The "Color Is Soul" - Let Our Boys Be Boys

Overlooked Black History: Durkeeville - Ennis Davis


Situated on the opposite side of Interstate 95 from Downtown Jacksonville, Durkeeville is a historic neighborhood less known and promoted than its neighbors to the east and south. Also known as Mid-Westside Jacksonville, this neighborhood is the result of the growth and prosperity of Jacksonville's African-American community during segregation.

Published February 12, 2018
Ennis Davis - The Jaxon Magazine

Kings Road through Durkeeville in February 1948. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

The area of Jacksonville known as Durkeeville largely owes its existence to the establishment of the North Jacksonville Street Railway, Town and Improvement Company in 1902. Called the “Colored Man’s Railroad,” this black-owned streetcar system connected Northwest Jacksonville with downtown, using Kings Road, Myrtle Avenue, 13th Street and Davis Street to form a transit loop north of LaVilla. Opening ceremonies were held on August 24, 1903 at Mason Park with several dignitaries, including Mayor George M. Nolan and former Mayor Duncan U. Fletcher, giving speeches. Owned by the streetcar company, Mason Park was situated at the present day site of Stanton College Preparatory School near Myrtle Avenue and West 13th Street.

The Kings Road Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (S-Line) crossing on February 2, 1942. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

The streetcar routes grew to be one of the city’s most used, stimulating African-American oriented transit oriented development along their path in Durkeeville, LaVilla, Sugar Hill and Hansontown. Within a few years after its opening, the Cookman Institute (now Daytona Beach-based Bethune-Cookman University) and Edward Waters College had relocated their educational campuses near the line. By the end of the Florida Land Boom, the portion of neighborhood south of West 8th Street had largely built out as a walkable district filled with a large collection of small multifamily dwellings.

Edward Waters College was founded in 1884. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

At the time, a significant plot of land north of the neighborhood’s Barnett’s Subdivision plat was owned by Dr. Jay H. Durkee. Durkee was a prominent real estate developer and son of Union military officer Joseph Harvey Durkee. Originally from New York, Durkee settled in Jacksonville after the Civil War. The Durkee family initially envisioned their property being used for industrial and railroad related uses adjacent to the new Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Railroad. At one point, to stimulate industrial growth, a rail spur was extended to Myrtle Avenue just south of West 13th Street. After those plans failed to materialize, much of the property was platted to accommodate Jacksonville’s rapidly growing African-American middle class.

In 1937, the Public Works Administration completed the 215-unit Durkeeville public housing development just south of West 8th Street between Myrtle Avenue and the SAL Railroad line. This was immediately followed by the development Durkee’s remaining property into an upscale African-American subdivision roughly bounded by the public housing development, the SAL railroad, 13th Street and Whitner Street. Through the end of segregation, Durkeeville was home to Jacksonville’s prominent African-American physicians, educators, business people and religious leaders.

Aerial and locator map of Durkeeville in 1943. The red lines represent the neighborhood’s streetcar routes that operated from 1903 to 1936. The southern section of the neighborhood between Kings Road and West 8th Street, platted as Barnett’s Subdivision, was largely built out by 1930.

With many of its homes designed and built by African-American contractors James Edwards Hutchins and Sanford Augustus Brookings, the neighborhood’s collection of mid-century red brick structures continue to create a unique contextual look and environment just west of Historic Springfield and Interstate 95. While discussion about Durkeeville in the preservation and architectural community may be lacking, a drive down the neighborhood’s streets and a look into its past reveals an intact historic pedestrian scale district the city should embrace.

In honor of Black History Month, here’s a look at a historic urban core neighborhood worthy of significant recognition.

A Google Earth aerial and locator map of Durkeeville in 2018. While the construction of Interstate 95 in the late 1950s destroyed neighboring Sugar Hill, being “out of sight, out of mind” to urban renewal gimmicks has resulted in an early 20th century historic African-American community virtually remaining in-tact.

Durkeeville: South of West 8th Street

Adjacent to LaVilla and several industrial companies along the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad, the section of Durkeeville generally south of West 8th Street, was largely developed by 1930. While the Barnett’s Subdivision was the most significant plat, smaller subdivisions in the vicinity included Wolfes Subdivision, Hilderbrant Subdivision, Millers Addition, Vances Subdivision, Replat of West Jacksonville Annex, and Jacksons Subdivision.

This santuary now owned by Spoken Word Ministries at 1445 Steele Street was completed in 1940.

