• About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Ideas
Subscribe
The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Publix to anchor Crossings at Wildlight

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Beach Bowl making a comeback

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Rooms To Go coming to Town Center area

    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Concert venue, rooftop bar proposed downtown

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Margaritaville Hotel opens in Jax Beach

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Berkman Plaza II (finally) coming down for redevelopment

    New Renderings Show Bright Future for Laura Street Trio

    New Renderings Show Bright Future for Laura Street Trio

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

    Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

    Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

    Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

    Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

    Skinners' Dairy milk retail huts, Jacksonville, FL

    Remembering Hardwick & Lee’s Distinctive Skinners’ Dairy Huts

    VyStar Tower, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: VyStar Tower

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Jacksonville Public Library

    Story of a Building: Jacksonville Main Library

    Riverplace Tower, Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Riverplace Tower

  • Culture
    • All
    • Art
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Music
    • Shopping
    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

    Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

    ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Confederate monument removed in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Biggest Local Stories of 2020

    Jacksonville Zoo

    A Brief History of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

    MOSH Genesis rendering

    MOSH Releases Conceptual Renderings for Proposed Northbank Museum

  • Community
    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

    How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

    Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

    Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

    Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

    How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    COVID-19 Testing homeless population in Jacksonville, FL

    Entire Jacksonville Homeless Shelter Population Tests Negative for COVID-19

  • Food + Drink
    • All
    • Beer
    • Reviews
    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

    Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

    Norikase Jacksonville

    BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Palace Saloon, Fernandina Beach, FL

    Florida’s Oldest Bar, the Palace Saloon, Can Be Found on Amelia Island

    Farms in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Local Farms in Jacksonville

    The Volstead, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Volstead, Downtown Jacksonville’s Speakeasy

  • More
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Publix to anchor Crossings at Wildlight

    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Beach Bowl making a comeback

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Rooms To Go coming to Town Center area

    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Concert venue, rooftop bar proposed downtown

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Margaritaville Hotel opens in Jax Beach

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Berkman Plaza II (finally) coming down for redevelopment

    New Renderings Show Bright Future for Laura Street Trio

    New Renderings Show Bright Future for Laura Street Trio

  • History
    • All
    • Jax Evolved
    The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

    4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

    Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

    Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

    Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

    Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

    Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

    Skinners' Dairy milk retail huts, Jacksonville, FL

    Remembering Hardwick & Lee’s Distinctive Skinners’ Dairy Huts

    VyStar Tower, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: VyStar Tower

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Jacksonville Public Library

    Story of a Building: Jacksonville Main Library

    Riverplace Tower, Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Riverplace Tower

  • Culture
    • All
    • Art
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Music
    • Shopping
    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

    Art Notes - Jacksonville, FL

    ART NOTES: Jazz Discovery Series 2021 Kicks off Friday Night

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    “Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

    Joseph E. Lee Jacksonville's first black attorney

    Joseph E. Lee Was Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer – and He Didn’t Stop There

    Confederate monument removed in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Biggest Local Stories of 2020

    Jacksonville Zoo

    A Brief History of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

    MOSH Genesis rendering

    MOSH Releases Conceptual Renderings for Proposed Northbank Museum

  • Community
    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Partners with JAMS for 2021 MOO-VE IT 5K

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    Local Companies Anact, SurfearNEGRA Join Forces to Address Aquatic Inequality

    The Pitman Sisters, TikTok video stars from Jacksonville, FL

    How “The Pitman Sisters” Became TikTok Famous During COVID-19

    Local Women in Cannabis, Jacksonville, FL

    Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

    Urban Mining Jacksonville FL

    How Urban Mining Utilizes Donations to Provide Computers for Local Kids

    Cowford Chophouse Teams Up with Jacksonville Arts & Music School for 4th Annual MOO-VE IT 5K

    Cowford Chophouse Raises Over $18,000 for Jacksonville Arts & Music School

    COVID-19 Testing homeless population in Jacksonville, FL

    Entire Jacksonville Homeless Shelter Population Tests Negative for COVID-19

  • Food + Drink
    • All
    • Beer
    • Reviews
    Dochi, Jacksonville, FL

    Japanese Donut Pop-Up Shop Dochi Coming to Town Center

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Jax-Based SipClean Debuts New Canned, Non-Alcoholic Rosé

    Taverna Meals for Medical Workers Jacksonville Baptist Health

    Taverna Gives Back to First Responders with “Meals for Medical Workers”

    The Homestead Restaurant, Jacksonville Beach, FL

    Long Before Taco Lu, There Was The Homestead Restaurant

    Norikase Jacksonville

    BENTO Group to Debut Norikase Concept in Jacksonville

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Chef Tom Gray Introduces Line of Grocery Store Culinary Products

    Palace Saloon, Fernandina Beach, FL

    Florida’s Oldest Bar, the Palace Saloon, Can Be Found on Amelia Island

    Farms in Jacksonville, FL

    5 Great Local Farms in Jacksonville

    The Volstead, Jacksonville, FL

    HIDDEN GEMS: The Volstead, Downtown Jacksonville’s Speakeasy

  • More
    • Hidden Gems
    • Local Quirks
    • Lists
    • Sports
    • 904VIEWS
    • Seven Bridges
    • Music
No Result
View All Result
The Coastal
No Result
View All Result

Jax Evolved: Carnegie-Bedell Building

by The Coastal
September 2, 2016 - Updated on May 21, 2020
in Featured, History, Jax Evolved
Carnegie-Bedell Building in Jacksonville, FL
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1901, many of Jacksonville’s most important buildings were damaged or even destroyed.

