Once a cornerstone of Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood, the Lawton Pratt Funeral Home at 525 W. Beaver Street has been given new life as The Raven, a boutique Airbnb that embraces its storied past. Originally opened in 1916 by Lawton Pratt, one of Florida’s first licensed Black funeral directors and a founder of the Florida Negro Embalmers and Morticians Association, the building served the community for more than a century before closing in 2019.

Two right lanes were blocked Thursday afternoon on Interstate 95 south at J Turner Butler Boulevard following a motorcycle crash.

The University of Florida on Tuesday welcomed more than 50 developers interested in helping build out sites 1A and 1B for the university’s future graduate campus in LaVilla.

Blues legend Gertrude “Ma” Rainey electrified Jacksonville’s LaVilla district in the early 1900s, building her reputation as the “Mother of the Blues” while breaking barriers as an openly bisexual performer.

The Pop-Out is a concert series throughout the month of June, bringing local and regional Black musical acts to the River City.

The Pop-Out is a concert series throughout the month of June, bringing local and regional Black musical acts to the River City.

Jacksonville city council members met Wednesday to discuss the next steps in acquiring the property for the new University of Florida graduate campus. While no decisions were made at the meeting, council members were given a chance to direct questions toward the Downtown Investment Authority and Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll.

Jacksonville city council members are set to meet Wednesday to discuss the next steps in acquiring the property for the new University of Florida graduate campus. In a one-on-one interview with News4JAX, Bryan Moll, CEO of Gateway Jax, expressed his commitment to bringing the UF grad campus to Jacksonville.

As Jacksonville leaders deliberate on how to acquire a building in the LaVilla neighborhood for the new University of Florida graduate campus, Councilman Nick Howland has introduced a third option.

Another option is on the table for the city of Jacksonville’s prospective acquisition of the privately held Interline Brands Inc. building to provide for the University of Florida’s graduate campus in LaVilla.

Lillian Young used words from advertisements and notices that described at least 100 different runaway slaves in the 1800s to create portraits of what she believed the people might have looked like.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is bringing public transportation into a new era with the opening of the Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC) Thursday morning.

The Ritz Theatre and Museum, located in Jacksonville’s historic LaVilla neighborhood

Demolition crews are actively working at the old Solomon Auction Building in Jacksonville’s Urban Core after the building collapsed Monday evening. The Solomon Auction Building, while old, is not considered historic; however, its recent destruction raises questions about the criteria for preserving buildings and when it might be time to let go.

National Register Nomination is expected to be completed by winter 2025.

Padrica Mendez, an opera singer and entertainer with deep roots in LaVilla, died on Feb. 26.

LaVilla Sounds presented by Florida Blue is a free music and arts festival celebrating LaVilla’s rich history and vibrant future. The festival will take place on February 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park located at 120 Lee Street Jacksonville, FL 32202. Enjoy a day filled with family-friendly entertainment, music from local artists, food trucks and activities for all ages. For more details, visit levsparkjax.org.

Celebrations are underway, marking the 125th anniversary of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The city of Jacksonville rolled out the latest developments for the University of Florida’s graduate campus in downtown Jacksonville.

The University of Florida’s Florida Semiconductor Institute is coming to Jacksonville's LaVilla

In the coming days, the city of Jacksonville’s Land Use and Zoning Committee will consider two ordinances that, if passed, would designate a pair of buildings in the historic LaVilla neighborhood as local landmarks, including the famous “Whetstonian” building.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Drug Free Duval held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for a new branded bus which will provide free opioid overdose prevention training and Narcan doses to high-risk communities.

A man died Saturday morning in a crash at the intersection of West State Street and North Jefferson Street in the LaVilla neighborhood, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park honors the lives of James Weldon Johnson and his brother John Rosamond as well as the once-bustling LaVilla neighborhood.

The city of Jacksonville will celebrate the completion of the first link of the Emerald Trail on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that has been years in the making.

For the first time in more than 20 years, downtown Jacksonville welcomed new homeowners to the area.

Jacksonville firefighters and police close off area of Myrtle Street and Swan Street due to crash.

A new development is going up in LaVilla. A groundbreaking ceremony happened Tuesday for Johnson Commons, with 91 new townhomes.

LaVilla, a neighborhood in Downtown Jacksonville, is arguably one of the most historic areas in the city.

You might not realize that many of the neighborhoods that now make up Jacksonville were once cities themselves.

A man was found dead Monday morning in the LaVilla area of downtown Jacksonville, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

There are high-hopes in place for a decade-long proposal to construct the LaVilla Link to bring the area once known as the Harlem of the South back to life.

