I know, silly question. Henry Flagler built the Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine in 1889, inspired by the royal palace in Seville, Spain. Flagler's hotel, which is now St. Augustine's City Hall and home of the Lightner Museum, pre-dates this humble house by at least three decades.
The Alcazar, 1645 Mallory Street, Jacksonville, circa 1925, is considerably less grand than the original or the St. Augustine hotel of the same name. But isn't it a pleasant four-plex apartment house? And in case you don't remember the name...just look up.
I took these pictures shortly after Christmas 2011. You can see the decorations still in place for the holiday. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the kind of day that showcases these wonderful old Mediterranean Revival buildings so nicely. Note the handsome lights that flank the sidewalk leading up to the building.
There are the usual hallmarks of the era and this architectural style: archways, balconies and porches for each of the apartments (two up and two down), window boxes, and ironwork.
Here's a closer look at one of the upstairs terraces.
A resident assured me the building contains vintage features, and pointed to the spiral stairs in back as evidence. Those, of course, are not original, but I didn't argue the point.
As is common in older buildings in the neighborhood, the Alcazar includes garage parking for residents. Unusual is the fact that in this case, there are two garages. Each two-car garage is located at the back of the property opposite one another. This view shows one of them. A corresponding garage is located on the other side of the backyard.
The Alcazar is located on a very nice block, just a few houses away from Willow Branch Park. The St. Johns River is an easy three block walk in the opposite direction.
The Alcazar is another of the historic buildings that made this walkable neighborhood such a treasure for Jacksonville.
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