September 15, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, The Jaxson and Modern Cities highlight a bit of forgotten early 20th century Cuban cigar manufacturing history in Jacksonville.
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September 8, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Can you guess what were Florida's top ten largest cities in 1920? Take a look, the list may surprise you.
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August 28, 2020 | Jacksonville Planning and Development Department Historic Preservation Office
In honor of the contributions and sacrifices that the Pearson family has made in the effort to make Jacksonville a more inclusive and equitable environment for all, the Jacksonville Historic...
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August 27, 2020 | Bill Delaney
On August 27, 1960, a Life Magazine photographer captured Charlie Griffin in the aftermath of the racist attack now known as Ax Handle Saturday. Published at a time when the...
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July 30, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Jacksonville and much of Florida owes a lot of gratitude to this railroad tycoon, whose 19th century infrastructure investments have paved the way for a 21st century Florida.
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July 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the 2020 edition of Florida’s 11 to Save List. The list spotlights the most threatened historic properties in the state, and drives...
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July 15, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Ever wonder why our cities look the way they do? This brief educational comedy video by Adam Ruins Everything highlights racial discriminatory housing policies from the Jim Crow era still...
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July 9, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at six sites in Jacksonville connected to the women's suffrage movement that are worthy of more exploration, preservation and inclusive storytelling.
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July 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at eight Chitlin Circuit venues standing throughout the state of Florida.
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June 30, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Florida's LGBTQ history begins thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Before colonization, most Native American societies in North America had gender roles for people of a mixed or third gender...
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June 2, 2020 | Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP
The protests and riots taking place across the country following the murder of George Floyd are nothing new. Neither is the simple request by people of color to be treated...
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May 28, 2020 | Abandoned Florida
Abandoned Florida takes a look inside of Downtown Miami's former Burdines flagship department store.
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May 25, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hamburger Month, Modern Cities and the Jaxson take a look back at a long lost Mid-Century Jacksonville institution: Milligan's Beefy Burgers
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April 21, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, spent her winters in what is now Jacksonville from 1867 to 1884. From her cottage in the town of...
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April 14, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Wherever slavery has existed, the enslaved have endeavored to escape to freedom. Under Spanish rule, Florida was a destination for freedom seekers escaping plantations in Georgia, the Carolinas and Alabama...
Read moreApril 7, 2020 | Bill Delaney
Bubbling up just off a busy Altamonte Springs road is one of Central Florida's most unique but least known natural treasures. Named for the soft drink made from its waters...
March 31, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
For the last day of Women's History Month, we pay homage to the contributions of 14 exceptional women in history with Jacksonville ties.
March 30, 2020 | Bill Delaney
In summer 1888, an invisible killer stalked the streets of Jacksonville. “Yellow Jack” took hundreds of lives, forced the city into lockdown, and toppled a progressive, biracial city government. The...
March 23, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A look at the overlooked architectural works of Joseph Haygood Blodgett. One of Jacksonville's early architects and Florida's first black millionaires.
March 9, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Before chains like Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods dominated the grocery business, these names once anchored shopping centers and street corners throughout our cities.
March 4, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities highlights the history of Murray Hill. The presentation by Ennis Davis, AICP took place on March 3, 2020 in coordination with the Murray Hill Preservation Association and American...
March 2, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of Women's History Month, let’s reflect upon the lives of unsung African-American women who helped build Jacksonville.
February 27, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In 1950, Jacksonville was a stagnant 30 square mile city with 204,000 residents. Today, the city is the most populous in Florida and the 12th-largest in the United States with...
February 21, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In 1950, the Greater Miami area was home to less than 700,000 residents. Today, the metropolitan areas is the most populous in Florida and the seventh-largest in the United States...
February 17, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities highlights the forgotten story of early Jacksonville's black architects. The presentation by Ennis Davis, AICP took place on February 15, 2020 at the Durkeeville Historical Society.
February 5, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Situated on the opposite side of Interstate 95 from Downtown Jacksonville, Durkeeville is a historic neighborhood that most Jaxsons may not know or have visited. Developed for Jacksonville's rapidly growing...
February 2, 2020 | By Jada Wright-Greene
In honor of Black History Month, here are ten historic African-American sites in Jacksonville to visit, recommended by Jada Wright-Greene of HeritageSalon.org.
January 24, 2020 | Guest Article by Dr. Tim Gilmore
In honor of former Jacksonville mayor Jake Godbold (1934 - 2020), here is a story about one of his favorite local spots in town.
January 19, 2020 | Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq.
A brief editorial highlighting the importance of a historic site related to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Downtown Jacksonville.
November 11, 2019 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
Abandoned Florida takes a look inside of former Cecil Field Naval Air Station's forgotten Yellow Water Weapons Storage Area.
