPEND ON PRESENTSIntroducing Net-Zero Energy Efficient Homes

Model now open in Springfield1221 North Liberty Street

904.800.WISE • TerraWiseHomes.com • Info@TerraWiseHomes.com

SpringfieldHoliday-1/2PgAd_TWH.indd 1 11/13/15 11:08 AM

On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the Springfield Improvement Association and Archives, I would like to welcome you to our historic neighborhood and the 29th Annual Holiday Home Tour.

Springfield is on the threshold of a new and exciting era. The renewed interests of homeowners that desire a more traditional neighborhood in an urban community have turned the tide away from further decay and toward a revitalized urban neighborhood. The residents whose homes you will see tonight had the vision and enduring spirit to make their dream a reality. It is through the efforts of residents, volunteers and concerned citizens that change has come to our neighborhood.

We encourage you to speak with our homeowners and volunteers this evening, and if you like what you see, let them know. Their enduring spirit and vision for the future are the catalyst for all that has happened and will continue to improve the quality of life and restore this wonderful neighborhood to it’s former grandeur.

Sincerely,

Adam HalsteadSIAA President

Clarence B. and Virginia K. Fitch moved into their new house at 1844 (now 1644) Pearl Street in 1908 and remained there for about six years. Clarence Bruce Fitch came to Jacksonville from Tavares (Lake County), Florida around 1902, to join his older brother, Warren, in the wholesale fruit and produce business.

Born in Boston of Nova Scotian parents, Warren and Clarence first lived together on West Monroe Street and operated the Warren Fitch and Brother markets at 15 Cedar Street (in 1903), and then 30 East Bay Street (1905-1910). Clarence married Virginia Katherine McCabe in 1907 and they initially lived at 129 East Ashley. They moved to Pearl Street in Springfield the same year that Warren and his wife, Maymie (Marzyck; married 1899) moved to their home in the next block, at 1924 (now 1724) Pearl Street.

Around 1910, Clarence left Warren to work with S.G. Wilkinson, forming Fitch and Wilkinson, with locations at 38 East Bay Street (1912) and 110 East Bay (1913 to about 1915). These produce markets were just up the street from his brother’s renamed store, Warren and Company.

Clarence and Virginia Fitch and their 3 year old daughter, also named Virginia, left Springfield in 1913 or early 1914 and moved to Riverside. They sold their house and property to Jacob R. and Annie Bell Tysen in December 1914 for a $7,000 mortgage.

After relocating from 148 East 2nd Street, the Tysen family remained at their home at 1844 (now 1644) Pearl Street for nearly 40 years. Jacob, from New York, was in the fertilizer business and died in 1922. His second wife Annie Bell was born in Georgia, was 33 years younger than her husband when they married in 1909, and remained here until her death, at age 86, in February 1954.

Cherri Picard moved to this 1908 Queen Anne home with her daughter, Vivien, in 2013. A Civil War reenactor, antique collector, and expert on women’s underclothing during the Victorian era, Cherri is raising her daughter to appreciate history with an extensive home library on Victorian-era people, culture, and lifestyle. “My friends and family say I’m a walking advertisement for Springfield! Living here has changed my life...I will always live in Springfield!”

Photos of the house in 1910 and 1913 are on display. The home features a wraparound porch, four working fireplace, gorgeous burled pine throughout, hardwood floors, and a gourmet kitchen with two butler’s pantries. The home underwent restoration in the late 1990s and now, the interior and exterior reflect the intensive research Cherri did to make sure further renovations and furnishings were true to the period. An original pine ceiling greets the visitor in the entry hall. Except for the entryway ceiling, the woodwork throughout the 3,200 square foot home was never painted and retains its original craftsmanship.

Since she was a child, Cherri wanted to live in a Victorian home, collecting wallpaper samples, fabrics, and antiques in hopes of someday having a home just like this. An Edison cylinder record player, a turn-of-the-century pump organ, original fireplace mantels, and claw foot tubs are on display, and the Ladies of the Golden Teacup Society, a Victorian reenactor group, greets visitors in period dress for an authentic Victorian experience.

The Fitch House1644 Pearl Streetca. 1908

Clarence B. & Virginia K. Fitch First Owners

Cherri Picard Current Owner

The brothers, Clarence and Warren Fitch, were members of the new middle class who moved to Springfield as Jacksonville was recovering after the Great Fire of 1901. They chose to purchase similar homes near each other, possibly to promote mutual, family support.

