The following information is a brief overview of some of the major resources utilized to research and document historic houses and buildings in Jacksonville. The resources that can be used will vary to each situation; however, researching an older house will usually involve using a variety of resources.

1. Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage, Landmarks for the Future

The first place to start in researching an older house or building in Jacksonville is the publication, Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future, Revised Edition (1989). Produced by the Historic Landmarks Commission of Jacksonville and written by Dr. Wayne Wood, this significant publication highlights over 600 landmark sites in Jacksonville, as well as neighborhood histories, a discussion on early Jacksonville architects and architectural styles. Organized by areas and neighborhoods, the publication has an inventory and extensive bibliography of local resources. Even though only a small percent of historic houses and buildings are discussed in the book, it provides an excellent context for initiating the research on an older house or building.

2. The Florida Master Site File and Historic Resources Listing, City of Jacksonville:

The Florida Master Site File is a listing of historic resources recorded in the State. A combination of paper and computer files, the system is maintained by the Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State. Thousands of historic, architectural and archaeological sites in Jacksonville and Duval County are listed on the Florida Master Site File with most resulting from the surveys of Avondale, Riverside, Springfield and Downtown. A historic survey usually involves researching the development history of the area or neighborhood, as well as the completion of a site file on each older structure in the neighborhood. The completed site file form contains basic information on the architecture and history of the site. Many of the local neighborhood organizations that sponsored the surveys have copies of the site files. Copies of site files can also be requested from the Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, R. A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250, (904) 487-2299.

The Jacksonville Planning and Development Department maintains a historic resource data file based on the Florida Master Site file, survey reports, as well as individual files. The data base contains basic information on each site such as Florida Master Site File Number, National Register status, and if known, date of construction, architect and builder. Contact the Planning and Development Department at (904) 630-1904, Florida Theatre Building, 128 East Forsyth Street, Suite 700, Jacksonville, Florida 32202.

3. Building Permits:

The Building and Zoning Inspection Division, City of Jacksonville, located on the first floor, City Hall has building permit records going back to 1904 on microfilm. These rolled microfilm records are organized by year and building permit number. The building permit numbers are taken from the card file which lists each address and gives the permit history. Unfortunately, in many cases, the permit history listed on the card is incomplete, especially in the identification of older permitted activity. The building permits and building permit applications list the year issued, the applicant's name, general location, legal description, general physical description, and in later years, the builder and architect. Please note that the city's boundaries changed over the years; thus many older buildings were originally located outside the city limits. Regrettably, the county building records that existed before consolidation in 1968, have been lost.

4. Maps:

The Sanborn Map Company has produced detailed street maps of cities and towns for fire insurance underwriting purposes since the mid-1800's. These large maps depicted the configuration of buildings and houses and indicate the type of construction, number of floors, and use. Sanborn maps were produced for Jacksonville in 1884, 1887, 1891,1897, 1903, 1913, 1924, 1949 and later. The earlier maps covered the core area of downtown; however, each subsequent edition covered a broader area of the city. In many cases the maps were not replaced with new editions but updated with paste-overs. In researching an older house or building, it is best to start with the uncorrected maps to determine the original footprint and use the corrected versions or later editions to verify changes over time. Sanborn maps were also produced for Jacksonville Beach (Pablo and Mayport) in 1903, 1909, 1917, 1924 and 1931. The Planning and Development Department has black and white prints of the uncorrected maps from 1884, 1887, 1891, 1897, 1903 and 1913, as well as selected Jacksonville Beach maps. The Florida collection, Haydon Burns Public Library has microfilmed copies of the Sanborn maps, as well as several original volumes which have been corrected.

"United States Geological Survey Topographic Maps, Duval County," edition of 1918-1919 (12 sheets) depicted the location of structures, as well as identifying older communities and roadways. These maps can be used to determine if a structure was located on a parcel before 1918. These maps have been particularly important in locating and dating structures outside the old city limits. Another important county map valuable for the same reason is the "General Highway and Transportation Map, Duval County, Florida," prepared by the Florida State Road Department (FDOT), 1936. This map depicts the presence of structures outside of the incorporated areas.

