Public Art

Park Street Bridge Mural Celebrate the Rich History of LaVilla and Brooklyn 

The 1,100-foot-long mural along the Park Street Bridge on the Emerald Trail LaVilla Link celebrates the rich history of Jacksonville’s LaVilla and Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Led by artist Overstreet Ducasse, in collaboration with artists Grace Bio, Dustin Harewood, and Alexi McMonigle, the mural is a tribute to the past, encapsulating the essence of LaVilla and Brooklyn’s cultural legacy. The mural, which took more than four months to complete, was underwritten by donors Rushton and Charles Callaghan.

According to Ducasse, the community played a key role in bringing the mural to life. “The whole process for the project began with us listening to the stories told by residents of the neighborhoods.” He added that those stories inspired the artists to create a pop-up storybook-style theme. “The emerald jewels represent gems of knowledge adorned with the rich and glamorous history of LaVilla and Brooklyn.”

The mural features key historical figures including an interpretation of a Jacksonville native, a Union soldier, and women representing the Gullah Geechee culture. A train is followed by railroad porters and baseball players in their red caps —a nod to Union Station porters who played for the Negro League baseball team the Red Caps.

Several historic landmarks are also depicted including the Ritz Theatre which holds special meaning for Ducasse who has exhibited there for more than 20 years, and Stanton High School, Florida’s first official school for African Americans when it opened in 1869.

 

Sugar Hill Mosaic Honors the Once Vibrant Neighborhood

Central to our mission is to build and activate the Emerald Trail, complete with recreation and public art. The Sugar Hill Mosaic, commissioned by Groundwork in collaboration with Kate Rouh and her late husband Kenny Rouh of RouxArt, was the first of many planned public art projects that will be installed along the Emerald Trail over the next decade.

The mosaic is located along the S-Line Rail Trail under the I-95 overpass near 2429 N. Davis Street, Jacksonville, FL 32209

Sugar Hill is a five-foot high, 96-foot long mosaic honors the Sugar Hill, once the center of African American prosperity in Northeast Florida. An estimated 41,000 individual tile pieces were laid by RouxArt, Green Team youth and hundreds of volunteers from all areas of the community.

Groundwork’s Green Team Youth Corps hosted an event along the S-Line in 2017 where they asked Sugar Hill residents what they’d like to see depicted in the mosaic. Those ideas inspired RouxArt’s design which features six themed panels:

  • History of Sugar Hill – Honors the grand homes, buildings and prominent residents of Sugar Hill
  • Peace – Features colorful peace signs
  • Neighborhood Fun – Inspired by children playing and everyday neighborhood activities
  • Green Team Youth Corps – Recognizes Green Team’s extensive work along the S-Line
  • Love Graffiti – Memorializes a graffiti image that once appeared where the mosaic hangs today
  • Jax Starry Night – Jacksonville Skyline image inspired by the famous painting by Vincent van Gogh

Green Team Mosaic Panel

Mosaic Donors:

  • Bill and Julie Sorenson
  • A Springfield Friend
  • Late Bloomers Garden Club
  • North Florida Land Trust
  • UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville
  • UF Health Jacksonville
  • United Way of Northeast Florida.
  • Haskell provided engineering and installation expertise as an in-kind donation.

Special Thanks:

  • City Councilman Reginald Gaffney, District 7, for sponsoring the project bill
  • FDOT
  • Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville – Art in Public Places
  • COJ Parks, Recreation and Community Services