Tag Archives: Norman Studios

Arlington is reinventing itself–it’s on the move. Rooted in history and continuing through the , Arlington development exploded with the opening of the Mathews Bridge in 1953. Miles and miles of riverfront property wrap around the first North-to-East bend of the river from Downtown, heading out to the Atlantic Ocean. In addition to indigenous peoples, the French, Spanish, British and Americans have walked its ground, shaded under towering oak trees through centuries. Its apex began in the mid-20th century as a post-haven for new housing, expansion of communities, and soon, a private university using the namesake of the city, . …

In 1920, Flagler’s East Coast Railway trains rolled down the tracks from the cold North to paradise down South. With bags packed carefully with top hats, watches on gold chains, silk dresses and pearls in velvet bags, onwards the snowbirds came to enjoy the Florida sunshine and bask in warm weather with the sweet smell of orange blossoms in the air. Yes, the rich and famous left the snow and sleet…and stopped in Jacksonville, part of what some called America’s Riviera, which had become the winter film capital of the world. The Rockefellers, Astors, Tiffanys and their friends brought big …

Traveling through Arlington today, you might be surprised by its rich history and former cultural distance from Jacksonville proper. Geographically, some of its elevated land makes it unusual for North Florida. For early residents, that high land meant beautiful views and excellent drainage, a highly valued commodity when it came to public health through the 1900s. Like a lot of the land around the St. Johns River, shows evidence of human occupation by Native Americans, dating as far back as 5000 B.C. The most notable evidence in Arlington is several Indian mounds, such as the Shields Mound, a hill so …