One of the buildings ruined by the fire was the city’s library, which had first opened only a couple of decades earlier.

A local lawyer wrote to Andrew Carnegie, steel industry magnate and the father of the modern philanthropy movement, in an attempt to secure funds to have a new library built. Libraries were one of Carnegie’s favorite causes; over the course of his lifetime, he donated the funds for the construction of over 2,500 libraries across the globe.

Carnegie offered $50,000 of funding, with a few conditions. The city had to commit to supporting the library financially and had to find the property for it. He also required that the library be free and open to all city residents. This meant that in the days of segregation, black and white residents would be given equal access to the library.

That might sadly enough be part of why the public vote to approve the library passed only by the slimmest of margins.

Plans were set into motion to construct the two-story limestone building at the corner of Ocean and Adams streets. It was designed by Jacksonville architect Henry Klutho, who designed many prominent buildings in the aftermath of the Great Fire.

You MightAlso Like

The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

The library opened in the summer of 1905, with a collection of over 8,000 books. It became the first tax-supported library in the state of Florida.

The building became the centerpiece of the newly-formed Jacksonville Public Library system, which soon branched out across the city.

Eventually the building’s size became an issue as the city’s population expanded. In 1960, the city initiated plans to build a new Main Library building.

By 1965, the Haydon Burns Library building opened down the street at 122 N. Ocean Street. The Carnegie building was left behind.

In 1982, then-Mayor Jake Godbold announced that the building was up for sale, along with several other city-owned buildings. Bedell Law Firm bought the building for $314,000 to restore it and convert it to law offices.

It makes sense that Bedell would purchase the historic property. The firm itself has been around since 1865, earning it the title of “oldest law firm in Florida.”

The $1 million restoration effort was helmed by Jacksonville architect Ted Pappas. It took around three years to complete, and in January 1987 the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The Carnegie-Bedell building (now officially referred to as the Bedell Building) has served as the headquarters for the Bedell Law Firm ever since, providing continued life to a property with over 100 years of history.

Tags: burnscarnegiedowntownjacksonville public libraryjax evolvedlibrary
Share22TweetSendShareShare
Previous Post

These Proposed Projects Would Have Completely Changed Jacksonville

Next Post

Building Up Jax, 9/3: Village Commons and more

The Coastal

The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.

Related Posts

The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

Stanton High School Jacksonville FL

Remembering the Old Stanton Normal School

Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

Story of a Building: Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church

Levy's department store, Jacksonville, FL

Levy’s Department Store Once Dressed Jacksonville’s Elite

Skinners' Dairy milk retail huts, Jacksonville, FL

Remembering Hardwick & Lee’s Distinctive Skinners’ Dairy Huts

VyStar Tower, Jacksonville, FL

Story of a Building: VyStar Tower

Next Post
Village Commons, Jacksonville, FL

Building Up Jax, 9/3: Village Commons and more

Jaguars at training camp

Setting Realistic Expectations for the 2016 Jaguars Season

Job Interview Fashion and Grooming Tips for Guys

Looking Your Best for a Job Interview: Guys Edition

Comments 1

  1. Leslie says:
    2 years ago

    Does anyone recall a thick glass panel in the 2nd floor – wgere you could see the library first floor?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

LATEST POSTS

Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville
News

Dockless Mobility Program Brings E-Scooters to Downtown Jacksonville

If you’ve ever wanted to zip around downtown Jacksonville on an electric scooter, your dream has come true as of...

Read more
MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

MURAL SPOTLIGHT: Riverside Park Place by Jason Tetlak

Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

Building Up Jax: Publix to anchor Crossings at Wildlight

The Phoenix Bar & Bowling, Jacksonville, FL

4 Older Neighborhoods in Jax with Big Potential

“Jax River Jams” Concert Series Coming to Riverfront Plaza in April

Sugar Ray, Quad City DJ’s Highlight Jax River Jams Lineup

The Coastal

© 2015-2020 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.

Browse by Section

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Submit Story Ideas

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Development
  • Culture
  • History
    • Jax Evolved
  • In the Community
  • Food + Drink
  • Sports
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Submit Your Story
    • Advertise

© 2015-2020 Cowford Media / The Coastal Jacksonville LLC. All rights reserved.