JAX EVOLVED: The Levy Building

Located at the corner of Adams and Hogan streets in downtown Jacksonville, the historic Levy Building currently houses two local law firms, a dentistry practice, and an eye care center.

But back in the day, it was home to one of downtown Jax’s most prestigious department stores.

The Levy Building was built in 1927, with its beautiful Chicago school-style frame being designed by noted local architects Marsh and Saxelbye. It was built to host Levy’s Department Store, a department store founded in the 1910s that was known for carrying stylish, upscale apparel.

Levy’s took up all four floors of the building, carrying jewelry, accessories, and men’s and women’s clothing. It hosted Jacksonville’s elite shoppers, who trusted Levy’s to help curate their expensive wardrobes.

It operated alongside a large collection of department stores in downtown Jacksonville in the mid-1900s. May-Cohen’s, Rosenblums, Kress, Furchgott’s, and more could be found within just a few blocks of Levy’s.

Levy’s would later rebrand itself as Levy-Wolf in honor of a key executive. But by the time that rebranding occurred, the mass exodus of department stores from downtown Jax to suburban malls had begun. This led to reduced foot traffic downtown, which would eventually spell the end for Levy-Wolf.

The store closed its doors permanently in 1984. A year later, the building was reconfigured into office space.

One of the main tenants of the new office space was Saxelbye Architects, a spinoff of the same Marsh and Saxelbye that designed the building back in the ‘20s. During their tenure, the building took on the title of the Saxelbye Building.

In 2000, the local law firm Cole, Stone, Stoudemire, Morgan & Dore purchased the building and took over much of its office space. Other tenants at the time included an engineering firm and a dentist who is now part of the practice that currently occupies the building.

Another local law firm, Boyd & Jenerette, moved into the building in the mid-2000s. By 2008, Cole Stone and Boyd & Jenerette had reached an agreement to merge into one firm. The firms combined under the Boyd & Jenerette name and occupied two floors of the Levy Building.

In 2015, Jax Vision Care opened a location on the ground floor of the building.

Today, Boyd & Jenerette occupies the top three floors of the Levy Building. Jax Vision Care, law firm Plata Schott, and cosmetic dentistry practice Edwards & Cavendish PA share the building’s ground floor.

A placard denoting the building’s name and its date of construction can be seen on the corner of the building facing Adams and Hogan.

With several active tenants and a well-maintained façade, the Levy Building looks to be yet another historic downtown property that will live on for the foreseeable future.