What if Jacksonville Suddenly Woke Up?

Some say, Jacksonville is a diamond that wants to remain coal. What would it be like if Jacksonville were a city that didn't have such apathy for itself... led by people who acknowledged its achievements?

Published April 11, 2016 in Opinion - MetroJacksonville.com

Here are a few things that possibly would have happened in New York, Rome, London Paris, Seattle, or San Francisco if the leaders that made them into Great Cities had been given our city and history.

The George Washington Hotel on Adams Street, would be the premier boutique hotel in downtown, instead of the surface parking lot it is today.

There would be a giant statue of Don Estridge, the creator of the IBM personal computer and the father of the idea of Open Source code. His product literally changed the planet in profound ways, he was a Jacksonville Native and a graduate of Bishop Kenny. There would be high schools and programs named after him. Every schoolchild in Jacksonville would know his name.

There would be a massive scholarship for theoretical physics and Science named after Jacksonville's son, John Archibald Wheeler, the physicist who coined the term 'Black Hole" and Worm Hole" and who guided an entire generation of some of the most brilliant minds in physics that America has ever known. There would be an institute named after him, and a wing of a local university.

The Southern Music Hall of Fame would be open and full to capacity somewhere in downtown. Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers would have exhibits there and all the music aficionados would know a history of the Southern music and the Jacksonville music scene.

A statue of Ray Charles would stand in the perfectly preserved and popular bar where he first played soul piano and blues in the South.

There would be another museum of Black Film commemorating the achievements of black filmmakers here in Jacksonville.

Peterbrookes, The Loop Pizza and Firehouse Subs would all have gigantic headquarters in the center of town that rivaled the marooned Cruise Ship of a Building that Preston Haskell's company erected to itself on Riverside Avenue. There would be standing lines for tours of Sally Industries.

Al Letson would have his own broadcast show and Jake Godbold would have a cookbook.

Ray Mason would have an Institute where international finance and Arabic trade principles were taught, studied and debated. People would know who Raymond Mason was, and have no fucking clue who Ed Ball was.

When the Jacksonville Film Festival opened every year, Wakefield Poole and Chad Hendricks would be the Emcees and Rita Manyette would be the Gala Hostess.

Mandarin would have a trolley tour of the famous writers who lived there over the past century. And even white people would know that Zora Neal Hurston lived here.

People would know who Zora Neal Hurston was.

There would be tours of the old city monuments as well as rubbings over the gravestones at the Confederate Graveyard in the Old City Cemetery.

Maxwell House coffee quality control during the 1950s.

People would be patriotic about Maxwell House. It would have a string of successful cafes all over town.

Jacksonville Tars and the Negro League’s Jacksonville Redcap’s throwback jerseys, would be available at any given local sporting goods store.

Matt Carlucci and then Audrey Moran would have been Mayor and John Peyton would be president of the Chamber of Commerce. Alvin Brown would be in Congress.

There would be a Maritime Museum on the riverfront celebrating the many nautical elements of Jacksonville's History.

Old Stanton would be a Music Conservatory which offered a scholarship in the name of James Weldon Johnson the monumental writer of "Lift every Voice and Sing" . The River City Band would be housed there.

The Jewish Center and graveyard would have signs on the bridges and highways to point out the gigantic and culturing effect that Jewish people had on Jacksonville, an unexpectedly tolerant and welcoming home in a time and country that met them everywhere else with fear and loathing.

Brochures would direct people to the bohemian district in Five Points, the Gay Mecca in Riverside and the real cracker cooking in the nationally rated southern restaurants of the Northside.

Noel Freidline would be a rich man with a big Jazz Club that he owned somewhere on the Riverwalk.

Marabanong would be a famously discussed historical feature on the Jacksonville tour. People would know that Eliza Souvielle and Grace Trout lived there.

People would know who Eliza Souvielle and Grace Trout were.

Someone would have said "Thanks" to John Currington for resurrecting San Marco.

Or Lex Hester.

There would be a monument and perhaps a college marking the Landing of Protestant French Huguenots, and you could buy well-researched books about their history here.

There would be reenactments of pirate clipper attacks on the Ortega River, and the locals would brag about which French or English pirate they were descended from.

Billie Holiday performing in Downbeat, New York, NY, ca. February 1947

The Great Black Way would have curio shops and little plastic bubbles with glitter in them swirling round Duke Ellington and Billy Holiday performing at the Ritz, and Klutho's Balustrade would be lit at night so that lovers could walk past the moonlit canal along Hogan's Creek.

There would be bronze statues of the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bill Pickett (the famous black cowboy from Norman Studios in Arlington), Tom Mix and Oliver Hardy (of Laurel and Hardy) on the Riverwalk instead of the goofy jogger?

There would be a big Barbeque festival on Main Street every year and people would come from miles around to check out a hundred million recipes for ribs and collard greens.

It would create an interesting and colorful course that teaches our history and the cities issues and require that it be taught to all 7th graders.

The architecture wouldn’t have to be studied from old postcards and books with crossed out black and white photos with the word "demolished" stamped across them.

Foot traffic on Main was common in 1941

The urban population would have increased faster adding to the corporate scrapers due to the less restrictive city policy and would make Jacksonville the premier city in Florida if not the southeast.

The sports venues would have been built into the urban fabric allowing neighboring establishments to feed off of the activity.

We would have an iconic courthouse and a bustling government district.

The surrounding neighborhoods would all be connected to the core via a comprehensive network of commuter, light rail or skyway lines.

Visitors to the city would have a multitude of way finding signs leading to attractions, parking, and districts.

Tourist visiting the area wouldn't leave town without making a trip over to the energetic and cultural diverse Jacksonville Farmer's Market District, which connects downtown with historic Durkeeville.

There would be a permanent exhibit of Joe La Rose's shoes at the City hall or perhaps the LaVilla School of the Arts and students would host John Fluevog competitions for shoe design every year.

Downtown would be full of Paparazzi following the exploits of Jacksonville's unbelievably accomplished Spoken Word Royalty.

Al Letson, Liz Straight, David Pugh Allan Justiss, Jon Reich, Valerie Anthony, Christina Wagner, Lee Harvey, and Tyler Shields would be household names. The Mayor would know them all, and they would be able to make a living with speaking engagements.

But we don't have those things.

They are too 'low class', too 'black' and too 'southern'.

Instead we have consultants telling us how to appear more like Indianapolis or Louisville.

If we wanted to be Indianapolis or some other place...

But we don't have a "Jacksonville".

Editorial by Stephen Dare

This article can be found at: http://dev.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-jul-what-if-jacksonville-suddenly-woke-up