Over the years, there have been a variety of maps produced which illustrate various locations in the city, usually in the downtown area. Noted maps include "Bird's Eye View of Jacksonville, Florida (1876 and 1886)" and the "Francis J. LeBaron Maps of Jacksonville, (1885 and 1887)." These are just a few of the historic maps of the Jacksonville area. For a more complete list please refer to the bibliography found in Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future.

5. City Directories:

A full collection of city directories going back to 1870 are located in the Florida Collection, Haydon Burns Public Library. The directories list residents alphabetically, noting their address and usually their occupation. Another very important research tool in the directories is an alphabetized listing of streets identifying occupants at each street address. The city directories cannot only indicate when an address was first occupied, but also contain the names of the original occupants. By tracking an address over the years, the directories can provide information about the different occupants of a house, as well as indicate when a house was subdivided or demolished. Other useful information found in the directories include a listing of churches, schools, clubs, as well as business and companies. Please note that address numbers for certain streets have changed. In many cases, the directories at the time of the change will list both the old and new numbers. Other times it is necessary to track the address by noting the occupants before and after the address number change.

6. Newspapers:

Much of Jacksonville's building and construction activity was recorded in the local newspapers such as The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Journal and the Metropolis. The Florida Times-Union has been extensively indexed by year and organized alphabetically by subject heading, except for several years in the early 1930's. The Jacksonville Journal is also indexed for the years from 1925 to 1938. Both newspaper indexes are located in the Florida Collection, Haydon Burns Public Library. Using the indexes for researching older houses and buildings will require a general idea of the original construction date. Most construction activity is listed under the subject heading of building permits; however, relevant articles about new subdivisions may also be located by subject in the indexes.

7. Original Blueprints and Plans:

Many older houses were not designed by an architect, and may not have had any drawn plans or blueprints. The Building and Zoning Inspection Division has microfilmed building plans going back to the early 1900's. However, the plans are usually for commercial or institutional buildings and are incomplete. Some property owners have been fortunate to locate the original plans within the house or have obtained copies from previous owners. Some more established architectural firms have maintained plans and records of houses and buildings designed by their firm over the years.

8. Oral Sources:

Oral sources such as previous owners or long-term residents can provide valuable information in researching an older house or building. In many cases, oral sources will be the starting point for document research or can reinforce written documentation on a house.

9. Property Records:

The Property appraiser's Record Cards contain valuable information about a structure and lot. These cards are located in the Property Appraiser's office, Claude Yates City Hall Annex. The cards can be accessed by address, real estate number or legal description. In addition to building and lot size, most of the cards have a construction date and may have a basic footprint of the structure and adjacent outbuildings. From the Deed Books, Official Records and plat books at the Office of the Circuit Court, Duval County Courthouse, property transactions can be traced. Although documenting change of property ownership over time, these records will not necessarily confirm a construction date.

10. Architectural Style, Materials and Methods of Construction:

Many times the general date and origin of a house can be determined within a broad range by the architectural style, materials and method of construction. There are several factors that may affect the dating of houses or buildings based on style. First, many styles have persisted over a long period of time or lingered beyond their period of popularity. Second, many older houses have been "modernized" resulting in a change of style. Also during the first quarter of the century, there has been a mixing of stylistic elements resulting in fewer "pure" styles. Therefore, be careful when trying to attach a specific style of architecture to an older house or building. A good architectural style book such as A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia and Lee McAlester (New York, 1984) is valuable in providing an explanation of the characteristics of each style, as well as the period of popularity.

The type of materials and methods of construction can provide some useful clues in dating older houses and buildings. For example, the type of nails used, the way structural members were sawed, finished and framed, the type of roofing and the type of mortar and bricks can all be telltale signs about the age and origin of the house or building. The type of materials and methods of construction can usually provide only broad ranges of time for dating houses and buildings, since many products were used over a long period of time. A good example is the presence of cut nails used in Florida from 1830's to the early 1900's at which point they were replaced by the more contemporary wire cut nail. Many times these early materials have been covered by more contemporary products, making it difficult to determine the period of construction.

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