Writing to Repair in Community: Describing Chinoiserie in the Buckland Family Collection
by Elaine Slayton Akin, RAP Archivist From its grass-roots beginnings in 1974, Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) has focused its resources on protecting the history and culture of the Riverside and Avondale historic districts, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and ’89, respectively. RAP has long-championed the beloved character of the neighborhoods, […]
John Murray Forbes Park: A Love Letter to Riverside, Yarden Tour Feature
by Elaine Slayton Akin, RAP Archivist “Never was such force, good meaning, good sense, good action, combined with such domestic lovely behavior, such modesty and persistent preference for others. Wherever he moved he was the benefactor…” –Ralph Waldo Emerson of John Murray Forbes, Letters and Social Aims (1855) John Murray Forbes (1813–1898) made his mark […]
51st Annual Home Tour: Experience the Charm of Jacksonville’s Historic Neighborhoods
One of Jacksonville’s most beloved springtime traditions returns! Riverside Avondale Preservation’s (RAP) 51st annual Home Tour, scheduled for April 12-13, invites you to step inside some of the city’s most beautiful homes while supporting vital preservation efforts. During this year’s tour, find out the story behind “Bourbon Alley” and how another featured property evolved from […]
Preservation and Service Awards 2025
Riverside Avondale Preservation is pleased to announce that we received a number of nominations for acts of service and building projects completed in 2024, many deserving recognition for outstanding work. For renovation, restoration, or new construction projects, a small jury of seasoned architects selected this year’s winners, and another panel of experts selected individuals or […]
Presidential Connections of a Jacksonville Man
by Elaine Slayton Akin, RAP Archivist It is widely known among those in the neighborhood who remember when the Buckland House was bequeathed to Riverside Avondale Preservation in 1990, that much of the home’s contents, the Buckland family’s material possessions, was donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont, Ohio. At first, I imagine […]