A man is claiming he shot another man in self-defense after midnight outside The Loft apartments on Water Street in the LaVilla neighborhood.

Florida Blue will be providing access to COVID-19 shots on Wednesday in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On National Vietnam War Veterans Day, Americans come together to commemorate the service and sacrifices made by the nearly 3 million service members who served in Vietnam. The war wall in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood pays tribute to African American service members, including those who fought in Vietnam. Racism was still existing in boot camp and even in Vietnam,” Vietnam veteran Hallie Williams-Bey. He said he believes we need to use Vietnam War Veterans Day as more than a salute to the sacrifices made. In 2012, President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation, designating March 29 as the annual observance of Vietnam War Veterans Day.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Community leaders broke ground Wednesday on a new city park in the historic LaVilla neighborhood. It’s located on property that was the birthplace of brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson, authors of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which is considered the Black national anthem. Park renderings show the park (see below), on Lee Street two blocks north of the Prime Osborn Convention Center, will eventually have gardens, statues and markers. Ad“LaVilla is a beautiful historic neighborhood that needs a lot of investment on its own, and every great neighborhood needs an investment in public spaces,” said Jake Gordon, CEO of Downtown Vision. An artist's rendering of the Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing Park released last year by the city of Jacksonville.

‘The Harlem of the South,’ other glimpses of Jacksonville’s past at the Ritz Theatre & Museum in LaVilla. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Morning Show presented special live coverage from the Ritz Theatre & Museum in LaVilla called “Our History, Our Future” on Tuesday. “That Black history is American history. It needs to be integrated into our schools, in grades K-12.”AdYou can find more history by visiting the Ritz Theatre & Museum in LaVilla. #OurHistoryOurFuture | The Morning Show brings you special live coverage “Our History, Our Future” from the Ritz History Museum in LaVilla.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As part of Black History Month, News4Jax has shared local stories about the Civil Rights movement, segregation, Black leaders and Black-owned businesses in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Black history is all of our history, and News4Jax is committed to bringing you stories about our diverse communities beyond February. You might not know the area was once its own city and was a very prosperous area for members of Jacksonville’s African-American community. “A lot goes into teaching Black history. “That Black history is American history.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood was once its own city, where African Americans flourished and prospered. The LaVilla neighborhood was his foundation, where he learned to play football and eventually earned a scholarship to attend college. LaVilla, at one point in the ’20s, had 600 Black-owned businesses,” historian Carol Alexander said. “I think the plan disappeared or somebody squashed the plan because we should be here by now, but we are constantly restarting and restarting and restarting,” Alexander said. “But I think now is the time that it will change, I do feel now is the time of change.”Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood was once its own city that boasted 600 Black-owned businesses.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Groundwork Jacksonville has unveiled the design of the Emerald Trail Model Project the first segment of the urban trail that will link Brooklyn through LaVilla. Construction of the $3.9 million project, named the LaVilla Link, will begin this fall and take a year to complete. From Park and Stonewall streets in Brooklyn, the 1.3-mile LaVilla Link will crosses over the Park Street Bridge by the Prime Osborn Convention Center and head north along Lee Street. It will feature several signature points of interest like the Park Street Bridge and the Lee Street Pond. I remain grateful for the leadership of the Groundwork Jacksonville team and the contributions of the donors.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Groundwork Jacksonville has unveiled the design of the Emerald Trail Model Project the first segment of the urban trail that will link Brooklyn through LaVilla. Construction of the $3.9 million project, named the LaVilla Link, will begin this fall and take a year to complete. It will feature several signature points of interest like the Park Street Bridge and the Lee Street Pond. The Emerald Trail will promote historic communities, physical activity and wellness, and Jacksonvilles natural beauty. I remain grateful for the leadership of the Groundwork Jacksonville team and the contributions of the donors.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will transition bus operations from the Rosa Parks Transit Station to the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla on May 4, according to a release. The JRTC at LaVilla is located at 100 LaVilla Center Dr. near the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. The JRTC at LaVilla will replace the Rosa Parks Transit Station as the JTA’s main downtown bus transfer facility, serving most JTA regular and express bus routes, the Skyway and the First Coast Flyer Bus Rapid Transit network. All JTA bus routes will continue to operate on a “modified weekday schedule” to promote social distancing and to ensure safe travel for everyone, the release said. The east half of the Rosa Parks Transit Station will be closed and prepped for future transit-oriented development projects.