El Modelo Block - Jacksonville, FL
N 30° 19.642 W 081° 39.864
17R E 436130 N 3355248
The El Modelo Block is located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Historically, it was the site of the El Modelo Cigar Manufacturing Company, and later the Plaza Hotel. It is now used as commercial office space.
Waymark Code: WMPWJ8
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2015
Views: 1
"This building, at 501 West Bay Street, is one of a handful in downtown that survived the Great Fire of 1901. During its early years, it housed Gabriel Hidalgo Gato's (see Old City Cemetery story) El Modelo Cigar Manufacturing Company. After the death of Gato, the building was occupied by the Plaza Hotel and a number of bars in a seedy area of the city.
Needless to say, most don't expect going to get a drink in a bar resulting in their death. In 1907, entering the front door of the building's bar was the last act for a Spanish-American War veteran who was immediately shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Evidently, upset with the tragic events of that day, the ghost of this victim allegedly continues to haunt this building."
--Metro Jacksonville (
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