Back to Jax: Avondale Terrace

I return to Jacksonville for a look at another of those beautiful Avondale buildings that is an "apartment island" in a sea of single-family homes...and pretty swank homes at that!  Actually, these apartments, in an equally grand building, are now condominiums, and the building is known as Avondale Terrace.

1786 Challen Avenue, Jacksonville, built in 1926.  Thank goodness for the Spanish/Mediterranean Revival craze of the 1920's that left so many memorable buildings in this neighborhood and across the state of Florida.  The most notable feature of this house is the profusion of arches from top to bottom. 

The front steps lead up through three broad archways to a tiled porch and three arched doors in this appealingly symmetrical building.  I have not been able to find any information about the architect or the layout of apartments.  I welcome input from anyone at Avondale Terrace who can provide this information!

This view of one of the front doors also gives a closer look at the spiraled columns which set off the building's entrance and the six front porches.  The only other ornamentation is a large decoration in the uppermost center of the facade.  Windows are standard double-hung.

Here is a closer view of one of the porches, which provides outside living space, and helps keep the apartment cooler in the summertime.

Again, note the spiraled columns, which can be seen on three sides of the porches.  The projecting beams are interesting too.  An ad for a condominium for sale in the building notes that you will overlook million dollar homes.  There's no doubt that was true before the real estate crash; I'll leave it to the experts to decide whether it's true today!  In either case, we can all agree it's a million dollar view.  This is a beautiful neighborhood.

Here's another view of 1786 Challen Avenue.  Garage parking for residents is behind the building, but you may choose to leave your car there and take a walk instead of driving.  The Avondale shopping district, the river, and many parks are minutes away in this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.