Hemming Plaza
Encyclopedia
Hemming Plaza is a 1.54 acres (6,232.2 m²) public park, located in the heart of the government center in downtown Jacksonville, Florida
. It originally served as a village green
, was the first and is the oldest park in the city.
The area was established as a public square in 1857 by Isaiah Hart
, founder of Jacksonville. After Hart's death in 1861 and the end of the Civil War
, the Hart family deeded the land to the city for $10. It was first known as “City Park”, then “St. James Park” after the grand St. James Hotel
was constructed across the street in 1869. The following year, another major hotel was built across from the park.
The area was renamed Hemming Park in 1899 in honor of Civil War veteran Charles C. Hemming, who placed a 62 feet (18.9 m) tall Confederate monument in the park in 1898. Hemming was born in Jacksonville and made his fortune in Colorado Banking. The memorial is the oldest in the city and was the tallest at the time.
During years past, the park contained bandstands, fountains, comfort stations and buildings for the Tourist & Convention Bureau. Presidents, political candidates and visiting dignitaries have greeted citizens at this central site. During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy
and Richard Nixon
both gave speeches at Hemming Park a few hours apart on October 18. President Lyndon Johnson also delivered a speech in Hemming Park on October 26, 1964.
The Great Fire of 1901
destroyed most of the wooden structures in Jacksonville and many others, too. The St. James Hotel burned to the ground and the owner did not have the cash to rebuild. In 1910, Jacob and Morris Cohen, who owned a local dry goods company, engaged 34-year old architect, Henry John Klutho
to fast track design and manage the construction of a four-story building to house their store. The name "St. James Building" stuck to the property and the building.
, Furchgott's, Ivey's and a two-story Woolworth
's.
demonstrations in the 1960s. Black Sit-in
s began on August 13, 1960 when students asked to be served at the segregated lunch counter at Woolworths
, Morrison's Cafeteria
and other eateries. They were denied service and frequently kicked, spit at and addressed with racial slurs. This pattern continued for two weeks, until the 27th, a day now referred to as Ax Handle Saturday. On that day, a group of 200 middle-aged and elderly white men, including some members of the Ku Klux Klan
, gathered in Hemming Park armed with axe handles and baseball bats, and attacked the protesters. A group of older black youth who were called the "Boomerangs" attempted to protect the demonstrators.
Police, who had not intervened when the protesters were attacked, now became involved, arresting members of the Boomerangs and other black residents who attempted to stop the beatings.
, and end urban blight. They hired RTKL Associates Inc., planning consultants from Baltimore
, Maryland to study Jacksonville's situation. Their recommendations were incorporated into the 1971 Downtown Master Plan, using the idea of creating a Pedestrian mall
surrounded by a transportation loop and abundant free parking. Another plan component was a group of elevated walkways that would permit shoppers to avoid traffic while moving from the retail core to the riverfront, which would contain a park, convention center including hotel, an exhibition center, Sears Department Store, and a high-rise containing financial offices. The plan was supposed to be completed within 20 years, but many components were never implemented.
The second phase was budgeted at $2.2 million, but was delayed in 1979. The money was instead used to construct a University Boulevard overpass of the rail yard adjacent to Philips Highway. Money was again budgeted in 1981, but was used instead to widen 103rd Street. In 1984, the project began, and lasted over two years. The big retailers had already built new stores at the malls to meet demand and the last three major stores closed their downtown locations. The empty storefronts attracted only the homeless and the 1971 master plan became irrelevant.
, which broke ground in 2000 and opened in 2003, across from the Plaza. Over $162 million was invested by the city in the buildings surrounding Hemming Plaza, including:
In 2003, a farmers’ market opened at the Plaza on Fridays from 10am-2pm, year-round.
A life-size cast bronze statue of the late U.S. Rep. Charles Edward Bennett
, who served Northeast Florida in Congress for 44 years, was installed on a granite base in Hemming Plaza on April 23, 2004.
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. It originally served as a village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
, was the first and is the oldest park in the city.
Beginnings
Isaiah Hart
Isaiah David Hart was an American plantation owner and the founder of Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Georgia, he began setting out the plans for the town in 1822 after moving to the area named Cowford. The Isaiah D. Hart Bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville is named after...
, founder of Jacksonville. After Hart's death in 1861 and the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Hart family deeded the land to the city for $10. It was first known as “City Park”, then “St. James Park” after the grand St. James Hotel
St. James Building
The St. James Building is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, currently housing Jacksonville City Hall. It was designed by architect Henry John Klutho and opened in 1912...
was constructed across the street in 1869. The following year, another major hotel was built across from the park.
The area was renamed Hemming Park in 1899 in honor of Civil War veteran Charles C. Hemming, who placed a 62 feet (18.9 m) tall Confederate monument in the park in 1898. Hemming was born in Jacksonville and made his fortune in Colorado Banking. The memorial is the oldest in the city and was the tallest at the time.
