Paul Laurence Dunbar at James Weldon Johnson’s Home in Jacksonville

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Harlem Renaissance figure — poet, novelist, journalist, ambassador and activist — James Weldon Johnson lived right here when he wrote the words to the Black National Anthem. His late-night debates with house-guest Paul Laurence Dunbar, just after Dunbar marched in President McKinley’s inaugural parade, helped make Johnson the writer he’d become.

When Jax Liquors Ruled Florida

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For half a century, Jax Liquors ruled Jacksonville, much of Florida as well. “I was afraid to stay small,” the kingpin said. Inversely proportional, his long rise spanned the decline of the Black neighborhood where he bought his first bars. The long arc of Jax Liquors’ success paralleled changes in American drinking habits, attitudes toward liquor and drunk driving laws. Even now, if you’ve lived long enough in Jacksonville, you might accidentally call ABC “Jax Liquors.”

David Engdahl’s Private Language in Lamelliform

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In one of the oldest houses in historic San Marco, architect and sculptor David Engdahl makes his home and his art. He calls them “lamelliforms.” He’s made more than 300 in the past 50 years. They’re something like his own private language.

The Disappearance of Jim Stone

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James Stone’s disappearance from his Downtown Jax furniture store was only the first mystery. The story that unraveled included cross-country chases, gruesome coverups, child witnesses and mutual accusations. 

The Story of Wacca Pilatka, Robert Broward’s Own Residence

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It was here the architect broke his neck while sunbathing nude on top of his house. It was here the manatee came to feed on sea grasses. Despite a 60 year career, designing more than 500 buildings, Bob Broward didn’t build his own residence, Wacca Pilatka, until he was almost 70.

The Last Chapter of Weise Pharmacy and Natural Food Shoppe

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Almost 50 years ago, I urinated on my pediatrician here. Almost 60 years after the Weise brothers and their mother set up shop here, the “Weise Building” is emptying out. Recent news sullied their good name. Family heirlooms hang on the walls for sale. I still remember the way the place smelled when I was a child.

The 800 Pound Sculptures that Flew from the Airport to the College

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Longtime locals still associate the 800 pound laminated wood sculptures with the airport, where they floated over escalators from 1980 to ’89, but they’ve hung suspended by stainless steel cables here beside the cafeteria at Florida State College of Jacksonville’s South Campus Student Center now for nearly 35 years. This is the story of architect and sculptor David Engdahl’s largest sculptures, Ascent and Descent.

Visiting Geodesica, the Butterfly House(s) and Robert Broward’s Unitarian Universalist Church

This weekend the Arlington Mod & More Tour takes place. If you go, you’ll be able to tour places like Robert Broward’s Butterfly House, his Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville and the legendary house called Geodesica. You can find out more information and get tickets here!

Stringbeans May and the Birth of the Blues in Black Vaudeville

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Just before his neck was broken in Jacksonville, Butler “Stringbeans” May was the hottest Black entertainer in the country. He’d just turned 23. Critics called him “eccentric” and “smutty.” It was Stringbeans who made the Blues first rise in Black Vaudeville, but he never recorded and never copyrighted his hits. Details of his death remain a mystery.

All the Lives of La Mirada

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April cried when they tore down the belltower. When it was new, La Mirada was a Mediterranean Revival-style colony lost in cow pastures, even if the fields across Powers Avenue were always a “body dump.” So many people married and held receptions here and Tom had to rake the green shag carpet.