Cohen Brothers Store, St. James Building (Jacksonville City Hall)

Occupying the entire block, the St. James Building has been a Jacksonville landmark since its completion in 1912. The Cohen brothers, who commissioned the construction of the building, hired renowned Jacksonville architect Henry John Klutho to design and supervise the construction of this mammoth building. The building takes its name from the famous St. James Hotel that occupied the site until it was destroyed by the 1901 fire that destroyed much of downtown Jacksonville.

The store occupied the first two floors with offices on the top two floors, including the new offices of Klutho himself. At one time it was the largest department store in the South and the ninth largest in the United States. The building has been rehabilitated and now serves as the Jacksonville City Hall. The four Cohen brothers, Samuel, Morris, Julius, and Jacob, came to Jacksonville in 1867 and founded the Cohen Brothers Company in 1870. The company was in business until the 1980s.

Information courtesy of Florida Division of Historical Resources, a division of the Florida Department of State.

Image courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/164004