Riverside Historic District in Jacksonville

The Riverside Historic District is a National Register of Historic Places district in the Riverside area of west Jacksonville, roughly bounded by the Seaboard Coastline railroad, Riverside and Memorial parks, the St. Johns River and Seminole.

That boundary comes from the district's National Park Service record, ID 85000689, which is dated 1985 (National Park Service, National Register record). Riverside Avondale Preservation, the neighborhood nonprofit, says Riverside and Riverside Annex became the first Jacksonville neighborhoods on the Register in 1985. RAP made the nomination of Old Riverside, Riverside Annex and New Riverside a top priority in 1979, and volunteers recorded every home in the area more than 50 years old before the 1985 listing (Riverside Avondale Preservation, history page). RAP adds that its Avondale survey began in 1985 and that Avondale was listed by 1989.

The City of Jacksonville describes how the pieces fit: the larger Riverside-Avondale Historic District, which the city regulates, holds two smaller National Register districts, one Riverside and the other Avondale (City of Jacksonville, historic designations). National Register and local district boundaries do not have to match, so a Riverside address can fall inside one line and not the other.

To check a specific Riverside property, the city's preservation FAQ points to the Land Development Map, where the Historic layer has boxes for Local Historic Districts and Local Landmarks that can be searched by address or real estate number (City of Jacksonville, preservation FAQ).

The National Register listing of Riverside is honorary and does not regulate changes, but the overlapping local Riverside-Avondale district does, through the city's Certificate of Appropriateness review.

The city states that the National Register is an honorary distinction that does not regulate changes to properties in historic districts, while demolition of National Register listed or eligible properties in Jacksonville still requires review by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission (City of Jacksonville, historic designations).

Owners in the local Riverside-Avondale district who properly rehabilitate a building may qualify for the Historic Preservation Property Tax Exemption, which covers 100 percent of the rehabilitation value over a ten year period on the city's share of property taxes; other taxing authorities still tax that value, and the work must be approved before it begins.

Any exterior work on a Riverside property inside the local district, from windows and siding to fences, driveways and sheds, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness before it starts, and most are approved by staff within a week or two.

A COA is required for all properties within the three locally designated historic districts in Jacksonville, of which Riverside Avondale is one, and once approved it is valid for 1 year, or 5 years after work has begun (City of Jacksonville, COA process). The city publishes Riverside Avondale Design Guidelines for alterations, additions, new construction and demolition, and a 2026 COA Matrix that sorts work into staff review or commission review.

Interior work that does not affect the exterior of a Riverside house needs no COA, but changes to windows, exterior doors or a chimney do (City of Jacksonville, preservation FAQ). Demolition of contributing structures, new construction, 2-story garages and 2-story additions must go to the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, a mayor-appointed body that meets once a month. Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the City of Jacksonville website.

Whether a Riverside building counts as contributing comes from the 1985 survey, when buildings were listed as Contributing or Non-Contributing on district property lists; unlisted structures are judged on their own date of construction and architectural significance (City of Jacksonville, contributing structures).

Riverside owners reach the City of Jacksonville Historic Preservation Section in the Planning Department at 214 North Hogan Street, Suite 300, by phone at (904) 255-7800 or by email at [email protected].

That section runs the COA review for Riverside Avondale and provides administrative support to the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, which also recommends new landmarks and districts to City Council (City of Jacksonville, Historic Preservation Section).

Two city pages list different numbers: the historic designation page in the Property Appraiser's section of the city website gives the Historic Preservation Office at 904-255-7859, while the Historic Preservation Section page lists (904) 255-7800 (City of Jacksonville, historic designations). The city FAQ adds that the section is in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, with the lobby open to walk-ins and no appointment required (City of Jacksonville, preservation FAQ).

Riverside Avondale Preservation is a separate nonprofit, not governed by the City of Jacksonville; the city's FAQ describes RAP as a liaison between neighborhood residents, businesses and the city (City of Jacksonville, preservation FAQ). COA approvals come from the city's Planning staff or the commission, so permit questions belong with the city (City of Jacksonville, historic designations).

Riverside's two city parks with the longest documented histories are Riverside Park, set aside in the 1869 plat of Riverside, and Memorial Park, dedicated on Christmas Day 1924 between Riverside Avenue and the St. Johns River.

The 1869 plat of Riverside reserved fourteen acres for a park, and the city began developing its second-oldest park there in the early 1890s, with walk paths, a carriage lane and two spring-fed lakes (City of Jacksonville, Riverside Park). Riverside Park, at 753 Park St, lost fifty-two trees in a 1997 storm, and today has a basketball court, playground, spring-fed lake and a dog park.

The riverfront Memorial Park in Riverside (street address 1620 Riverside Avenue) was proposed by the Jacksonville Rotary Club in 1918 to honor the 1200 Floridians who perished in World War I, and the city bought the land in 1919 (City of Jacksonville, Memorial Park). The Olmsted Brothers firm designed it, and its bronze sculpture Life is by Charles Adrian Pillars. Memorial Park has an accessible fishing dock.

They are two of many: Riverside Avondale Preservation counts 26 parks covering more than 75 acres across the Riverside Avondale Historic District (Riverside Avondale Preservation, Historic Parks).

Riverside became protected step by step: residents formed Riverside Avondale Preservation in 1974, the district reached the National Register in 1985, and today a seven-member commission appointed by the Mayor reviews changes under the city's historic preservation code.

RAP says a group of Riverside residents led by Dr. Wayne Wood formed the organization in 1974 after watching historic buildings decay or fall to demolition, and in its first year it began opposing large developments, proposed bridges and roadways that threatened the neighborhood (Riverside Avondale Preservation, history page).

The City of Jacksonville says the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission has seven members appointed by the Mayor for three-year terms, including historic district residents, architects, lawyers, preservationists and members of the construction trade, and that it works under Chapters 76 and 307 of the Ordinance Code (City of Jacksonville, Historic Preservation Commission). That commission gives Riverside and Avondale the local design review that the honorary National Register listing does not.

Riverside Avondale Preservation lists the Riverside Arts Market every Saturday, rain or shine, with more than 100 artists, makers and farmers, and estimates about 200,000 visitors a year.

RAP also lists Luminaria 2026 for Sunday, Dec. 20, one of the neighborhood's holiday events (Riverside Avondale Preservation, Recurring Events). A Saturday in Riverside can pair the market with Memorial Park, between Riverside Avenue and the St. Johns River, or Riverside Park on Park St, which has a playground and a dog park (City of Jacksonville, Riverside Park).