The Department Stores of Downtown Jacksonville’s Past

There was once a time when downtown Jacksonville was considered a premier shopping destination. Small shops and massive department stores lined its streets, often flanked by theatres or restaurants. Shoppers routinely walked from store to store and through Hemming Park, which served as somewhat of a center court for all of the activity.

Those days are long gone at this point, unfortunately, with many of the buildings that housed those stores having been demolished years ago. But many of the city’s longtime residents have fond memories of shopping downtown as children, before the days of shopping malls and suburban sprawl.

We’ve highlighted several of the grand department stores from downtown Jacksonville’s shopping era below, as a way of reminding present-day Jax residents how active downtown once was – and why we should fight to make it a hub of activity once again.

FURCHGOTT’S

Launched by Leopold Furchgott and Charles Benedict, Furchgott’s first opened in downtown Jacksonville in 1869, making it the oldest of the downtown department stores.

Its original location burned down during the Great Fire of 1901, but a new, four-story building popped up shortly after along Main Street between Bay and Forsyth. The Furchgott’s name quickly became synonymous with luxury, as the retailer grew a reputation for its designer brands.

Furchgott’s sold clothing for men, women, and children, along with jewelry, cosmetics, linens, silverware, and more.

In 1941, Furchgott’s debuted a grand new building at the corner of Adams and Hogan streets – across from Levy’s, another high-end retailer. The new five-story, 70,000-square-foot building featured four floors of departments, top-floor office space, and a basement. It also had a candy counter on its ground floor.

As suburban malls began to rise in popularity, Furchgott’s branched out into other locations, which marked the beginning of the end for the downtown store. Ultimately, the chain ended up folding in the mid-‘80s, and its downtown store closed permanently.

Its former building has since been used as office space, a fitness center, and even a ‘90s-era punk rock club. It is currently home to Da Real Ting.

(An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to a merger between Furchgott’s and Stein Mart. A merger was discussed but ultimately fell through.)

LEVY’S

The upscale Levy’s department store, founded by Benjamin Levy, opened in the late 1920s at the corner of Adams and Hogan streets. Its four-story building was designed by local architecture firm Marsh & Saxelbye.

Levy’s, like Furchgott’s, was known for its high-end apparel and was frequented by the city’s elites. The store took up all four floors, selling men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories.

A vertical marquee sign that read “Levy’s” faced the intersection. The store would later rebrand as Levy-Wolf’s to honor a long-time executive.

It closed its doors permanently in 1984; its building has since been converted into office space.

COHEN BROTHERS / MAY COHENS

The most famous of downtown Jax’s former department stores was the grand Cohen Brothers store next to Hemming Park.

The store, founded by Jacob and Morris Cohen, opened in 1912. Its four-story building was designed by Henry J. Klutho and featured three floors of departments along with top-floor office space and a grand glass dome as its centerpiece. On the ground floor, other small shops lined the street.

The glass dome was removed during a later remodel, against the wishes of Klutho.

The store was a huge success for decades, prompting May Department Stores to purchase it in 1958. The store was rebranded as May Cohens.

Under the leadership of May Department Stores, the May Cohens brand expanded into suburban malls. The move to suburbia, combined with decreasing foot traffic downtown, led to the store’s closure in 1987.

Its building was renovated in the ‘90s and now serves as City Hall. May Cohens went on to be acquired by Macy’s.

IVEY’S

Founded in 1900 in Charlotte by Joseph B. Ivey, the Ivey’s department store chain made its way to downtown Jacksonville in 1962. It opened that year in a new, six-story building at Laura and Church streets; it was built in conjunction with a high-rise office building next door.

Ivey’s featured five floors of departments with a top floor dedicated to warehouse space. It also had a restaurant and a prayer room inside its unique building, which featured surprisingly few windows.

Ivey’s met its fate around the same time as the other downtown department stores, closing in 1985. The chain was later purchased by, and merged into, Dillard’s.

Its former building now serves as JEA’s customer center.

J.C. PENNEY

J.C. Penney held a certain affinity for Northeast Florida, having developed the town of Penney Farms in the late 1920s. So it’s no surprise that he opened one of his department stores in downtown Jax.

J.C. Penney first opened in 1933 at the corner of Main and Bay streets. It operated from this location for just over two decades before it moved into a new building, right next to Hemming Park.

Penney was joined in the new building by five-and-dime store F.W. Woolworth Co., with both opening their doors in 1955. Despite the shared space, J.C. Penney still had around 100,000 square feet to work with.

The building was home to Ax Handle Saturday, a major race riot in which Black sit-in protestors were violently attacked by a white mob at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. Penney was mostly unaffected by the incident.

The store closed in the mid-1980s due to the decline of foot traffic downtown, as well as the chain’s expansion into suburbia. Its building was later demolished to make room for a new federal courthouse.

SEARS

Sears opened its first Jacksonville location near Bay and Pearl streets in the summer of 1959. Its five-story building featured over 250,000 square feet of space and was adjacent to a sprawling parking lot.

The store became known for its gigantic auto department; at the time, it had the largest auto department of any Sears location, earning it the nickname “The Cadillac Store.”

Sears would soon expand its local presence, opening a Northside distribution center in the ‘70s.

The downtown Sears store met its end in 1981, when the company relocated to a newly-built wing of Regency Square Mall. Its building was torn down shortly afterward.