Ritz Theatre and La Villa Museum - Jacksonville, Florida - History Museums on Waymarking.com

Web:http://www.coj.net/Departments/Ritz+Theatre+and+La+Villa+Museum/History+of+the+Ritz.htm

The museum houses a permanent exhibit of the history of African Americans in northeast Florida. It replicates scenes of everyday life, documents the past with photographs and artifacts and features a special presentation on native sons James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson called Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing.

The quality of life and variety of theater, music and film that once existed in LaVilla earned the area the nickname "The Harlem of the South." Time and social events took its toll on this once thriving hub of African-American life. Today, the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum pay tribute to the past while building a new tradition for the future today.

The LaVilla area was first settled in 1801 by John Jones who received a Spanish land grant. From 1861 until 1867, LaVilla was an independent municipality. African-Americans held senior positions in the government and in the police and fire departments. LaVilla was annexed to Jacksonville in 1887 with a population of 3,000 residents. The Great Fire of 1901 began in northern LaVilla and burned most of Jacksonville, though LaVilla's business district was spared. In 1929, the Ritz movie theatre was built. In 1932, Eartha M.M. White purchase of the old Globe Theater and named it the Clara White Mission in honor of her late mother. In the 1960s and '70s, the Ritz/LaVilla business and entertainment district declined; as the walls of segregation begin to fall, many middle and upper-class African-Americans used their new found opportunities to move to other areas of the city.

In 1993, the Jacksonville City Council adopted Mayor Ed Austin's River City Renaissance plan, which includes $33 million to renovate the LaVilla and Brooklyn areas. Groundbreaking for the $4.2 million Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum took place in 1998. One year later, the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum building was completed. The grand opening took place on Sept. 30, 1999.

Theme: African American Cultural History Street Address: 829 N Davis St Jacksonville, FL 32202 (904) 632-5555 Hours of Operation: Hours of Operation: Tuesday- Friday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunday 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: 6.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Relevant Web Site: [Web Link] Food Court: Not Listed Gift Shop: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/08/2012 sassainfl visited it 08/12/2008 macleod1 visited it 05/17/2008 lazyCachers visited it

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