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The Coastal
  • Development
    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: South Moon Under coming to SJTC

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop coming to Mandarin

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Scramblers coming to Deerwood, Lakewood

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Gucci to SJTC; Taverna debuting new concept

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Dolly Llama to PVB; Lowe’s, Wawa to CR-210

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Vestcor planning Lofts at San Marco East

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Rockler Woodworking coming to SJTC

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Sportsman’s Warehouse coming to River City Marketplace

    Building Up Jax - Jacksonville Construction and Development Updates Each Saturday

    Building Up Jax: Tesla expanding its local presence

  • History
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    • Jax Evolved
    Florida Times-Union building

    Story of a Building: The Florida Times-Union Building

    Edgewood Bakery

    Remembering Edgewood Bakery: Once a Murray Hill Staple, Now an Empty Building

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    Before Normandy Mall, There Was the Loew’s Normandy Drive-In Theatre

    Green Turtle Restaurant in Jacksonville, fl

    Remembering Joe Adeeb’s Green Turtle Restaurant

    San Marco Theater, San Marco, Jacksonville, FL

    Story of a Building: San Marco Theatre

    Sun-Ray Cinema building Five Points Jacksonville FL

    Story of a Building: Sun-Ray Cinema Building

  • Jax Evolved
    VyStar at 100 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: VyStar Reinvigorates the Former Life of the South Building

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    JAX EVOLVED: San Marco Preservation Society Now Occupies South Jacksonville City Hall

    Old St. Luke's Hospital jacksonville fl

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Luke’s Hospital Building Now Houses Jacksonville Historical Society

    Paul Davis Restoration, formerly Chevrolet Parts Depot, Springfield, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Paul Davis Restoration Gives Life to Old Chevrolet Parts Depot

    Old St. Andrew's Church building, Jacksonville, FL

    JAX EVOLVED: Old St. Andrew’s Church Building

    Novel Coworking / Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building, 25 N. Market Street, Jacksonville, FL - Image copyright 2020 Google

    JAX EVOLVED: Groover-Stewart Drug Company Building Now Houses Novel Coworking

    Dyal-Upchurch Building, Jacksonville, FL

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    JAX EVOLVED: The Barnett’s Long Journey to Redevelopment

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    JAX EVOLVED: From Brewster Hospital to North Florida Land Trust

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Remembering Downtown Jacksonville’s Streetcar Era

by The Coastal
January 14, 2020
in History
Remembering Downtown Jacksonville’s Streetcar Era

Photo via Florida State Archives

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Before buses, and long before the Skyway, streetcars were the heart of public transit in Jacksonville’s urban core.

The very first streetcar line in Jacksonville began service in the mid-1880s, running up and down Main Street from downtown to Springfield. It was originally “powered” by mules that would pull the cars, but as the system was expanded, it became primarily electric-based.

Several different streetcar companies emerged around the turn of the 20th century, resulting in a streetcar system that ran through downtown into several different suburbs, stretching out as far as Ortega to the west, San Jose to the south, and Panama Park to the north.

By the early 1910s, those various companies had merged into one behemoth, Jacksonville Traction Company, creating a massive network that spanned miles across the urban core and into suburban communities. It was the most extensive streetcar grid in the state. Streetcar travel was the most convenient way to get around the city, and the city’s streetcar system served millions of passengers. Many neighborhoods and commercial corridors were developed around streetcar lines and stations.

Photo via Florida State Archives

By the ‘30s, however, the popularity of the streetcar was beginning to wane – both in Jax and nationwide. Bus and car travel took over, with both options usually being cheaper for commuters. And as the city expanded outward, it became less practical to keep extending streetcar lines rather than utilizing buses. Portions of the system were gradually shut down, and cars were decommissioned, until just a few remained in operation.

In 1936, Jacksonville Traction Company ended its streetcar operations. The company was purchased by National City Lines, a conglomeration of oil and auto companies led by General Motors, which bought up many other streetcar systems nationwide to utilize them for assets. Streets were gradually paved over, concealing the rail lines that once ran through major roadways.

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In recent years, streetcars have seen a bit of a comeback in North America. Cities that kept their original systems, such as Boston and New Orleans, have restored and expanded them. Others that didn’t have a streetcar system, like Tucson and Detroit, have added them.

It seems unlikely that streetcars will ever return to Jax; JTA is instead working on an autonomic system that may very well accomplish the same purpose that a streetcar system would serve.

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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.

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Comments 1

  1. Robert W. Mann says:
    3 years ago

    When JTA decided we must have “The trains of the future” and build Monorails I teamed up with the late George Harmon, editor of the Jacksonville Journal to label it a very bad idea. In fact we were well along in developing the concept of Rapid-Streetcar, using historic equipment with a starter line that would have connected the stadium district with Park and King in Riverside. We were told to sit down and shut up, The Skyway would be free!

    Unfortunately JTA has misled the entire City into believing it U2C is the mass transit of the future. Truth be told the tiny AV’s were created to offer that first and last mile. Imagine St. Augustine to the Duval County Courthouse, racing north either by train or bus to the JRTC. Once here a cross platform change to the U2C AV, quickly a 10mph, 8 seat AV provides a tiny magic carpet at your command.

    Once again JTA has taken a great idea and charged right off a cliff with it. To think that supposed transit professionals can’t honestly separate a 75 mph, 180 passenger Commuter Train; a 45 mph, 100 passenger Monorail; From a 10mph, 8 passenger Clown-Car. The ‘fact’ that JTA can’t revive, reequip and expand the Skyway is simply a lie. Dozens of companies build expandable Monorails, but JTA hasn’t even made a effort

    Imagine the connectivity, U2C AV’s running to and from The First Coast Flyers connecting streetcars in the Historic Districts medians every 10 minutes to City Buses; a completed Monorail System reaching UF Hospital, San Marco, water taxis; Virgin Trains/Brightline to Bartram Park, St Augustine, Miami; Amtrak to New York, DC, Tampa, Orlando; Greyhound, Red Coach, Mega-Bus, La Cubana, Trailways etc…

    Reply

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