The small plot of ground that a local historian regards as the most historic place in Jacksonville will be the focus of Downtown Vision’s Jan. 6 Art Walk.
“I can’t think of another 1.5 acres that’s been the site of more history than Hemming Park,” said Emily Lisska, executive director of the Jacksonville Historical Society.
The land was deeded in 1866 for the benefit of the people of Jacksonville by the descendants of Isaiah Hart, founder of the city. They transferred ownership of the parcel to the city for $10, with the condition that it always would be a public park.
Originally known as “City Park,’ it was renamed in 1899 in honor of Civil War veteran Charles Hemming after he installed the 62-foot Confederate memorial statue in the park.
In the late 19th century, resort hotels were built around the park to attract tourists who wanted to escape harsh Northern winters.
Nine years after the Great Fire of 1901 destroyed the hotels, Jacob and Morris Cohen, owners of a local dry goods company, bought the land along the north side of the park. They commissioned architect Henry John Klutho to design and construct a four-story building for their business.
The structure would later become the May-Cohens department store and even later, City Hall.
Lisska said the 20th century history of Hemming Park can’t be told without listing some of the major political figures.
President Franklin Roosevelt made a speech in the park. President Theodore Roosevelt stood on the porch at the Seminole Club and addressed a crowd that spilled into the park.
During the 1960 presidential campaign, speeches were made and voters courted by candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. President Lyndon Johnson delivered an address in Hemming Park in 1964 during the Civil Rights Movement.
The city redesigned the park in 1977, converting it into a paved public square with a new name, “Hemming Plaza.”
Beginning in 2000 with construction of the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse along the west side of the park, Hemming Park was the center of more than $150 million in Downtown development.
Projects completed include the renovation of the former Cohen Brothers store for Jacksonville’s new City Hall, renovation of the former Western Union Building for the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville and construction of the Main Library.
Also near Hemming Park, the Haverty’s Building was refurbished to become the Jake Godbold City Hall Annex and the former Florida National Bank was renovated for city government office space and renamed the Ed Ball Building.
The park since it was established has gone through a “steady evolution,” Lisska said, but one element hasn’t changed.
“Hemming Park has been the gathering place for the community for 150 years,” she said. “It’s only right that should continue.”
Plans for the January Art Walk began a few months ago, said Hana Ashchi, DVI’s marketing and events coordinator.
Each month has a theme, so the decision was made to highlight Jacksonville’s oldest park in the first month of its sesquicentennial year.
An exhibit of photographs of Hemming Park from the historical society’s archives will be displayed and a photo booth with vintage props will be available, Ashchi said.
Promoting the first Art Walk of 2016 also gives DVI an opportunity to dispel a common misconception.
“Some people think there is no Art Walk in January, but that’s not true,” Ashchi said. “Art Walk is from 5-9 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month, rain or shine.”
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