Richmond Hotel
The Richmond Hotel is a historic building located in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The building was originally built in 1909 as a hotel for Black patrons. Following desegregation, the hotel closed in 1969. As of 2018, the ground-level area of the Richmond Hotel is occupied by Delo Studios. Summary The Richmond Hotel is situated on the corner of N Broad Street and West Church Street, adjacent to the Duval County Courthouse. It is located in the northwest quadrant of Downtown. Specifically the hotel can be found in the northwest corner of the LaVilla neighborhood, a historic African-American neighborhood that is east of I-95 and south of W Union Street. The Richmond Hotel is a 3-story structure, situated on .22 acres of land. There is now a .07 acre lot behind the building. The entire building spans 17,620 square feet. The second story balcony could be used to oversee the street below. Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage cites a 1942 magazine describing the Richmond Hotel as an:"[O]utstanding hotel for colored people in Jacksonville...[located] close to all principal Negro businesses, theaters, and churches, and less than five minutes drive from the railroad terminal. Most of its 38 rooms have running water, with many bathrooms adjacent. The Richmond Hotel boasts a quiet, homelike atmosphere. A Tea Room is operated for the convenience of guests" (p. 97). History Originally built in 1909, the Richmond Hotel operated as the hub for prominent black residents and celebrities to stay during the time. At the time it was the only black-only hotel in the area. Compared to other segregated places, the Richmond Hotel was of a premier quality at the time. It was a popular destination at the time for famous African-American artists such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. As a result of desegregation, the hotel closed its doors to the public in 1969. Thereafter, it was utilized for retail purposes. Following the forlorn times of segregation, the hotel's business progressively died to the point where it is now essentially abandoned. For some time throughout the 70s and 80s, various retail stores were placed on the ground-level floor of the building. The upper two levels were reserved as boarding houses rented out to locals. Perhaps the most popular retail store located in the hotel was the DeLoach Furniture Co., a family-owned furniture store that served Jacksonville for over 90 years prior to its closing in the mid 2010s. Throughout the 1990s, demolition derby parties were held throughout the Downtown area, including LaVilla. While The Blue Chip (another hotel for African-American guests in LaVilla) did not survive demolition, the Richmond Hotel did. The former site of the Blue Chip is now a vacant lot. Currently, the Richmond Hotel operates under the name Delo Studios, a multi-use space for meetings and events, galleries, and photography studios. Features Harlem of the South Throughout the 1920s until the 1960s, LaVilla was known as the "Harlem of the South" due to its bursting creativity. The neighborhood was