by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Springfield is a lot like Jacksonville’s own, “Little Engine that Could.” Perceptually one of the worst areas of town live in for years, today it’s being championed by everyone from U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown to Mack Bissette, a neighborhood developer who’s established a healthy presence in Springfield.
Bissette defines the new movement as “the creative class,” a demographic comprised of, well, the leftovers from just about every other demographic in town.
Young professionals, single adults in their 30s and 40s, artists, musicians and, for lack of a better term, free thinkers are represented and highly concentrated.
Talk to many from the creative class and you’ll likely detect a sense of pride that borders just this side of boastful because they know they are ahead of the curve.
“It’s wonderful to see what’s happening right now,” said Louise DeSpain, chair of Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Inc. “It’s not without a lot of hard work, but we love seeing more and more people, especially younger people making Springfield their home.”
But what draws someone to Springfield? Is it a drive to be trendy, to break out of a mold? Is it seen as a wise real estate or business investment?
Actually it’s a little more than any of those. It’s about finding a home and building a neighborhood.
Stephen Dare
Ask Stephen Dare why artists are flourishing in Springfield and he’ll probably tell you more than you wanted to know. But oddly enough, he’ll make you want to listen by the time he’s finished.
“We’re here because in the beginning we were the only ones willing to give it chance,” said Dare, co-owner of the Boomtown Café and Theater on Main Street. “From there, word of mouth helped get things going, people started coming out and saw that it wasn’t horribly dangerous. Then more and more people started coming.
“That’s how it all started.”
Dare is a Jacksonville native. He moved to Springfield just over two years ago.
“I have been interested in urban redevelopment for years,” he said, “and what I’ve found is that it doesn’t come from the big projects. It comes from successful businesses.”
In Jacksonville just long enough to unpack, Dare dove headfirst into Springfield. He explored the crumbling neighborhood, identified its worst commercial areas and acquired the leases to several properties.
“The way I saw it, there was a little bit going on here in terms of growing interest,” he said, “but there wasn’t a real marketing vibe happening. Some of the homes were being redeveloped but the commercial market wasn’t catching on.”
Dare took his property, removed the old tenants and replaced them with artists — mostly friends and acquaintances.
“My friends were all ready to move in because those kinds of spaces, the lofts, the really open spaces like that, allowed them to make their art,” he said. “And I think if wasn’t for the artists, many of whom were white kids coming from all over Jacksonville, you probably wouldn’t have the kind of diversity happening that you see today in Springfield. You wouldn’t see the volume of activity and the interest in the area growing everyday.”
Juedienne Gordon
Her mail is addressed to Juedienne Gordon, but to jazz fanatics, she’s Springfield’s resident rhythm and blue chanteuse, known simply as Lady J.
“I got the name for two reasons,” said Gordon, a resident of the Market Street Lofts, one of the first new residential developments in Springfield. “First of all, no one can ever pronounce my name and secondly, the ‘J’ stands for jazz.”
When she arrived in Jacksonville less than a year ago, Gordon was told local artists lived and played in San Marco. With that information and little else, that’s where she settled.
“But I never saw any artists and, believe me, I looked,” she said. “Then I discovered Springfield and all of the eclectic elements that are here.
“That’s basically how I got here and I love it.”
Gordon is the featured player in the Epicurean Market’s Jazz Room. She also makes regular appearances at Eclate and in other venues across the state and beyond.
Earlier this year she played the Reading Festival in England.
“Now that was something,” said Gordon, “really something.”
A computer consultant by day, Gordon transferred from Atlanta to work for Blue Cross/Blue Shield. And though she still calls Atlanta home, Gordon said she loves living in Springfield so much she’s ready to buy there.
“Definitely,” she said. “If I could, I’d purchase this loft and never leave. I’m still hoping there’s a way I can because it’s perfect for me.”
Gordon and her writing and business partner, Kevin “Oz” Osborne, write, play, produce and record music in her large Springfield loft, formerly a classroom.
