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Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1910. "Hotel Seminole (includes street cleaning activities)." The building last seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Jacksonville's growth in the early 1900s coincided with the Prairie School influence, and the detailing in the Seminole reflects that. The same architect did the St. James Hotel, which is now the city hall, and its one of the great landmarks of Prairie School commercial design. Personally, I love the style.
Normally davidk and I are simpatico but on this occasion I'm with Mal Fuller: This is ghastly. The detail at the top resembles fish bones. The geometric shapes beneath the windows are weird too. And those two sticky-outy suspended things over the entrances? I can't even. I admit I would have enjoyed sitting on/in these veranda/porch/overhang spaces on a pleasant day to enjoy a meal and watch the world go by, but as an architectural feature, they look like window washing platforms with roofs. Most unfortunate as this looks to have been the place to be.
According to the hotel's letterhead, it was at the corner of Hogan and Forsyth streets.
One floor down from the top, five windows from the left.
This just goes to show how a basic 10-story rectangular box can be made handsome with some careful and inspired detailing. (And, yes, I read the comment by Mal Fuller in the linked post.)
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