Once vital arteries of Jacksonville’s growth and cultural identity, here are four historic commercial corridors that have been forgotten and lost to time.
Downtown’s Main Street
On February 24, 1893, Jacksonville’s Main Street made history as the site of Florida’s first electric streetcar line, connecting Downtown Jacksonville to the growing neighborhood of Springfield. This pioneering infrastructure spurred rapid development, and after the Great Fire of 1901, Main Street emerged as a central artery in the city’s dramatic revitalization, symbolizing a modern and ambitious new Jacksonville.
As the city rebuilt, Main Street quickly evolved into a bustling retail corridor, drawing both residents and visitors. By the 1950s, it had transformed into a congested but vital thoroughfare, channeling thousands of commuters and shoppers through the heart of Downtown every day. According to the 1950 U.S. Census, Jacksonville was a dense, pedestrian-oriented city with a population of 204,275. The economy was robust, supported by 24,000 manufacturing jobs across 350 factories.
Main Street’s prominence extended to the Downtown waterfront, where the majority of the city’s 78 wharves and port terminals were located—particularly near the intersection of Main and Bay streets. The city’s key exports included iron and steel, lumber, millwork, naval stores, cotton, and wood pulp, while its imports included petroleum products, fertilizer materials, gypsum rock, bananas, green coffee and newsprint…