November 1, 2019 | Bill Delaney
The annual Florida-Georgia football game is one of Jacksonville's oldest and most storied traditions. Dating back to 1915 (or is it 1904?) it has a history that puts most college...
October 25, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Do you really know your next door neighbor? Over the last century, Jacksonville has been the home of several interesting characters and residents who operated on the other side of...
October 23, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Before and after images in and around South Beach that illustrate the incremental transformation of Florida's most popular urban destination.
October 11, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
During the 20 years following the creation of the country's first enclosed regional mall in 1956, so many were built in Florida that they started to cannibalize each other. Here's...
October 2, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Historically associated with the Lowcountry region that stretches from Wilmington, North Carolina to St. Augustine, Florida, the Gullah Geechee are descendants of Central and West African ancestors who arrived in...
September 25, 2019 | David Bulit
A look inside an abandoned building with 109 years of interesting historical stories to share.
August 27, 2019 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
Abandoned Florida takes a look inside of Nassau County's long forgotten Riverside Motel and St. Mary's Liquors.
July 30, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A snapshot in time. Here is a look at the then segregated, Duval County Public School system's educational facilities for African-American students during the 1955-56 school year.
July 26, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Presently the site of Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park, this land was once home to a vibrant community called Yukon.
July 12, 2019 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
Abandoned Florida takes a look inside Downtown Jacksonville's long vacant Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Jacksonville Branch.
July 8, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Sandwiched between the tidal saltwater marshes of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and the St. Johns River, Heckscher Drive is not only one of the most scenic thoroughfares in...
June 21, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A 'regional brewery' is one that distributes to particular regions on a smaller basis than the nationwide breweries many of us are familiar with today. Though the Florida Beer Company...
June 18, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A behind-the-scenes look into the history and decay of the last downtown Jacksonville office building designed by early 20th century architectural mastermind H.J. Klutho.
June 12, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Located 46 miles west of New Orleans, Whitney Plantation is a museum and historic district that is devoted to sharing the un-sugarcoated story of slavery.
June 4, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Maintained by the National Park Service, Kingsley Plantation is the home of Florida's oldest surviving plantation house and related to one of the Antebellum South's most surprising historical civil rights...
May 14, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A walk through one of Florida's most prestigious early 20th century African-American cemeteries: Miami's Lincoln Memorial Park
April 15, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The rise and fall of Florida's largest early 20th century red light district: The Line.
March 25, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Sometimes we overlook the influence and role many former residents have played in shaping the society we live in today. Raised in Jacksonville's Eastside, A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979) left town...
March 22, 2019 | Aubrey Brown
A brief article highlighting the general history of convict leasing in the development of Florida.
March 4, 2019 | Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq.
A tale of two Jacksonville women...Cora Crane and Zora Neale Hurston. These two remarkable women paint a picture of not only different lives in Jacksonville history, but unique and fascinating...
December 28, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Rarely seen imagery taken between 1928 and 1929, of Jacksonville's neighborhoods by George W. Simons Jr.
October 31, 2018 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities shares the sites and scenes from what may be one of the country's most underrated and overlooked urban environments: Downtown Pittsburgh
September 27, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Black history is ineradicable to our cities history, just as it is imperative to a comprehension of our nation’s evolution. Traditionally, black cultural resources in have been among the most...
August 10, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Modern Cities takes a look at a city that has built an economy out of the preservation of history.
July 30, 2018 | Ennis Davis
A look into the industrial ruins and remains of a 19th century cypress lumber mill.
July 24, 2018 | Ennis Davis
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently unveiled its 31st Annual List of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Schools in East Los Angeles, Denver’s Larimer Square, Historic Resources in...
July 3, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Abandoned Florida provides us with a rare look inside of an abandoned Green Cove Springs estate.
June 1, 2018 | Ennis Davis
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced the 2018 Florida’s 11 to Save, a list of the most threatened historic properties in the state. This year’s list represents endangered...
April 25, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Modern Cities takes a look at a forgotten part of cigar making history in Florida.
April 11, 2018 | Ennis Davis
If you believe sprawl just magically happened, here's something that visually suggests otherwise. Thanks to researchers at the University of Richmond, Mapping Inequality offers unprecedented online access to the national...
March 26, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Home to the first four-level freeway interchange in America, Los Angeles is a city that has become an international poster child for everything concerning urban sprawl. However, to equate the...
February 5, 2018 | Ennis Davis
Despite being a major center for black commerce and culture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, not much is known about Jacksonville's significant African-American history, heritage and culture....
January 25, 2018 | Ennis Davis
An interesting comparison of 1943 and current aerials illustrating the impact of expressways penetrating through various Jacksonville neighborhoods and districts.