“It’s our studio and we can do everything we need to right here,” she said.
Gordon not only sings, she plays the piano, various percussive instruments and the saxophone.
“That’s definitely one of the positives about living here,” she said. “Everyone is free to express themselves and, at the same time, be surrounded by all of the other artists who live in the community. There’s great vibe, a great energy here.”
Dustin Greer
Jacksonville native Dustin Greer is new to Springfield, he just doesn’t live there yet. A scenic artist, Greer signed a lease Monday afternoon and plans to open his own art studio on the corner of Pearl and 8th streets.
“I like it here a lot,” said Greer, who’s painted murals and backdrops for Disney and Universal Studios. “It was as simple as seeing space available for a good price and moving right in.”
“A little chatting and a check,” said Christy Frasier, Greer’s business partner.
Greer said he has big plans for Springfield.
“It might be a little too early to talk about it,” he said, “but we’ll bring out our ideas as we continue to settle into the neighborhood, get a feel for what it’s all about.
“We’ve only been here for about three hours.”
Greer grew up on the Southside and lived in Springfield several years ago.
“Long before it was cool,” he said.
Today, Greer is married and living in Riverside, though he’s constantly looking for a home in Springfield.
All he has to do is convince is wife.
“When we were living in Springfield before, we were in a 3,000 square-foot loft,” he said. “Let’s just say it wasn’t really a comfortable situation. But absolutely, I plan to buy here as soon as I find what I’m looking for.”
Greer explained the appeal.
“This is the new community for artists in Jacksonville,” he said. “I want to be here for that. Most importantly, there are people here, businesses, who recognize the importance of art and I don’t see any reason why that won’t continue.”
John and Ellen Timm
In 1998, John Timm, a physical therapist with Brooks Rehabilitation, relocated to Jacksonville from St. Louis. He bought a home in Springfield that had been condemned for over 20 years, hoping to refurbish it and eventually sell it.
“That was the plan,” said Timm, who at that time was living off of Kernan Boulevard. “I figured I’d hold on to it for a few years and see what happened. I was thinking like a single guy.”
By 2002, Timm was married, awaiting the arrival of his first child and living in the same three-story home that was deemed unlivable by just about everyone who saw it.
“It wasn’t much to look at when I first found it,” he said. “We’ve definitely come a long way with it.”
Today, the house — still a work in progress says Timm — is a featured stop on the Springfield Tour of Homes.
“Springfield is turning into a really wonderful place to live and the longer we’re here, the better it gets,” he said. “There’s too much momentum, too much invested in it, for it not to continue and it’s exciting to be here for that.
Timm is not an artist and unlike many of the local painters and musicians he admires in Springfield, he and his wife Ellen are facing the challenge of raising a family there.
“Honestly, I wasn’t completely convinced it would work in the beginning,” said Ellen, also a physical therapist. “I kept asking, ‘Are you sure?’ and he even promised me that if I didn’t like it here we could move. I figured in six months we’d be out. Two years later, we’re still here.”
The Timms have a second child now, Christopher, who is just two months old.
“Honestly, in the beginning there were some questionable things going on,” said John. “But you hardly see any of that now as the rest of the neighborhood continues to improve.
“And our neighbors love our children and our children want to see our neighbors. We’re not worried about safety.”
Timm said anyone who is still afraid of Springfield after moving in has likely never lived elsewhere.
“In St. Louis there were neighborhoods where I wouldn’t even stop at red lights,” he said. “This is nothing, and compared to any other part of Jacksonville, crime is about average.”
Timm said he’s found in Springfield what he didn’t find anywhere else in Jacksonville.
“When I was living on the Southside, there were times when I’d be just about home and all I saw were closed garages and locked doors,” he said. “That was pretty much the end of the whole neighborhood experience.
“Here it’s a lot different. It’s a neighborhood.”