Article by Ennis Davis, AICP

Beaver Street Baptist Church (1955)

2591 Beaver Street West

When the former Beaver Street Baptist Church completed this mid-century modernist sanctuary in 1955, the church was one of the largest Baptist churches in the South. Founded during the 1930s by Reverend George Hodges, the church fell into decline after Hodges was shot and died in the church’s parking lot by Sara Luckie, a church member he had been having an affair with. Today, Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ/Fellowship Outreach Ministries, Inc. occupies 2591 West Beaver Street.

CSX Transportation Building (1960)

500 Water Street

Designed by KBJ Architects, the CSX Transportation Building was completed in 1960 as the headquarters of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. At the time, Jacksonville had recently been selected over Savannah and Charleston as the railroad company’s new headquarters. From 1900 until 1956, the railroad was based out of Wilmington, NC.

Fletcher Building (1963)

1000 Riverside Avenue

The Fletcher Building was designed by Taylor Hardwick and completed in 1963. The building once featured a rooftop smokestack for the building’s boiler, shaped in the form of a rocket. In 2014, the nine-story building was acquired by Summit Contracting Group and retrofitted into the Summit Tower.

Fuller Warren Building (1963)

215 Market Street North

Completed in 1963, the Fuller Warren Building is the location of the regional office for CareerSource Northeast Florida.

Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Florida (1965)

220 Ocean Street North

This building was completed in 1965 for the Florida Grand Lodge of Masons. It replaced a larger, seven-story structure and theater that was completed at the cost of $110,000 during the first decade of the 20th century.