THEN NOW

1

Madison and Ida Bates were the first residents of this Springfield duplex apartment. Madison was a farmer’s son, born in 1870 in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Before arriving in Jacksonville in the early years of the twentieth century, he worked as a clerk for various railroads in Atlanta and Savannah. In 1895, he married Ida Martin and they had one son, Howard.

Arriving in Jacksonville in 1907, the family first lived next door, at 1525 (now 1325) Silver Street. By 1910, their household also included Ida’s two unmarried brothers, Roy and Edgar Martin, partners in E.A. Martin and Company, wholesale and retail sellers of flower and garden seeds.

In a rarity on the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, the 1913 edition labels the “Flat” at 1523 (now 1321-23) Silver Street as “From Plans,” indicating that this duplex was scheduled to be built before map publication. This note provides a very clear indication of construction date. The Bates’ were the first recorded residents of this house, but they were apparently renters, not owners.

When the Bates family moved into the new house next door, Ida’s brothers moved with their wives to separate houses in the 300 block of East 7th Street. Edgar continued alone (as E.A. Martin Seed Company) in the seed and feed business into the 1930s; he died in 1935. Roy and Madison started a grocery business together (Bates & Martin Groceries and Meats, at 323 Main Street); but this business, like the Bates residence here, was short-lived. By 1915, Madison and Ida Bates had moved on and Roy Martin, with no occupation listed in the City Directory, was living with his wife, Flora, on West Adams Street.

Lena Castro, owner and resident of this beautiful duplex, is an interior designer with the eye for making family treasures central to her home’s décor.

The entryway staircase leads to a room that is immediately warm and inviting, called the ‘Little Library’, where Lena enjoys browsing family photo albums and reading books about interior design and antiques. The library leads to a breezy and spacious deck where friends can gather to enjoy the views of Klutho Park, Downtown Jacksonville, and a long row of Springfield porches. The guest bedroom is aptly named in honor of Lena’s ‘mommy and mentor’, Aunt Fannie, who was always ‘giving herself to others’. The home features two fireplaces with original mantels, tile surrounds, and cast iron summer fronts.

Lena believes that your home “should make you smile” and represent what you remember and love about your family. Each of her rooms displays cherished mementos of family and friends, from Aunt Fannie’s needlepoint to her father’s antique cameras.

Lena has plans to restore the butler’s pantry woodwork and cabinetry, while also focusing on the home’s exterior landscaping and painting. At the end of the day, Lena especially loves to sit on her front porch swing and enjoy the peacefulness of her home on Silver Street.

The Goethe House1323 Silver Streetca. 1913

Madison & Ida Bates First Occupants

Lena Castro Current Owner

Many Springfield homes built after the Great Fire of 1901 were constructed to house working class, short-term renters. During its first five years, this duplex was home to a grocer, a Cadillac dealer general manager, a District Court stenographer and a real estate agent.

THEN NOW

2

Roscrana McClure Pollard and Florence McClure were the first owners and residents at 1610 Main Street. Born in the Midwest (Ohio and Michigan), the sisters and their family arrived in Jacksonville from near Palatka (Putnam County), Florida in about 1873. Their father, Edward McClure, was a pastor, born in Ireland, and their mother, Sarah, was from England. Roscrana, named for an Irish princess in Celtic folklore, married William Pollard (who died before 1880) and was a longtime teacher at Duval High School.

From about 1880 through 1895, Roscrana and Florence (a dressmaker) lived with their widowed mother at the home of their brother, Alfred E. McClure (an architect), at 109 East Duval Street. The sisters moved to a house at 419 Laura Street in the late 1890s; but in May 1901, Florence and Roscrana purchased the house at 1810 (now 1610) Main Street for $3600. They lived here together until Roscrana’s death in October 1916.

According to her obituary, in addition to being worthy matron (the presiding officer) of the Freemason’s Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. Pollard “was a scholar and educator of marked ability.” She was also a charter member and officer of the Jacksonville Woman’s Club, where she “has been honored by election to nearly every office within the gift of the club.” She was asked to serve as president for more than the normal term, “evidence of the great esteem in which she was held by her co-workers.” After securing “a new charter and creat[ing] the office of secretary and treasurer, Mrs. Pollard was the first selection and filled this office with ability and great credit.”

Florence McClure lived here until her death in April 1923. Both sisters are buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville.

Sam Hunt, an entrepreneur, restaurateur, art collector, and preservationist of many properties in Springfield, began driving through the neighborhood in 2000 and decided to buy his first home here in 2001. “I just fell in love with Springfield. I have lived in many places, including Italy, Scotland, and New York City, but there is nowhere I would rather live than here—I always come back.”

