18. This Gothic-inspired structure, located at 648 Parker Street, was built as the Livingston Mission Methodist Episcopal Church in 1912.

19. In 1923, Ford bought ten acres of the former Bentley Shipyards property from the City of Jacksonville for $50,000. Dredging opened the channel, allowing Ford’s fleet of oceangoing freighters to dock. Overall construction and equipment cost approximately $2 million. The assembly plant initially contained 115,200 square feet of enclosed space. The adjacent powerhouse contained a 500-horsepower boiler to provide steam to the electric turbo generators. The facility also provided fire protection through an adjacent water generation building that brought river water into a 75,000-gallon tank. The front of the building housed a parts department along with a showroom for finished automobiles. A 1926 addition added some 50,000 additional square feet to the east side of the structure.

The assembly plant is constructed on approximately 8,000 wooden piles. The floor, a reinforced concrete slab, rests on raised concrete piers. The ground plan of the plant is rectangular, and its massing is regular. The exterior walls are curtain wall construction consisting of face brick in a running bond pattern, backed by structural brick. The structural system is steel frame, consisting of H-beams and trusses. Trusses are flat or angled in a butterfly pattern, a signature feature of factories designed by Albert Kahn. The building’s central roof monitors (popped-up extensions) are massive and rise noticeably above the roof plane. They are covered with an interlocking ceramic roof tile. The four flanking monitors have a lower profile and area sheathed with metal.

The plant remained operational until 1932 and subsequently was used as a parts warehouse until 1968. With only eight years in operation as an assembly plant, the building was not subject to significant alterations necessary for different processes and different products. The building is a remarkable and durable artifact of Jacksonville’s industrial history, and it meets five of seven criteria for designation as a Jacksonville Landmark. The City of Jacksonville’s Landmark Designation report for the plant argues it is one of the most significant industrial buildings in Florida, fulfilling five of the city’s seven criteria for landmark designation. The report notes, “Its construction between 1924 and 1926 was a major event in the history not only of Jacksonville but the state as well. The arrival of the world’s largest autombile manufacturer was a sign of the city and state’s growing economic importance.”

20. This row of warehouses along East Wambolt Street dates back to 1965.

21. Commercial and residential structures along Wambolt Street, that were built adjacent to the former Hotel Talleyrand. Hotel Talleyrand was located at 720 Talleyrand Avenue, before being demolished during the 1980s. Located at the terminus of the Fairfield streetcar line, it opened in 1927 exclusively for men after the Ford Motor Company announced plans to double its production capacity at its nearby assembly plant. Today, the site is occupied by Hal Jones Contractor, a bridge and marine contractor established in 1997.

22. 1730 East Wambolt Street was completed in 1925.

23. The intersection of Parker and Wambolt Streets.

24. This former residence now serves as an office for Miscellaneous Sheet Metal. Founded in 1983, Miscellaneous Sheet Metal is an industrial and commercial sheet metal job shop specializing in precision waterjet cutting along with custom stainless steel, aluminum, and plastic fabrication.

25. Being located adjacent to EverBank Field has created unique economic opportunity for Fairfield residents and property owners.

26. These Clarkson Street residential buildings were completed in 1910 and 1919, one block west of the Fairfield streetcar line.

27. 802 Parker Street was built in 1927. Parker Street is named after Jacob S. Parker.

28. The MLK Jr. Parkway (formerly the Haines Street Expressway) separates Fairfield from the Eastside.

29. For 80 years Laney & Duke has been fulfilling the warehousing, distribution, order fulfillment and transportation needs of some the world’s most successful companies. This 319,000 square foot warehousing complex at 1560 Jessie Street was built in 1954 and is owned and operated by Laney & Duke. This site was the location of the original fairgrounds, dating back to 1876. A popular destination for horse and auto racing, the fairgrounds also hosted the only world’s championship prize fight ever held in Jacksonville when James Corbett knocked out Charles Mitchell in 1894.

30. The Second Harvest food bank is located at the intersection of Jessie and Haines Street. The mission of Second Harvest North Florida is to distribute food and grocery products to hungry people and to educate the public about the causes and possible solutions to problems of domestic hunger.

31. Crowley – ACL

32. The remains of Fairfield’s Talleyrand and Wambolt commercial district. The oldest remaining buildings here, date back to the mid-1920s and 30s.

33. The Martin Coffee Company was established in 1957 by Fred Martin. After initially operating out of East Bay Street warehouse in downtown Jacksonville, the company relocated to a larger facility at 1633 Marshall Street in 1987.

34. Opening on April 15, 1953, the Mathews Bridge was built through the heart of Fairfield.

35. 1523 Swift Street was completed in 1904.

Photographs by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com