December 11, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Before chains like Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods dominated the grocery business, these names once anchored shopping centers and street corners throughout our cities.
December 4, 2017 | Ennis Davis
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...
November 27, 2017 | Ennis Davis
A look at the architectural evolution of one of the largest grocery chains in the United States.
October 22, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Closing in on 900,000 residents, Jacksonville is a bustling Sunbelt city with a bright future. However, a visit to its Moncrief Road cemetery district suggests it is a community that...
October 13, 2017 | Ennis Davis
A 'regional brewery' can be described as one that distributes to particular regions on a smaller basis than the nationwide breweries many of us are familiar with today. According to...
October 10, 2017 | Mike Field
What makes one building worth saving and another worth destroying? Strong Towns' Rachel Quednau explores the line between destruction and preservation.
September 21, 2017 | Ennis Davis
On Thursday, September 21st, Jacksonville's Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) granted conceptual and final design approval for the long awaited mixed-use project known as The Barnett. Here's a brief look...
September 18, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Passionate about the preservation of historic structures to renew our downtowns without reshaping their skylines, Christopher Levy shares the story behind the transformation of a 19th century Birmingham boarding house...
August 28, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Situated in the heart of Central Florida, the City of Lake Wales is a place known for a variety of things. From the Legend of Spook Hill and Bok Tower...
August 22, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Autopsy of Architecture provides us with a look inside one of the South's tallest abandoned buildings: 100 North Main in Downtown Memphis
August 13, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Home to the University of Florida, with an estimated 2016 population of 131,591, Gainesville is the largest city in North Central Florida and one rapidly redeveloping into a walkable community....
July 16, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Abandoned in 1999, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church is one of the largest buildings still standing in Brooklyn, that date back to the Jacksonville neighborhood's days before demolition and gentrification. Tim...
June 5, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Modern Cities' Ennis Davis, AICP shares sights and scenes from the inside of Washington, DC's National Museum of African American History & Culture.
May 11, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Autopsy of Architecture takes us on a tour inside of what's said to be one of the country's most haunted sites: Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces
April 30, 2017 | Ennis Davis
A property containing a few of Florida's oldest abanonded skyscrapers is on its way to finally being brought back to life. With this in mind, Bullet of Abandoned Florida takes...
April 11, 2017 | Ennis Davis
The rise and fall of an overlooked historic Jacksonville streetcar suburb: Lackawanna.
March 31, 2017 | Mike Field
The Case of Parramore, an African American community in Orlando that has been almost erased from history.
March 7, 2017 | Ennis Davis
What do treasure hunting trips, hovercrafts, ferries, space exploration, and vintage rail cars have to do with one another? All are forgotten relics that combine to make up the afterlife...
February 21, 2017 | Ennis Davis
This article by Dr. Tim Gilmore of jaxpsychogeo.com examines the history of one of the last surviving American Civil War era structures in urban Jacksonville.
February 7, 2017 | Ennis Davis
In honor of Black History Month, here's rare images and the story of Jacksonville's Sugar Hill neighborhood. Prior to largely being destroyed by desegregation, highway construction, medical center expansion, and...
February 6, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Abandoned Florida provides us with a rare look inside an early 20th century cigar factory: West Tampa's Balbin Brother's Cigar Factory
January 26, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Abandoned Florida provides us with a rare look inside one of downtown Birmingham's most majestic historic abandoned buildings: The Thomas Jefferson Hotel
January 1, 2017 | Ennis Davis
Bullet of Abandoned Florida provides us with a rare look inside one of Florida's first automobile dealerships: The Claude Nolan Cadillac Building
November 30, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Be careful the next time you curse a building as a bad piece of architecture. Sometimes looks aren't always what they seem. Here's seven downtown Jacksonville buildings that have been...
November 16, 2016 | Ennis Davis
If you believe sprawl just magically happened, here's something that visually suggests otherwise. Thanks to researchers at the University of Richmond, Mapping Inequality offers unprecedented online access to the national...
October 18, 2016 | Ennis Davis
An interesting comparison of 1949 and 2016 aerials illustrating the impact of time and change on the shape of Florida's capital city: Tallahassee.
October 2, 2016 | Ennis Davis
An interesting comparison of 1938 and 2016 aerials illustrating the impact of time and the construction of expressways through various sections of Tampa.
September 26, 2016 | Ennis Davis
An interesting comparison of 1952 and 2016 aerials illustrating the impact of expressways penetrating through various Miami neighborhoods and districts.
September 21, 2016 | Ennis Davis
An interesting comparison of 1947 and 2016 aerials illustrating the impact of expressways penetrating through various Orlando neighborhoods and districts.