Retired from the Navy, Sam has lived in Springfield longer than anywhere in his life (15 years). His devotion to the neighborhood is evident in his desire to re-open the Kool Beans Café in this 115-year-old house on Main Street, which was a dilapidated residence in need of extensive restoration when Sam purchased it. “The side of the house was falling apart, and you could see the guts of the house from outside.”

Despite the nuisance liens, water damage, and overall evidence of neglect, Sam saw the potential for the property to become a restaurant once again. Recently renovated, the café features indoor and outdoor seating and restoration of original wood floors, staircase, plaster walls, and fireplace mantel. Sam wanted to restore the house’s restaurant identity, and it is important to Sam that people entering the restaurant feel a part of its rich history in Springfield.

He is planning to re-open the café as a breakfast and lunch venue in 2016, and he also has plans to open an art gallery on N. Pearl Street. According to Sam, Springfield is full of opportunities for growth and development, and he has plenty of ideas for his future in the neighborhood: “I love anything to do with art and antiques; in fact, I see antiques as art…and I love the people of Springfield.”

The McClure House1610 N. Main Streetca. 1901

Roscrana McClure Pollard & Florence McClure First Owners

Sam Hunt Current Owner

In May 1901, the McClure sisters purchased this house and lot for $3600. They lived here together for 15 years. Florence worked as a seamstress, while Roscrana served as longtime teacher at Duval High School.

THEN NOW

3

Harvie Sheffield Duval (1832-1910) and his family were the first residents of this home. Duval was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, and moved with his family to Tallahassee, Florida in 1836, where his father served as the Secretary of the Florida Territory.

Harvie attended the University of North Carolina, graduated with a degree in civil engineering, and entered the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey service (now part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA). Rising to the rank of captain, he soon commanded his own vessel. However, Duval resigned his commission when the Civil War began and enlisted in the Confederate Army. At the end of the war, he retired as a colonel, taught mathematics in Tallahassee for a time, then resumed his private civil engineering practice. Before coming to Jacksonville in the late 1890s, he conducted one of the first extended surveys of the Everglades. Harvie served as state engineer and president of the Southern Society of Civil Engineers for many years.

With no specific addresses assigned to many Springfield locations, the 1897 City Directory lists H.S. Duval, civil engineer, residing (in 1896) on Hubbard, corner of 4th Street with his son, Harvey, Jr., a lawyer. By 1898, his children, Hugh F. Duval and Elizabeth H. Duval (a teacher at Lavilla Grammar School), were recorded at the southwest corner of Hubbard and East Fourth Streets. In mid-June 1900, the family, including Harvie; his wife, Olivia; his children, Harvey, Jr. (a lawyer), Elizabeth (a schoolteacher), Hugh (a stenographer), and Irene (at school); and Olivia’s widowed mother, Elizabeth L. Harrison, left Jacksonville for Chattahoochee (Gadsden County), Florida. They relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1903, where Harvie S. Duval died in 1910, at the age of 78.

The first time Norma Burt, a nurse at Mayo Clinic, entered this 5,880-square-foot Victorian home, it was divided into four apartments. While visiting the previous owner, she commented on always wanting to live in a home with a wrap-around porch. Not jokingly, the owner asked ‘Do you want to buy it?’ to which Norma replied, “YES!” She recognized that Springfield had its struggles, and she decided to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. That was 2001, and Norma, accompanied by her three children, became the home’s fourth owner, lovingly restoring every feature to its original, single-family glory.

When Norma removed the walls dividing the home into apartments, she discovered pristine plaster walls and estimates that 90% of this three-story home is original, including woodwork, floors, staircases, windows, fireplaces with tile surrounds, summer fronts, and mantels. Wall colors are true to the period, matching as closely as possible the original room colors as discovered from paint layers and wallpaper.

Norma’s husband, Michael Vance (retired Army Colonel and general contractor), has worked extensively on the landscape, interior restoration, and transformation of the beautiful wrap-around porch from its prior use as an apartment. During the kitchen expansion and renovation, Norma and Michael transplanted woodwork from the third floor to the first floor to maintain a consistent look.

A collector of antique dishes, Norma decorates the home with formal table settings for every holiday, and the home features 17 themed Christmas trees on display during this festive season.

