This one is for the Blues, Soul and local history buffs. Ground
zero is the center of Jacksonville's rich history of the Blues and
it's performers.
Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald,
Billy Holiday the list goes back as far as the mother of the blues,
"Ma" Rainy!
Ground zero is the site of the old Strand Theater,the first
documented stage performance of the blues on April 16th, 1910. The
Strand was leveled on 4/18/1969.
Across the street you can see the ruins of Genovar's Hall built
in 1895 as a grocery store, it transformed in the 1920's to the
Wynn Hotel. When in town, Louis Armstrong preferred to stay at the
Wynn, because it was "on the street" where the action was. The
first floor of the Wynn was occupied by the Lenape Tavern.
"In front of the Lenape were two metal horse hitching rails,
which still remain. In the early 1940's this spot was known as "the
rail of hope," where waiters and musicians would hang out, waiting
for a job. One of the frequent occupants of the rail was R.C.
Robinson, a blind piano player who had attended the Deaf and Blind
School in St. Augustine before coming to live with a relative at
633 Church Street, one block away. He developed his talents playing
as side-man for some of the well known performers and later rose to
stardom himself under the name of Ray Charles."
"Genovar's Hall" -Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage by Wayne
Wood,
Take a minute while you're here and walk to the corner of Broad
and Church Streets to see the old Richmond Hotel. "Now Deloach
Furniture, this building was the finest hotel in Jacksonville for
blacks when it opened in 1909. It featured 48 rooms along with aTea
Room at street level and balconies that famed guests would come out
on and greet crowds below. Famed guest included Duke Ellington, Cab
Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday while in town
performing in the Ashley Street strip."
Ashley
Street Blues