September 15, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Once housing an institution that enhanced the lives of tens of thousands of citizens over a century, the abandoned Barnett Bank Building still stands two blocks from William Boyd Barnett’s...
September 8, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Have you ever wondered where the day of insane deals, long lines, and 4am door busters began? BlackFriday.fm, a shopping resource has put together an infographic displaying the history of...
August 18, 2016 | Ennis Davis
24 then and now images from the core of one of America's greatest cities: San Francisco.
August 16, 2016 | Ennis Davis
In preparation of APA Florida's 2016 Annual Conference and in honor of the good work being achieved by URBN Tampa Bay (United Residents for Better Neighborhoods), here's a look at...
August 3, 2016 | Ennis Davis
The Sun Belt has seen substantial population growth since the 1960s from an influx of people seeking a warm and sunny climate, a surge in retiring baby boomers, and growing...
July 20, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Ponce City Market is a mixed-use development located a few miles east of downtown Atlanta along the BeltLine. Covering over 1 million square feet, it suggests that no underutilized building...
March 10, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Orlando wants to have a 'big city' downtown and it's well on its way. Over the last decade, the skyline has doubled in size and the number of downtown residents...
March 10, 2016 | Ennis Davis
Known as The Capital of Southern Hospitality, Columbia is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Approved as the new state capital on March 22, 1786, the...
March 9, 2016 | Mike Field
Look Here! is a compelling history exhibition transforming the public realm into a temporary museum using historic photographs of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
September 24, 2020 | Guest editorial by Melissa Hege, AICP
South Florida-based city planner Melissa Hege takes a look at how cities...
September 22, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
More than one-third of the shopping malls across the country could close...
September 2, 2020 | Quint Studer
A guest article by Quint Studer, founder of Pensacola's Studer Community Insitute,...
August 31, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Emerging as a popular architectural style after World War II, Brutalism is...
August 19, 2020 | Bill Delaney
In his 20th book, author Tim Gilmore limns Jacksonville darker history with...
August 7, 2020 | Ennis Davis
85% Of Independent Restaurants At Risk; Jax Owners Urge Support Of RESTAURANTS...
September 21, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A historical timeline of the rise of Jacksonville's historic Black communities and...
September 7, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Straddling Little Fishweir Creek, Boone Park is a 28-acre park located within...
August 12, 2020 | Bill Delaney
A little known nature preserve on Jacksonville’s Westside is home to a...
August 5, 2020 | Editorial by Desiree D. Powell, MCRP
A guest editorial by Desiree D. Powell, MCRP about the role the...
August 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
An architectural movement that peaked during the 1960s, Mid-century modern (MCM) has...
July 31, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
All great cities have great parks. A new citizen-led initiative consisting of...
May 4, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Now open, the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) at LaVilla officially replaces...
March 24, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Modern Cities shares images of a congested South Florida arterial roadway corridor...
January 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Virgin Trains USA won't arrive for another two years but in Orlando,...
January 16, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Armed with the November 2018 approval of a one-cent sales transportation sales...
January 9, 2020 | John Cruz
Since the automobile became king of the road in modern civilization, traffic...
January 3, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The United States is home to 32 commuter rail systems. Here is...
July 21, 2020 | Quint Studer
A guest article by Quint Studer, founder of Pensacola's Studer Community Insitute,...
June 11, 2020 | Bullet of Abandoned Florida
With the recent announcement of JCPenney's decision to close, Jacksonville's Regency Square...
April 10, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Between 2012 and 2017, the First Coast witnessed every local Kmart store...
March 12, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Facadism is a practice where the facade of a structure is preserved...
November 13, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Established in 1829, D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest continuously...
November 12, 2019 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Once a poster child for the negative impact of urban renewal, Uptown...
September 15, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, The Jaxson and Modern Cities...
September 8, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Can you guess what were Florida's top ten largest cities in 1920?...
August 28, 2020 | Jacksonville Planning and Development Department Historic Preservation Office
In honor of the contributions and sacrifices that the Pearson family has...
August 27, 2020 | Bill Delaney
On August 27, 1960, a Life Magazine photographer captured Charlie Griffin in...
July 30, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
Jacksonville and much of Florida owes a lot of gratitude to this...
July 29, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the 2020 edition of...
September 24, 2020 | Guest editorial by Melissa Hege, AICP
South Florida-based city planner Melissa Hege takes a look at how cities...
September 22, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
More than one-third of the shopping malls across the country could close...
September 22, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, this article captures the sights...
September 21, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
A historical timeline of the rise of Jacksonville's historic Black communities and...
September 17, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, here are 30 facts about...
September 15, 2020 | Ennis Davis, AICP
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, The Jaxson and Modern Cities...