Mt. Calvary Baptist Church

The Mt. Calvary Baptist Church is a church located in the historically black neighborhood of Brooklyn. Originally known as Dell’s Bluff when it was first settled in 1801, the Brooklyn neighborhood in Jacksonville was originally home to a sprawling, 800-acre plantation owned by Phillip Dell. The property changed hands several hands before the American Civil War. Following the war, it was purchased by Miles Price, an ex-Confederate soldier, who sold off the southern portion of the property to be developed as Riverside. The northern portion he developed himself which would later become known as Brooklyn.

While Price was the one to name the neighborhood, it’s not known why a former Confederate chose a name associated with the New York borough of Brooklyn. The west and east streets though would be named after Confederate generals. The north and south streets are named after trees. The area was developed as a residential suburb and quickly grew after the establishment of a streetcar line. Many African-American former soldiers, known as Buffalo Soldiers, settled down in Brooklyn. By the 1880s, it held a population of 1,000 and a few hundred homes and mansions. In 1887, Brooklyn and several other suburbs were annexed by Jacksonville.

By the 1950s, the neighborhood had nearly 6,000 residents. The neighborhood remained primarily residential, but it eventually developed into a commercial and industrial area due to the increasing use of the railway. Construction of the Fuller Warren Bridge cut off the historically black neighborhood, pushing many of the residents out. This slowly led to the decline of the neighborhood, leaving many of the remaining structures in disrepair such as the Buffalo Soldier’s House. The Mt. Calvary Baptist Church was abandoned in 1999, but before then it served the community for many decades. The building was built in 1955 by James Edwards Hutchins, one of the few black architects-builders during this era, and was commissioned by the church under the leadership of Reverand William Hill.

James Edward Hutchins was born on November 25, 1890, in Blakeley, Georgia, and moved to Jacksonville after completing his studies at the Savannah state college. Hutchins is recognized as one of the few African American contractors in Jacksonville that not only designed buildings but built them as well. As a result, he became a mentor and advisor to many African American builders who sought his counsel and expertise in developing building plans. Shortly after World War II, his construction company coordinated with the Veteran’s administration to provide training for black Veterans, American carpenters, masons, and draftsmen who helped build the growing Jacksonville of the 1950s and 1960s. Hutchins became the first President of the United Craftsmen’s and Builders Association, as well as was a member of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Florida State Business League, and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. James E. Hutchins died from a sudden illness on May 16, 1970.

The Mt. Calvary Baptist Church’s present state symbolizes the rest of the neighborhood, a ghost of its former self. Development continues on in Brooklyn, threatening to uproot many of the remaining residents left there. Plans are currently in the works to renovate the church into a craft brewery. You can read about the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and many other abandoned places in my books, Abandoned Jacksonville: Remnants of the River City and Abandoned Jacksonville: Ruins of the First Coast.

Gallery Below of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church