The Martha Washington

This hotel/apartment in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood was named the Martha Washington to play off the name of the George Washington Hotel downtown.  Originally built as a home in 1911, the mansion was converted to a hotel for women in 1939 and an addition was constructed on the back.

 

 

 

The home at 1636 King Street was built for lumberman Bryan W. Blount and was one of the largest mansions in the King Street area.

 

 

When the home was converted to a hotel, the name Martha Washington was chosen to play off downtown's George Washington Hotel and to reinforce the identify of this as a hotel for women only.  The George Washington Hotel operated from 1926 to 197.  It was torn down in 1973.  The new federal courthouse now occupies the site.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Martha Washington Hotel's women only policy did not last through World War 2, although it remained a residential hotel until 1977.  It was closed and was slated for demolition.  A wrecking company had already moved in when a group of preservationists organized investors to raise money to save the building.  It was then re-sold to a developer who converted it into condominiums.

 

 

 

 

This vintage picture will give you a sense of how the building has been altered over the years.  Compare to the picture at the top...you can see that part of the veranda has been enclosed.

 

 

The other change, as mentioned earlier, is the addition on the Oak Street side of the building.

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the addition and other changes to the building, the Martha Washington Hotel remains a Riverside landmark.









A Walk on Wilcox

This is a bit random, but this street art on Wilcox Avenue just off Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA. caught my eye back in April when I was visiting LA.  I decided to explore a few blocks in the vicinity of the sign. After all, it says Start Walkin' and who could resist that command by Nancy Sinatra (even if I wasn't wearing boots)?

I pretty quickly discovered there are many interesting buildings along this stretch of Wilcox.  First, to the south, and this Art Deco beauty with many beautiful details.

 

A little further south I came across the Hollywood News Building at 1545 Wilcox.

This building was also the home of the Citizen News.

Look up to enjoy beautiful details.

I'm a sucker for old neon signs and rooftop signs.  They abound on these few blocks.  Here you can see the Hotel Mark Twain, the Pacific Theatre tower on Hollywood Boulevard, and, in the distance, the Lido Apartments.

Just across the street from the Hollywood News building, the Gilbert Hotel.  And visible a couple of blocks to the east, the iconic sign of The Broadway Hollywood, formerly a department store, now high-price residential units.

I reversed course, and walked north to the intersection of Wilcox and Hollywood Boulevard for a closer look at the Pacific Theatre, now a church.

This beautiful old movie palace is another wonderfully detailed building.

And there are reminders that this stretch of sidewalk has a way to go yet.

North of the boulevard, I peeked over a fence into the lush courtyard of an apartment complex.

At the corner of Wilcox and Yucca, the Lido Apts, a touch of "old Hollywood" according to the sign.  I took a walking tour a couple of years ago and the guide said that Carol Burnett and her mother lived here for a while when Burnett was growing up.

The Lido has another of Hollywood's great vintage roof-top neon signs.

I have many more pictures which I'll share in a future post.  I'll end this one by thanking the artist whose streetside mural inspired me "start walkin'."  Here's a link to further appreciate the sentiment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww

Thanks Nancy.  Great song, and a great walk.

An Art Moderne Exception

I call this apartment house an exception because an Art Moderne building in a neighborhood packed with Mediterranean Revivals is exactly that.  2951 Lydia Street is also very striking.  This type of architecture was common in the 1930s and '40s. My guess is that this eight apartment building at the corner of Lydia Street and Willow Branch Avenue in Jacksonville's historic Riverside dates to the 1940s.

Many of the common elements of Art Moderne buildings show up here.  Glass blocks frame the entrance doors.

Glass block can be found elsewhere on the facade along with horizontal grooves, another hallmark of the style.

The round port-hole windows on the Lydia Street side of the building are absent on the Willow Branch Avenue elevation. 

Another Art Moderne feature: windows that wrap around the corners.  The originals were almost certainly metal casement windows, which have a cleaner, crisper appearance.  However, the replacement windows are an indication that the building is well cared for. 

The Willow Branch Avenue side of the apartment house is asymmetrical, and, as noted above, does not feature the round windows. 

It does have this, tucked away in the corner...

A rounded balcony and planter sets off the right angle turn in the building.

A wrought-iron railing follows the curve of the balcony.  You can see the door with jalousie windows that leads to one of the apartments.  These windows were popular in Florida in the 1940s and '50s.

I found some interior shots of the building in a recent on-line advertisement for apartments for rent.  It appears the kitchens have the original cabinetry.  The eight apartments are two-bedroom units.

 

In this view of a bathroom you can see the porthole window.

I found it difficult to get a picture that shows the entire building to its full advantage on the corner of Lydia and Willow Branch Avenue.  A big oak tree puts most of the side on the right in shadows.  A more skilled photographer could figure this out.  But you get the idea.

The building is in a nice location.  Willow Branch Park is across the street.  The King Street shopping district is just a few blocks away and the St. Johns River is an easy walk.

There are a few Art Moderne buildings in the Riverside and Avondale historic districts, but they are vastly outnumbered by the more common Mediterranean Revivals and more traditional turn of the century buildings.  They stand out for this reason, and by their own virtues.