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Arab Americans have a long history in Jacksonville tracing back to the 19th century. Between 1890 and 1920, hundreds of immigrants arrived and settled in Jacksonville from an area of the Middle East that is now home to the countries of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and other territories. By 1910, 75% of Jacksonville’s early Arab American immigrants resided in the city’s 7th Ward ( now known as LaVilla) and 8th Ward (west of Downtown) or nearby.

Early settlers there established themselves as grocers, peddlers and small businesspeople, and eventually they dispersed throughout the city over the course of the 20th century. Today, Jacksonville is home to the 10-largest Arab American community in the U.S.

From business to politics to the food scene, Arab Americans have made waves in every aspect of life in Jacksonville. However, the community’s early 20th century cultural contributions and sites associated with the historic LaVilla neighborhood are slowly being forgotten due to “urban renewal” and passage of time.

Here are five sites in LaVilla with connections to Jacksonville’s early Arab American community.

Greek & Syrian Club

The now-razed 618 W.Forsyth St. building. | Ennis Davis

The building at 618 W. Forsyth St. was built in 1910 with the Eagle Laundry Co. as its primary tenant. Generation X Jaxsons may remember it as an important part of the city’s music scene: During the 1990s, it was the home of the Milk Bar at Paradome. During the early 2000s, it became Club Kartouche, a nightclub known for Latin, rave, R&B, and hip-hop and featuring the likes of Ludacris and Trick Daddy during Super Bowl XXXIX. Unknown to most, the building also housed the Greek and Syrian Club that was established by A.K. Carazar in 1915. Despite being one of the last surviving buildings in LaVilla directly associated with the neighborhood’s Arab American and Greek immigrant communities, the building was demolished in 2020 for a gas station, convenience store and craft brewery.

Roosevelt Grill

A 1950s Roosevelt Grill advertisement and photographs of the Roosevelt Theatre block on West Ashley Street. | Ritz Theatre & Museum

Known for its greasy french fries, the Roosevelt Grill was a popular restaurant that catered to the crowds being entertained on West Ashley Street. Located at 808 W. Ashley St., the Roosevelt Grill was attached to the 1,150-seat Roosevelt Theatre. The building they shared was designed by Architect Roy Benjamin and included the Roosevelt Department Store. One of the first integrated restaurants in Jacksonville and frequented by the likes of Hank Aaron and Ray Charles, the Roosevelt Grill was owned and operated by Larry Hazouri and his brother Rufus “Pop” Hazouri — the grandfather of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan — from the 1950s to the 1970s. Today, the site is the location of the LaVilla School of the Arts. While the Roosevelt Grill is no more, its spirit still lives on at Downtown’s oldest remaining restaurant, the Desert Rider Sandwich Shop on Hogan Street, still operated by Larry Hazouri.