During the early 1900s, few Jacksonville architecture firms were in higher demand than Marsh & Saxelbye.
The creative team of William M. Marsh, a Jax native, and Harold F. Saxelbye, a native of England who also worked in New York, designed a massive collection of buildings throughout Jacksonville over a span of more than twenty years. In some sense, they inherited the throne of great local architecture from Henry J. Klutho.
Their work was featured in both the urban core and the city’s suburbs, which at the time were mostly separate municipalities. They were critical in defining the residential styles of Riverside, Avondale, San Jose, and more. Many of their buildings still stand today, though some have evolved past their original purpose. Over three dozen Marsh & Saxelbye designs are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There’s a good chance you’ve admired a Marsh & Saxelbye-designed building before without even realizing it. To highlight and honor their work, we’ve compiled a small collection of the best buildings designed by the firm – all of one of which are still standing.
MOCA Jacksonville’s building at 333 N. Laura Street was originally built between 1930 and 1931 for Western Union Telegraph Co. The Art Deco-style design was helmed by Marsh & Saxelbye.
The five-story building included a basement and several ground-floor retail units. One of those units was later home to the renowned La Rose Footwear shop.
When Western Union vacated the building, it was rebranded as The Galleria. In the 1970s, the University of North Florida began renting space on the building’s top floor; the school left after just under a decade.
The building entered a period of decline until the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art purchased it in 1999 and began renovations to make it the museum’s new home. The museum, which later rebranded as the Museum of Contemporary Art, opened in 2003.
Today, the museum continues to operate from its Marsh & Saxelbye-designed building.
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