LaVilla’s story begins in 1866, just after the Civil War when it was founded by Francis F. L’Engle as an independent town. It quickly became a sanctuary for newly freed African Americans seeking to build lives, homes, and futures. In 1887, LaVilla was annexed into the growing city of Jacksonville—but it never lost its distinct character.

By the early 1900s, LaVilla had blossomed into a hotbed of jazz, blues, and Black enterprise. Ashley Street was the heart of it all—lined with theaters, clubs, hotels, and restaurants that hosted legendary performers.

The popular Colored Airdome Theater on W. Ashley St was the site of the first recorded instance of blues singing performed on a public stage anywhere in the world. The Ritz Theatre, built in 1929, was a crown jewel of the neighborhood. Today, the beautifully restored venue operates as a cultural museum and performance space with a mission to “research, record, and preserve the material and artistic culture of African American life in Northeast Florida and the African Diaspora, and present in an educational or entertaining format, the many facets that make up the historical and cultural legacy of this community.”

Laville was at the heart of travel in the 1900s, with Jacksonville Terminal being the largest passenger railroad station in the South. Millions of railroad passengers passed through the LaVilla station’s concourse or platforms each year, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in 1941 and every president between Warren G. Harding and Richard Nixon.

LaVilla also broke barriers in education and healthcare. Brewster Hospital, established in 1901, was Jacksonville’s first hospital for African Americans and played a crucial role in medical training during segregation.

The Raven is proud of the rich history surrounding us and is in the works to be a part of the LaVille Heritage Trail, an interpretive marker project that will share the unique and largely overlooked history of sites within LaVilla and the individuals and events associated with them. We look forward to doing our part to restore this neighborhood to its former glory.

 

“Looking west at the intersection of Ashley and Broad Streets during the early 1990s.” Image from The Jaxson Magazine.