The River City Live Legacy series will feature arts, culture, and history about people in places around the river city. With the help of Deb McDuffie from the Ritz Theatre & Museum we traveled around the Lavilla neighborhood to learn the rich history.
When sitting down with Deb she said “I have wanted to do something like this for a long time. For a “yankee” like me, the history of the south is fascinating to me. I love the idea of starting the series with Jacksonville’s downtown LaVilla neighborhood, which includes the building we’re sitting in today, the historic Ritz Theatre. LaVilla has one of the richest cultural histories of any city in the country! You heard me. Up until 1887 LaVilla was its own independent city
The LaVilla community was NOT, as most believe, only African American. It was a melting pot of immigrants and cultures. Quite a few Greek and Syrian immigrants lived here, enough to support 10 Greek restaurants in the Bay and Broad Street area. LaVilla was at one point in time, the “heartbeat” of Jacksonville! The Harlem Renaissance had its roots in LaVilla. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, 20 years before the Harlem Renaissance was born, New Yorkers would travel to Jacksonville to enjoy La Villa’s Black entertainment, arts, culture, ah yes, and the soul food! La Villa was considered “the mecca for African American culture and heritage”.