1482 Steele Street is a duplex that was completed in 1927.

1355 Grothe Street was completed in 1931.

1345 Grothe Street was completed in 1929.

1338 Grothe Street was completed in 1925.

1237 Hart Street was completed in 1916.

1254 and 1254 Hart Street are duplex buildings that were constructed in 1915.

1269 Hart Street is a duplex that was completed in 1914.

1254 West 6th Street was completed in 1919.

1331 West 6th Street Was completed in 1914.

1405 West 6th Street was completed in 1917.

1403 Steele Street was completed in 1924.

1326 Hart Street was completed in 1931.

1360 Hart Street was completed in 1929.

1641 Tyler Street was built in 1924.

1663 Tyler Street is a duplex that was completed in 1919.

A sign of a true pedestrian friendly neighborhood, Durkeeville’s side streets ocassionally offer corner markets such as this building at 1501 Mcconihe Street that was completed in 1954.

1456 West 8th Street was completed in 1928.

1420 West 8th Street was completed in 1937.

The Oaks at Durkeeville development is located between Myrtle Avenue and the S-Line Urban Greenway (former SAL Railroad). The original 215-unit Durkeeville public housing complex opened for occupancy in 1937, as a project built under the Public Works Administration. The old projects were replaced by The Oaks at Durkeeville in 1999, as Florida’s first redevelopment under the HOPE VI program.

The development, in the heart of Durkeeville, consists of 164 apartments, 28 market-rate single family homes, and a 36-unit senior living facility featuring retail space along Myrtle Avenue. Shortly after its completion, the development was identified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as one of the top public housing projects in the country for bringing new businesses to a neighborhood.

Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com

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Founder/Creative Director: Dr. Dominique Shane Tull PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT

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    Dominique’s commitment to family is the anchor behind everything he builds. Long before Old Sole, long before the clinics, research labs, or creative work, he saw leadership first at home—as a husband, a father, and a man of God.

    He’s married to Khalliah Grace Bryant-Tull, a marriage and family therapist whose work in Jacksonville is as impactful as it is heartfelt. Her grounding presence, her insight, and her partnership shape much of the intention behind his work.

    Dominique is also a father to two children who quietly influence the direction of his purpose. His son, Ari Anthony Tull, has already found his way into the creative world—appearing naturally in the Colors Collection as a reflection of the joy and authenticity Dom hopes Old Sole always carries. His daughter, Ellah Faith Tull, is young, curious, and growing fast, reminding him daily why legacy and stability matter.

    For Dominique, faith is the blueprint. Following Christ informs how he leads his home, how he moves through the world, and how he defines fatherhood. The same principles he brings to his family—patience, accountability, service, and love—show up in his work. Every project and every long night spent designing, printing, or refining is ultimately rooted in creating security, opportunity, and strength for the people God entrusted to him.

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    Dominique Shane Tull is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, an Orthopaedic Certified Specialist, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Manual Physical Therapists—but his path has always been more than just medicine. It’s about movement, history, and design.

    Born in Nashville, TN, Dominique’s early academic career began at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology. His passion for rehabilitation deepened while interning in the Constraint-Induced Therapy Lab under Dr. Edward Taub and Dr. David Morris, PT, DPT, which led him to pursue his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, graduating in 2018. He then continued on to complete his Orthopaedic Residency and Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Fellowship at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida from 2018-2021.

  • Initial Inspiration - Old Sole

    During PT school, Dominique took an orthotics course in 2017—a moment that planted the first seed for Old Sole. He realized how expensive, bulky, and unfashionable orthopedic footwear was, and he believed there had to be a way to merge biomechanics with artistry to create something better. At first, it was just a thought: Could footwear be functional and stylish at the same time?

    In 2019, that thought evolved into purpose. While taking "Thinking on Your Feet," a continuing education course taught by Dr. Tony Bare, PT, DPT, Dominique discovered how footwear could truly optimize foot function in ways no shoe had before. This realization sent him deeper into research, exploring how gait mechanics, pain reduction, and design innovation could come together to create a shoe that doesn’t just support movement—but improves it.

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    Dominique’s work has always been rooted in community. His biggest goal—both personally and professionally—is to uplift, support, and revitalize Black communities in Jacksonville and beyond. Every project he touches, whether it’s footwear design, education, or creative storytelling, is tied back to that mission.

    He believes deeply in the power of education and community, and sees them as two of the strongest pillars for real, lasting change. That belief shows up not only in his designs and research, but also in the spaces he helps create. As a co-creator of Wind Down Wednesday, Dominique uses community-driven platforms and events to bring people together, celebrate local culture, and build connection across the city.

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