The remains of Jax's ragtime, blues and jazz age

Modern Cities takes a look at the remains of the South's most overlooked substantial African-American entertainment district during the formative years of ragtime, blues and jazz in the early 20th century.

Central Hotel

605 North Broad Street opened as the Central Hotel in 1912. One block north of Ashley Street, for many years it was a social landmark in LaVilla. In 1935, the Jacksonville Negro Welfare League occupied one of its storefronts at 704 Broad Street. In 1947, the Jacksonville Negro Welfare League merged with a new Jacksonville branch of the National Urban League, officially becoming the Jacksonville Urban League.

Original floor plan of the Central Hotel. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Waldorf Vandoria Cafeteria was located inside of the New Center Hotel storefront on the northwest corner of Broad and Beaver Streets.

Inside the Waldorf Vandoria Cafeteria. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office

Inside the Waldorf Vandoria Cafeteria. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office

Inside the Waldorf Vandoria Cafeteria. Courtesy of the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Office