Discover Jacksonville 2017

COMMUNITIES
to small (studio to two bedrooms) singlefamily
homes and small apartment
buildings.
Most of the residential real estate is
owner occupied. Many of the residences
in the Lake Shore neighborhood are
older, well-established and built
between 1940 and 1969. A number of
residences were built before 1940, but
it was primarily developed after the
Jacksonville Naval Air Station boom in
the 1940s. The average home price is
$77,950.
Because of its major road access —
Blanding Boulevard, Cassat Avenue
and Roosevelt Boulevard cross the area,
Lake Shore residents are a quick drive
away from shopping at Roosevelt Square,
restaurants, the river and downtown.
LaVilla
Bringing back vitality
From its years as a bustling
transportation center in the late 1800s
to the time when it swung to the beat of
Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and Sarah
Vaughan, LaVilla has had a colorful
past. Its busy railway depot attracted
thousands of travelers along Lee and Bay
streets. In the early 1900s, its African-
American community of houses and
entertainment venues flourished.
Today, after decades of urban decay
and a controversial revitalization plan
in the 1990s that left vacant lots where
several longtime structures existed,
LaVilla has been revitalized.
The Ritz Theater has been restored
to its former glory. The LaVilla School
of the Arts attracts talented students
from across the county. An increasing
number of businesses are expanding or
developing offices.
While development in LaVilla — 770
acres north and west of the central
downtown business district — has been
commercial so far, in 2016 Jacksonvillebased
Vestcor Companies proposed to
build a $22 million, 120-unit affordable
housing development at Bay and
Lee Streets. Called Lofts at LaVilla,
conceptual plans illustrate the project
consisting of five stories with four
residential floors above a floor of parking
and amenities. Before this project can
become a reality, it will need to receive
federal funds through the Florida
Housing Finance Corporation's Low
Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
One of the many perks of living in Mandarin is enjoying a beautiful sunset on the St. Johns
River. (Bruce Lipsky/Florida Times-Union)
40 | 2017 DISCOVER JACKSONVILLE
Loretto
A bit of middle America
A distinct part of the greater
Mandarin area, Loretto sits between San
Jose Boulevard to the west and Philips
Highway to the east. It is bordered to the
north by Interstate 295 and to the south
by the county line.
Loretto was formed by the Catholic
Diocese of St. Augustine. In the days of
Reconstruction, Loretto sprouted up
next to the nuns’ convent, dormitory
and school. It is on what became
Old St. Augustine Road, the highway
between Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
According to Wayne Wood’s Jacksonville’s
Architectural Heritage, the nuns were
sent there to educate both the residents
and newly freed slaves.
As more and more new Northeast
Florida residents found the area’s
ancient tree cover, access to the river and
convenient location appealing, Loretto
and Mandarin started to grow.
The average price for homes is
$179,283. Many homes are built on some
of the largest new construction lots in the
area.
Loretto is popular, too, because of
all its nearby amenities. Just about
every merchant, service or restaurant
imaginable is on San Jose Boulevard.