The Duval House1352 Hubbard Streetca. 1895

Harvie Sheffield Duval First Owner

Michael Vance & Norma Burt Current Owners

While this home’s first resident was a retired Confederate Army engineer and surveyor, the second owner was Lloyd M. Boykin, an architect and building contractor who came to Jacksonville from Orlando, with his children and second wife, after the Great Fire of 1901.

THEN NOW

4

Klutho ParkKlutho Park

Confederate Park

Confederate Dog Park

Hogans Creek

1st St W

2nd St W

3rd St W

4th St W

5th St W

6th St W

7th St W

8th St W

9th St W

10th St W

11th St W

12th St W

Cottage Ave

Ionia St

Walnut St

Liberty St

Market St

Hubbard St

Main St

Laura St

Silver St

Pearl St

Perry St

Boulevard

Boulevard

Pearl St

Boulevard

1st St E

2nd St E

3rd St E

4th St E

5th St E

6th St E

7th St E

8th St E

9th St E

10th St E

11th St E

Pearl Pl

Redell St

Hubbard Te

Redwing St

Reita StDrysdale St

Phelps St

Orange St

Confederate St

12

3

4

5

6

7*

8

9

The tour is walk/self drive/ride. Our suggestion below is for information only. You may take any route or visit any spot as desired. Please enjoy meandering through our wonderful neighborhood. Thank you for making the Historic Springfield Holiday Tour part of your plans during this happy season!

SUGGESTED TOUR ROUTE

210 W Seventh St, SIAA1644 Pearl St1323 Silver St1610 Main St1352 Hubbard St

21

345

324 E Third St1334 Walnut St (*Friday Only)412 E 5th St1951 Market St, Apt 14

76

89

First owners and occupants of this two-story vernacular house, from ca. 1902 through at least the late 1920s, were members of the Danisi family. They arrived in the United States by steamship in 1885, traveling from the northeastern Italian village of Ronca. Like many immigrants to this country, language difficulties lead to changes in the spelling of their names. The parents, Luigi and Maria Louisa, can be found in public records as Louis and Louisa Danese. The middle son, Pius Fillipo, became Philip Pius Danese (or Pious Philip; sometimes Peter). Younger twin sisters, Dionisia and Theodosia Juesippina became Denise and Rosa, and youngest son, Bonifacio, became John Boniface Danese.

After settling on a farm in Mandarin in the 1890s, two sons (Alex, a painter, and Philip, a plumber) and a daughter (Denise) found work and temporary housing in Jacksonville. They returned home on weekends to attend Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. In October 1901, Philip P. Danese purchased a city lot on the south side of E. Third St. (between Liberty and Walnut Streets) for $500 from The Springfield Company. He built a house and moved here with his parents (Luigi and Maria Louisa), his younger brother (John B.) and John B.’s wife (Bessie), and his two younger sisters (Denise and Maria). At that time, Philip worked for J. E. Kuchler, a plumbing, tinning and heating company located on Forsyth Street. John was first a clerk at the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, and later a bookkeeper and lumber inspector. His sister Maria was a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital.

No photos remain of the original owner. However in a 1918 World War I draft registration, a 43 year old Philip P. Danese described himself as medium height and stout build with brown eyes and dark hair.

Relocating to Springfield was never in the plan when Victor Letourneaut (Veteran of Foreign War and District and Post Commander of the US Marine Corps) set up office as a federal contractor in the SPAR building on N. Main Street. However, a business encounter with local builder, David Schacter, led to a partnership with TerraWise Homes to renovate this Victorian, a 15 month process that only recently was completed. The home had sustained so much damage due to neglect through the years that Victor and his wife, Michele (former marine and Marine Corps League Auxiliary member), had the home retrofitted into an energy-efficient and eco-friendly home, salvaging as much of the original features as possible, including a fireplace, newel post, brick walls, and stair treads.

Starting at the porch, stepping into this beautiful home and landscape is like entering into a warm and inviting atmosphere where guests are welcome. Entertaining was exactly the goal Victor and Michele had in mind when they worked with David to design a floor plan that flows from room to room and into an outdoor space that is tranquil and restorative. A spiral staircase to the attic reveals a 300-square-foot office, living space and storage units with energy-efficient, spray foam insulation and solar panels. The new garage, with entry off the alley, is a replica of the larger house and provides an apartment for friends and family.

The entire Letourneaut family is strongly represented across several branches of the US Military, and the home’s decor reflects various parts of the world where the family served. Victor and Michele enjoy the welcoming atmosphere in Springfield and hope to remain here for a very long time. Now that the majority of the work is complete, Victor and Michele are ready to sit back and ‘just enjoy it’!

