The Seminole and Seminole Road

Here's my third Mediterranean Revival apartment house in a row, and it occurs to me that I might have done better to post these buildings in a different order.  This house and The Parkland (two posts back) are both on Seminole Road in Jacksonville's historic Riverside.  The Clifton (my last post) is on Riverside Avenue...so, I've jumped around the neighborhood a bit when continuity might have been a better idea.  On the other hand, all three buildings share a lot in common, so you might enjoy making a comparison to see for yourself.

The Seminole, 1623-1629 Seminole Road, Jacksonville, built in 1925, architect unknown (at least by me).  This attractive four-plex has been converted to condominiums and is very well-maintained.  It follows the pattern of most of these buildings; the apartments are two bedroom, one bath units.

Arched windows, a shaped parapet, and barrel tiles on the roof over the entrance give this building its Mediterranean Revival character.  As is typical in the neighborhood, a cast stone plaque with the name of the house is centered on the facade.

Doors to the upper units face the street, while the doors to the ground units are next to them facing one another across the front porch.

The apartments' porches and balconies are enclosed.  They would have been open originally, with entrances to the first floor units located inside the porch (see The Clifton, my last post, for an example of this).

The Seminole is a very nice building at the intersection of Oak Street, where Seminole Road begins a transition from apartment buildings to large and impressive single family homes.

Seminole Road is a pleasant street with a number of interesting buildings.  As noted in my earlier post on the Parkland, the stretch of Seminole Road closer to Park Street has one of the nicest oak canopies in the Riverside neighborhood.

In the shade of the massive oaks, ferns and palmettos thrive.

Further along, at the intersection with St. Johns Avenue, you'll find the Kahler apartments, designed by Henry John Klutho, one of Jacksonville's great architects.  You can read more about this interesting building in my post from last year:
http://mikeshistoricbuildings.blogspot.com/2011/10/kluthos-kahler-apartments.html

After Seminole Road crosses St. John's Avenue, the houses become larger and more impressive still, which is no surprise as you are now on the last block of the street as it approaches the river.  A big oak tree divides the street again. 

Finally, Seminole Road ends in a pocket park on the St. Johns River.

One of the advantages of this historic neighborhood, and one of its greatest assets, is the proximity to this beautiful, wide river.  The St. Johns is a short walk from the Seminole apartments and almost every home in Riverside.