Historic Springfield Tour of Homes: Fascinating Renovated Historic Home Inspiration

Historic Springfield is a turn of the century district adjacent to downtown Jacksonville that's in the process of being beautifully revitalized after years of disrepair. Named by the January 2010 issue of Southern Living as the #1 Comeback neighborhood in the South, it's filled with charming bungalows and victorian style homes, nearly each one equipped with dreamy wrap-around porches for enjoying sunny  Florida days. On this tour we left early enough to see all the homes (for once!) here's what we saw:

Tour Starting Location

Your starting location is a gorgeous rehabbed 1880s-1900s era commercial building. The colors and fixtures are modern but keeping some of the historic brick and fixtures retains some history.

House #1

Our first stop was a massive home the juxtaposed traditional furnishings with comic book and disney collections. I appreciated a Bat Symbol decal on a front window in a style that almost mirrored the home's original stained glass installments. The tall-walled, spacious, renovated kitchen, master suite in-progress in the attic space and 9 (!) headed shower were awe inspiring.

House #2

Our second home required shoes-off before entrance, when you saw the immaculate black flooring you knew why! This home was still in-progress and near-empty but still striking, with up-to-the-minute modern immunities and sleek building materials in all in black, white, or slate gray. Again, the fresh new sinks and bathrooms were incredible!

House #3

House 4 had the cozy, artful feel of a space curated by an art professor or a museum creator. Every collection or corner was arranged with beautiful adherence to classic design principles. I enjoyed the worldly art and natural collections. There was gemstones, sea shells, Buddhist sculptures, and beautiful art pottery scattered throughout the home.

House #4

House #4 was one of my favorites. One unit in a triplex, small but cozy with perfect space utilization and a clean youthful vibe. It was one of AJ's favorites, too.

House #5

This home's exterior belied it's massive size. The interior kept going and going! A spacious home with a dreamy entire upper floor for the master bedroom with plush carpeting a beautiful, airy connected bath. That tub! Another show-stopped was a large brick fireplace in the living room/entryway. The whole home had an old world European vibe.

House #6

The final house was the size of a small museum! I'd love for that to be open to the public just so I can hang out on those massive porches. With tea. And snacks. Let me in! Volunteers informed us of the colorful history, pointing out servants stairways, butler's pantries and a servant's bathroom converted into a wine cellar. The home was converted into a boarding home for the needy in the 1930s, even the balconies were divided into living spaces.

It was a lot of fun to explore the beautiful homes, contemplate the personalities son the owners via the furnishings and music (when available) and just enjoy the sunny day in Springfield. I'll be back to tour new homes next year and explore the area more in the meantime.

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