The Danese House324 E. Third Streetca. 1902

Philip P. Danese First Owner

Victor & Michele Letourneaut Current Owners

This home’s first residents were typical of the immigrant population moving into Jacksonville in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. This home was thoroughly renovated in 2014-2015 by TerraWise Homes, a builder of new, net-zero energy efficient homes.

THEN NOW

5

While likely constructed ca. 1926, there is no documented address for this building until 1928. And for the following three years, the building was recorded as vacant in Jacksonville City Directories. In 1932, at least a portion of the building housed the American Bakeries Cracker Department. The first long-standing occupant at 1334-1338 (previously 1534) Walnut Street was McPhail Chocolates, Inc., a candy and ice cream company run by Russell McPhail and his father, Martin.

The McPhails came to Jacksonville from Augusta, Georgia and first established their confectionary company on Challen Avenue, near Edgewood Avenue, in Riverside. They moved to this address in Springfield in 1932, and were known variously as Russell McPhail Ice Cream Company and McPhail Candies.

During the early through middle 1930s, this location was referred to as McPhail Sales Corporation, Ice Cream Division, and was apparently where they made all of their ice cream. In 1939, they stopped selling ice cream and sold the building on Walnut Street and several retail outlets around town to Leverette’s, another Jacksonville confectioner who made ice cream here for at least another year.

The McPhails moved their candy and chocolate-making operations to a building at the corner of 1st and Liberty Streets, in Springfield, only a few blocks away; they remained here through the middle 1940s. In 1945, they relocated their business to Oswego, New York. By this time, Russell McPhail’s candies and chocolates were sold nationwide. Russell remained a Jacksonville resident until his death in 1993. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery.

This building was later used for a broom factory, a store and a church.

In 2005, this building was purchased to become the home of Baker Klein Engineering. The floors, metal beams, and portions of the back brick wall are original to the building.

Renovation consisted of removing approximately five layers of old roofing membranes. The existing roof rafters had been cut in the center by the previous owner to add sky-lights. These rafters were no longer structurally sound and needed to be replaced. Several weeks after purchasing the building, the existing roof collapsed. The exterior stucco on the front wall needed to be replaced because portions had cracked and fallen off and were not consistent in texture. The exterior side walls had a combination of no siding, exposed clay block, and stucco. The rear exterior walls were a mixture of stucco, concrete masonry unit block (CMU) and brick. The existing front elevations were boarded up where storefront windows or bay doors were once located.

At the time of purchase, a few of the original front transom windows remained on the left and right portions of the front wall; these windows were in disrepair and needed to be replaced. Multiple materials had been used to enclose the front storefront windows and doors. When used as a church, the building had an open floor plan with pews and a pulpit.

Tamara Baker, Co-Owner of Baker Klein Engineering, says the company plans to remain in the neighborhood. “We enjoy the area and the friendliness of our neighbors. We have watched our business grow since relocating here and feel that the location is a contributing factor to our growth, with easy access to downtown and major thoroughfares. We are proud to be a part of the transition of the Historic Springfield area.”

THEN NOW

McPhail Ice Cream1334 Walnut Streetca. 1926

American Bakeries Cracker Dept. First Owner

Baker Klein Engineering Current Owner

This nearly 90-year-old commercial building on Walnut Street has had many uses during its long life. First housing cracker and ice cream manufacturing, it was later a tire warehouse, a broom factory, a retail store, and, more recently a church.

6

William Spivey Stetson (1844-1914) and his family were the first residents of this home. Between 1902 and 1904, Stetson (born and raised in Georgia and a Civil War veteran) relocated to Jacksonville from Punta Gorda, Florida with his wife, Martha Lela, and their seven children. When they first arrived, their adult daughters, Willye and Lizzie, worked as stenographers for an attorney and a real estate firm and boarded at 36 West 6th Street.

In 1906, the entire family, consisting of William and Lela; working daughters Maggie (an assistant bookkeeper at a hardware store), Willye, and Lizzie; youngest child, Leila (then age 8); and two young sons, Hammond and James Dudley, moved to 412 East 5th Street. During the family’s nearly-20-year stay here, William Stetson was a salesman and a partner with Frank H. Price in his grocery store on West Forsyth Street. He died in 1914, but his widow and several of their children continued to live here through 1924.

