Riverside/Avondale Jacksonville

Riverside/Avondale

Riverside and Avondale are two adjacent and closely associated neighborhoods, alternately described as one continuous neighborhood, to the south of Downtown on the St. Johns River. Both neighborhoods are primarily residential, containing some of the city's most notable examples of residential architecture, with integrated business districts, including the historic Five Points area.

The entire area south of Jacksonville was originally plantation land prior to the Civil War. After the war, a group of investors purchased the southern part of Miles Price's plantation to develop as a new residential suburb. Price retained the northern part of his land and developed it as the suburb of Brooklyn. Riverside and Brookyln were annexed by Jacksonville in 1887, but growth only boomed after the Great Fire of 1901, when many of the city's most prominent residents chose to rebuild their homes in Riverside. Growth continued through the early 20th century, resulting in one of the most varied architectural landscapes in Florida, including what is likely the largest collection of surviving bungalow houses in the state. In the late 1950s & 1960s, the area went into decay, with many of those grand old homes being converted into rooming houses. However, after being designated a "National Historic Neighborhood", by the late 1990s, Riverside had recovered, with many homes restored to their original form.

Avondale was developed later. In 1920 it was proposed as a new upscale development, the most expansive Jacksonville had ever experienced. Avondale is known for its quiet, tree-lined residential streets and hundreds of quaint homes, most dating from the early 1920s during the Great Florida Land Boom. A few Avondale homes pre-date 1900. Most homes in the neighborhood reflect the middle to upper income taste in residential architecture of the 1920s, including numerous Prairie School, Art Deco, Craftsman Style, Classical Revival, and Mediterranean Revival styles. Avondale is characterized by numerous bungalows and spacious, graceful homes. Unlike some other neighborhoods, Avondale never experienced a period of decline during the latter 20th century, and retains much of its original gentility.

Riverside and Avondale are routinely recognized as among the great neighborhoods in Jacksonville and Florida, and in 2010 they were named one of the top ten neighborhoods in the United States by American Planning Association.