Document text
Maroh 6, 1939.
0. D. Rinehart,
lab Lynch Bldg..
Jacksonville,
Florida.
Rose shepherd,Writer.
1ILLA ALARANDRIA.
r. Rinehart was preaid!ut f the oorporation whiob bought
the Villa mlexandria property in 1928 unA 7elaoed it on the market
for subdivision ;aid sale.
Mr. Rinehart says: !Xihir original iaixander Mitchell pur-
°hass uonsietod of one hundred and forty were*, and was a part
of the original Graig Spanish grunt.
"'When I and three associates scoured the tract in 1926, the
7iila 4,1exandria rlaidenee and other buildings were in a state of
disrepair. The roperU had been .vacant lot some time, ihAd been
partially wreaked by vandals, and in 1927, to prevent further
depredations, our oompany, the Villa Alexandria Corporation, had
all buildinz,s oomplately demolished Jiti the lumber and other ma-
teriuls ramoved from thl premises.
''The 2ropnrty still lacked purlhasers, and during that ;01ar,
1927, it wae turned over to the Telfair Stookton Ookpani, who sub-
divided it into u series of waterfront looations. John H. Swisher,
the oigmr manufacturer,purohaned the original homesite, erecting
the hi 8 magnifi.:ent ,Thalish type residence. Later his son,
Curl twisher, secured the adjoining lot, and another beautiful
home arose. These two purohasas started a demand for homesites
in that arou and it has subsequently developed into one of the
26055
C. D. Rinahart Villa lexandria
L.
highest clues residential sootions in the vioinity of Jacksonvillo.
"In the trunsuotion, however, my usocaiates 'And I 144*
a quarter of u million dollurs.
"Do I regret it? step %auk to the middlo oifioo door
und look through this window towurds south Jucksonvills."
I did us he directed, and from this of tie. window on
the lbth floor of the Lynch Building, the uity on the south side
of the St. Johns wus revoulod like a framed picture. The broad
bend in the river, the magnificent bridge oennooting Jacksonville
with South Jacksonville, the palutial home lining the western
wutorfront, the vutiouo wubdiVisions Granada; Villa, itloiundtka,
Coloniul Nunor, San Jose the business 'motion; und to the oust
the more modest homes of the St. Nioholus section, lurgo passongor
Laad freight bouts coming up from the Atluutic, others dopurting
with outgoes for world ports; further on estates like 'Xeyetom',"
"Tillundsia," and othIrs, with the broad ribbon of Atluntic Boule-
vard to the bouohes separutinm the two sections.
"No, there are no regrets. Pioneors do not ulwuys win
finunoiully. Mostly, they pave the way und othirs reap the finun-
°Jul profits. But us I look throuih this window, fool that a
seers of potties nio I had the vision I so. manifested today, aud
um glud to hwTo hud u part in develooing the beuuty of the south
side. We war, just u little uheud of the times.
"I do not romember much of the personal history of the
orztoYiglyilinIirskfaril Viurrtogiatiartri used the
so thut Juoksonville never know ,,lexunder !!itchell or his son,
O. D. Rinehart villa ,lexandria. 3.
A B. Mitchell. The senior Mitchell was one of the mrly
al:a/actors. One of his aotivities vas the organization of
the ,:hicsago, tqloaukee St. Paul Railroad, with Limdquarters
in Vilwaukeil.
"The son, A. B. Mitchell, was banker in Milwaukee,
also ut one time was U U. t. Senator from viseonsin. He was
totes married. David Mitchell, a son by his first marriage,
lived with his granAmothqr, who suplrvised his eduoation, and
otherwise oared for him. Me is still a resident of Jaaksenville.
"A daughter of A B. Mitchell's by his 'cloud marriage
in new a Mrs. Jackson. She lived for many years in the Canal
hone, where she met and married her husband who is an official
of the United Fruit Comrany. They now mold* in Beaton. She is
a half-sister of ")avid Vituhell.
"It is rerorted that lire. Mitohell i-ed an income of
around 200,000 per year, with many servants to -carry out her
lavish ta.48 of ei4totrtuinment. 4ho was -ery charitable, however,
beinR espeeially interested in et. Luke's Hospital, wt:icsh she
helped to establish, as well a all saints' Spisoopal Church in
south Jacksonrille.
"The oollapse of the bunk in %Moil her sou fus interested
in Milwaukee entailed her rroperty here to a ceneiderable extent,
so that in hit reduced circumstances eh) had to let al/ of her
servants go, earrying on with one old colored yard man.
"When we purchased the rroperty in 192b, it was still much
eneumbered, and we had u diffieult ti e seouring u lear title.
O. D. Rinehart iarly Jaoxsonville
4.
"I came to Jackson. ill* in 1889. It as then a sprawl-
ing village. The most populous residenue gelation was between
Pima Street (no Main) and Liberty ,Arest on the oast; aud from
'Aival, to Buy, in the same boundaries.
"These streets were all sand there were no paved
streets. In the surly 1890's, Buy Street was paved with oypress
bleak* and it was oensidered a very fine improvement, but proved
quite disappointing, us whenever it rained the water formed pools
and the paving bleaka would rise uud float around in great style.
Finally late one summer there wastemerifflo ruinfull over a period
of days and. the Buy 6treet paving blooks wave:god off into the
St. Johns River.
"Later Main Street, or Pine Street, us it was known
'then, was paved with briok out as far as Highth Street. The
old eireetoar system used to run out that fur. There was a
row of palmettoes planted on eaoh side, and the drivers of the
surr940whioh were used to Garry the tourists of that day about
town told them 'Those palmettoes were planted in that fashion
by the Indians to murk an old trail.*
"The 6. B. Hubbard home wae on the oorner of Bay and
Liberty Streets, ani these same drivers, in -passing this home
would say: 'That's when Old Mother Hubbard lives.'
"IA the late 1880's there were only four families who
had carriages and teams worthy of note. One of those was owned
by S. B. Hubbard, the iound)r of the Hubbard Hardware 0o. The
oarriaee was the leost of the kind for that Theriod, the horses
were matohed buys, woad the harness metal was silver-plated. It
C. D. Rinehurt iuely Juckeowille 8
*us un eluborute turnout and uttructed much uttention, *hen the
fumily, u colored mun in the driver's seat, used to 'ride out.'
"tontrust thut
i)eriod *ith the present time, *here
there Lire 80,000 uutomobile owners registered in Duval County.
"Bicycling mu* 4 popular pustime. I belonged to a
club of u dozen or morn riders und we used to me out the Wan
6treet route, wh,A1 vias shell -paved from the end of the brick
paving at lighthhStreet, on ever to Talleyrund .1,41nue und back
by the river road throu-ch ?airfield. It *us known us the 'tap.
wad did measure exactly ton miles for the round
trip.
"Ti., I have still confidence in the judgment which
muds me select Juuksonville for u home um being good ilor the
future, anti the timediute prospect in exocedingly bright for
the further advancement of Jacksonville and Duval County in
partioular, Florida in genorel.
"I an a Demoorat undsvoto my party'e tiaket. I be-
neve in the Alm Deui and President hoosovelt, who is eur).est-
ly trying to pull the United tituttle out of the rut und better
the living oonaitione for 41 of her oitisons."