During years past, the park contained bandstands, fountains, comfort stations and buildings for the Tourist & Convention Bureau. Presidents, political candidates and visiting dignitaries have greeted citizens at this central site. During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
both gave speeches at Hemming Park a few hours apart on October 18. President Lyndon Johnson also delivered a speech in Hemming Park on October 26, 1964.
The Great Fire of 1901
Great Fire of 1901
The Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, Florida was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the largest urban fire in the Southeast. It was similar in scale and destruction to the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.-Origin:...
destroyed most of the wooden structures in Jacksonville and many others, too. The St. James Hotel burned to the ground and the owner did not have the cash to rebuild. In 1910, Jacob and Morris Cohen, who owned a local dry goods company, engaged 34-year old architect, Henry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho was an American architect of the "Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast—by designing many of the new buildings built after the disaster. This period lasted until...
to fast track design and manage the construction of a four-story building to house their store. The name "St. James Building" stuck to the property and the building.
Boom
Over the years, other major stores opened in the downtown area, including J. C. PenneyJ. C. Penney
-External links:*...
, Furchgott's, Ivey's and a two-story Woolworth
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
's.
Civil rights protests
Because of its high visibility and patronage, the park and surrounding stores were the site of numerous Civil rightsCivil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
demonstrations in the 1960s. Black Sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
s began on August 13, 1960 when students asked to be served at the segregated lunch counter at Woolworths
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
, Morrison's Cafeteria
Morrison's Cafeteria
Morrison's Cafeterias was a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants, located in the Southeastern United States with a concentration of locations in Georgia and Florida. Generally found in shopping malls, Morrison's primary competition was Piccadilly Cafeterias. It was particularly popular in Florida,...
and other eateries. They were denied service and frequently kicked, spit at and addressed with racial slurs. This pattern continued for two weeks, until the 27th, a day now referred to as Ax Handle Saturday. On that day, a group of 200 middle-aged and elderly white men, including some members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, gathered in Hemming Park armed with axe handles and baseball bats, and attacked the protesters. A group of older black youth who were called the "Boomerangs" attempted to protect the demonstrators.
Police, who had not intervened when the protesters were attacked, now became involved, arresting members of the Boomerangs and other black residents who attempted to stop the beatings.
Master Plan
The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) was created in 1970 to reverse white flightWhite flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
, and end urban blight. They hired RTKL Associates Inc., planning consultants from Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland to study Jacksonville's situation. Their recommendations were incorporated into the 1971 Downtown Master Plan, using the idea of creating a Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls in the United States are also known as pedestrian streets and are the most common form of pedestrian zone in large cities in the United States. It is a street lined with storefronts and closed off to most automobile traffic...
surrounded by a transportation loop and abundant free parking. Another plan component was a group of elevated walkways that would permit shoppers to avoid traffic while moving from the retail core to the riverfront, which would contain a park, convention center including hotel, an exhibition center, Sears Department Store, and a high-rise containing financial offices. The plan was supposed to be completed within 20 years, but many components were never implemented.
Bust
By the mid-1970s, the image had changed. The downtown had been invaded by thousands of starlings, and the shade trees had been removed in an attempt to drive the invaders from the park. The City renovated the park in 1977 at a cost of $648,000, converting it into a concrete/brick-paved square and changing the name to Hemming Plaza.The second phase was budgeted at $2.2 million, but was delayed in 1979. The money was instead used to construct a University Boulevard overpass of the rail yard adjacent to Philips Highway. Money was again budgeted in 1981, but was used instead to widen 103rd Street. In 1984, the project began, and lasted over two years. The big retailers had already built new stores at the malls to meet demand and the last three major stores closed their downtown locations. The empty storefronts attracted only the homeless and the 1971 master plan became irrelevant.
Rebuilding
The Federal Government spent $84 million for the John Milton Bryan Simpson United States CourthouseJohn Milton Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse
The Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse is a courthouse and U.S. federal government facility in Jacksonville, Florida. It houses:*The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, and corresponding offices of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the...
, which broke ground in 2000 and opened in 2003, across from the Plaza. Over $162 million was invested by the city in the buildings surrounding Hemming Plaza, including:
- St. James Building: $24 million renovation for a new City Hall
- New Downtown Library & parking garage: $100 million
- Ed Ball Building: $25 million renovation for city government office building
- Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art: $1.5 million for renovation
- Haverty's Building: $10 million renovation for a new City Hall Annex
- Snyder Memorial Church Building: $1.3 million for renovation
Current use
The area is now heavily treed.In 2003, a farmers’ market opened at the Plaza on Fridays from 10am-2pm, year-round.
A life-size cast bronze statue of the late U.S. Rep. Charles Edward Bennett
Charles Edward Bennett
Charles Edward Bennett was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1949 to 1993. He was a Democrat who resided in Jacksonville, Florida.-Early years:...
, who served Northeast Florida in Congress for 44 years, was installed on a granite base in Hemming Plaza on April 23, 2004.