JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Southwest Florida man who now calls Jacksonville home is working to preserve dozens of houses in the area.
Last year, Spencer Fletcher bought 24 bungalows in West Lewisville, a historically African American area, now known as Mixon Town.
Fletcher said they were built in 1925 and called the Oneida Bungalow Court. There’s a gas station on the property that he’s also restoring.
“It’s only one of two bungalow courts from this era that’s left in the city,” Fletcher said. “When you’re talking about historic African American neighborhoods this is one of the earliest ones. It was plotted in the 1870s.”
So far, to help preserve that part of African American history in the area, Fletcher has started renovating one of the homes on the property, which he said the other bungalows will resemble.
Fletcher said since buying what was once the Oneida Bungalow Court, he’s reached out to the city for help to turn this area back into its former glory.
However, he said the response hasn’t been what he’d hoped for.
But he plans to keep pushing forward so those bungalows aren’t lost.
“We’ve lost most of the historic structures that existed in LaVilla,” Fletcher said. “We’ve lost most of the historic structures that existed in Brooklyn and this is next.”
He also said he plans to keep them affordable for people to live in once the project is completed.
Anyone interested in viewing the bungalows or speaking with Fletcher about the project can reach him at paintingduval@gmail.com.
News4JAX also reached out to the city to see if Fletcher contacted them. We are waiting to hear back.