Around 1915, middle daughter, Willye Stetson, married George W. Kennedy, part-owner of Newsom-Kennedy Furniture Company. They lived at 1819 (now 1619) Walnut Street, just up the street from her family home. Their oldest son, Stetson Kennedy (1916-2011), was born here and became a world-renowned folklorist, investigative reporter, author, and civil rights activist. During a conversation about the neighborhood, he told Chris Farley that when he was very young he would ride his tricycle down Walnut Street, alone, to visit with his grandmother Stetson. Lela Stetson died in 1937 and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

When Laurie and Tony Jarvis bought their ca. 1906 Springfield home, it was in need of total rehabilitation. The home had been gutted and all that remained of the original interior was a grand staircase, fireplace, and some pine flooring in an upstairs closet.

Originally from Virginia and Maine, the Jarvises moved to Springfield from Avondale because historic homes were more affordable than other historic areas, and the neighborhood was so community-oriented. Purchasing the home in August 2014, the couple spent the first year making the home livable for their family of four, moving into it in July 2015. Nook by nook, room by room, and floor by floor, the home is transforming into the dream home that Laurie and Tony envisioned for raising their children. Approximately 70% complete, the interior finishing has resulted in large living spaces in an open floor plan and a kitchen that is truly a chef’s dream…quite apropos since Tony is the cook and owner of the Cool Moose Café in Riverside.

Visitors to this home will enjoy exploring the combination of old and new and seeing the home in its various stages of renovation. There are large finished rooms on the first floor, partially-furnished bedrooms on the second floor, and the openly insulated attic space that will eventually be a home office in the next few years. Laurie is especially fond of the stories that come with staircases, and the fact that this house had a salvageable staircase was a huge selling point for her and Tony.

The steady restoration of this home is a true act of love that includes painstaking restoration of the beautiful wraparound porch and retention of original features wherever possible. When asked about living in Springfield, Laurie said “Springfield is where my heart is and I love it here.”

The Stetson House412 E. Fifth Streetca. 1906

William Spivey Stetson First Owner

Laurie & Tony Jarvis Current Owners

From 1906 through 1924, this was the home of the mother and grandparents of Stetson Kennedy. Among his accomplishments: he infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and wrote several books exposing their racist practices.

THEN NOW

7

In the early 1920s, the Jacksonville Board of Public Instruction contracted with several local architectural firms to build new schools in various places across the city. Victor Earl Mark and Leeroy Sheftall designed Public School No. 24 in the Collegiate Gothic style. It was constructed in 1926 by H.S. Baird, on a 1.25 acre tract. In 1959, the school was renamed Corrine Scott Elementary School, for its principal from 1947-1960.

The school was determined to be obsolete in 1991, when the new Andrew Robinson Elementary School (on West 12th Street) was finished. The building stood vacant for several years, awaiting a new owner and purpose. The building changed hands several times in 1998, finally being purchased by J. Paul Shockey, Jr. As a partner in Venture Resources, he closed on the building in December 1998 and converted the old school into 15 unique apartments. Beginning in 2007, these units were sold to individuals as condominiums.

Corinne Scott Elementary School1951 Market Street, # 14ca. 1926

Jacksonville Board of Public Instruction First Owner

Anthony Anurca Current Owner

Florence Seymour’s fairytale murals hung in the cafetorium until 1992, when they were moved to Andrew Robinson Elementary School library.

THEN NOWFormerly half of a ‘cafetorium’ in an old school building, this loft-condominium is a space that immediately feels peaceful and welcoming. A charming courtyard entrance leads into a bi-level, open floor plan with a built-in stage for hosting concerts, which is an important feature for owner and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra bassoonist, Anthony Anurca.

Originally from Jacksonville Beach, Anthony’s niece led him to Springfield, where he spent years looking for just the right place to host friends, family and fellow muscians. In February this year, Anthony knew instantly this loft was the match for him.

Hosting up to 75 guests at a time, Anthony has created a performing venue that has excellent acoustics and seating on both levels of the loft. Large murals adorn two walls, showcasing the 20-foot, vaulted ceilings. A music lover, performer and Reiki practitioner, Anthony enjoys rose gardening on his terrace and thinking of new ways to improve this musician’s haven he calls “home.”

Strategy | Messaging | Public Relations | Writing | Content Marketing | rep-ink.com

duRing the home tour and beyond.

SpringfieldProud to suPPort

Holiday Home Tour

904.641.4343 | WatsonRealtyCorp.com

Historic Springfield

We sell more homes in Springfield than any other company!

Proud to help you make Springfield your home too.