Public School No. 8

History of Public School No. 8

Richard Lewis Brown, Jacksonville’s First Black Architect

Known today as Public School No. 8, it first opened its doors in 1909, originally as Graded Springfield School. According to Tim Gilmore, although it’s uncertain who originally designed the building, it was likely designed by Richard Lewis Brown, Jacksonville’s first black architect, due to his extensive work with the Duval County School Board.

Born into poverty in South Carolina in 1854, his family relocated to Florida after the Civil War, first settling in Lake City before moving to Jacksonville. A self-motivated learner, Brown acquired reading and writing skills early and began his career in a printing company. Following his marriage in 1875, he took on various roles as a carpenter, farmer, and minister, demonstrating both resourcefulness and determination.

Brown eventually acquired several acres of land in East Jacksonville, including the site where a school now bears his name. From 1881 to 1884, he served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives. His long-standing work with the Duval County School Board, where he was responsible for building and repairing schools, helped him master the construction trade. Among his significant accomplishments was his role as contractor for Centennial Hall at Edward Waters College. Though he had no formal architectural education, by 1920 Brown was both designing and constructing buildings, identifying himself professionally as an architect.

It’s not possible to talk about the school’s history without talking about the Phoenix Avenue neighborhood where it was built. Dating back to 1904, it was originally platted as the Dyal-Upchurch subdivision by Benjamin Dyal and Frank Upchurch. Their investment company moved from Georgia to Jacksonville following the Great Fire of 1901, the name “Phoenix” representing the city rising from the ashes of that fire.

With the different industries surrounding it, Phoenix Avenue developed as a working-class neighborhood largely built out before the start of World War II. This growth led to the expansion of the school in 1926 to accommodate the community’s needs which was undertaken by prominent architect Roy A. Benjamin.

Architect Roy A. Benjamin

Benjamin moved from Ocala to Jacksonville in 1902, and despite having a seventh-grade education and no formal training, he quickly established himself as one of the city’s most prolific and talented architects. He is best known for his work on numerous theaters across Jacksonville and the southeastern United States. In Jacksonville, his theater designs included the Imperial Theatre (demolished), the Palace Theatre (demolished), the Riverside Theatre, the San Marco Theatre, the Arcade Theater, and he also served as associate architect for the Florida Theatre.

Beyond theaters, Benjamin was responsible for a wide range of significant buildings throughout Jacksonville. Notable projects include the Elks Club Building, Otis Elevator Building, Fire Station #4, and several prominent residences and apartment buildings, including the Park Lane Apartment building and the home of Leon Cheek. Other schools he designed include John Gorrie High School, Edmund Kirby-Smith Jr. High School, and Mattie Rutherford Elementary.

Benjamin collaborated with other architects on several projects, most notably with Mellen C. Greeley, his partner from 1919 to 1924. Together, they worked on designs such as Memorial Park, in association with the Olmsted Brothers.

Following his retirement after World War II, Benjamin sold his architectural practice to William D. Kemp, Franklin S. Bunch, and William K. Jackson. The firm they formed continues today as KBJ Architects, Inc.

The Phoenix Avenue neighborhood steadily grew until the early 1960s, when the Haines Street Expressway was constructed just east of the school, which limited access to the neighborhood. The 1960s also marked a decline in the city as a whole, plagued by corruption, an aging and overcrowded school system, and corruption among city officials.

With the decline of the neighborhood, so did the school. In 1991, it became a Montessori school, an effort to repurpose aging and underperforming schools in blighted neighborhoods. The school was also renamed J. Allen Axson Elementary School after the school’s longtime principal, James Allen Axson. The idea was that these schools would provide special courses that parents across the county might have an interest in enrolling their children in.

By the late 1990s, it was the second-oldest public school building still in operation, and it was in need of a $10 million investment from the school board to continue to do so. Instead of investing in the aging structure, the school board opted to build a new school 17 miles away. After the opening of the new Southside campus, Public School No. 8 operated as the Northeast Springfield Head Start Center before permanently closing in 2013.

On the morning of May 30, 2021, firefighters responded to a fire at the vacant building. The fire department found that the fire was intentionally started in multiple spots within the building and called in the State Fire Marshall as the most likely cause was arson.

You can read about Public School No. 8 and many other abandoned places in my books, Abandoned Jacksonville: Remnants of the River City and Abandoned Jacksonville: Ruins of the First Coast.