Recently, I read on a blog that Annie Lytle Housh, former teacher and principal of School number four, which was once called Riverside Park School and now called “Annie Lytle”,  lived so close to the school that she could see the children at play.  Unable to find that home in any records under her single or married name, I did research to find that Anne Housh  lived off of Post on Hershell Street. The more I thought about it, stood on the street where she once lived, and looked towards the school, the more I realized that it could be true that she could see “children at play” on the school yard if….  Yes, children could be seen and heard by her from her front porch if the present walls of Interstate 10 were not there, no trees blocked the school yard and the homes in front of her house on Hershell were not there at the time.

  In many descriptions the school is said to “overlook Riverside Park”.  That being the case, Annie Lytle could indeed watch and even listen to the children on the playground as she lived in the house overlooking the park  from north to south in the neighborhood of the school in which she taught and was principal for over 35 years. 

Even now, the Riverside area of Jacksonville, Florida is a quaint area with unique homes and many with sustaining presence for our city. Many important and upstanding people of Jacksonville’s history have lived in and around the Riverside area over the years such as former Mayor Jonathan Greeley, Captain William James, millionaire John Murray Forbes, Art collector, Nina Cummer , Senator Wilkinson Call and more.  Annie Lytle would have good company in the Riverside area going forward.

Mrs. Annie Lytle Housh was by the account of the 1940 census record at least 62 when she lived at that address on the North side of the Hershell Road address with her older sister, Elenor Lytle, and her younger sister, Mary with her husband Charles Roberts. 

Riverside Park School has had quite a history over these more than 100 years.  Prior to a school named in the former principal’s honor,  there was an 1891 wooden schoolhouse at that location and was referred to as,  Riverside Grammar school.  There is a park in the front yard of the school thus the name “park” fit it perfectly.

In 1915, the Duval County Public Schools set up a bond program of $1 million to build new schools. Public school number four was one of them and artchitect Rutledge Homes would complete the job in 1918. 

Annie Lytle became principal at the school and in the 1950’s its name was changed to Annie Lytle Elementary School Number Four.  The school rocked along for many years but when the busy interstate was literally built in its front yard, the noise from all of the traffic caused educators to realize the school was no longer usable for learning.  The children could not hear themselves think.

Very recently I dropped by to take some photographs of the old school.  I walked the entire outer premises of the fenced building.  I myself could hardly think due to the tremendous noise from traffic, fast-paced cars and automobiles zooming past above where I stood.

Annie Lytle school served the Riverside area for many years until an interstate road would disrupt its success and bring about great loss.  At one time, the building, programs, events for learning was on a grand scale.  The beautiful façade and the stately columns would serve the Jacksonville area well until it was closed in 1960.  For at least a decade after closure, it was used as storage for the school system.  It was condemned in 1971 and yet still some thought they might could rescue it from demolition.  In 1980 the Ida Stevens Foundation bought the dilapidated school for $168,000 in hopes to put condos or living space there but eventually let it fall to tax default where it was picked up by Tarpon IV LLC in 2011 for a tax deed sale of $86,600.

Annie Lytle school was given the designation of an historic building in the year 2000.  There were hopes someone would save it.   In 2005, a team lead by Tim Kinnear, was formed calling themselves the “Annie Lytle Preservation Group”. For years they cleaned and did what they could to hold on to the dream to save the school but of late, the property seems too far gone and while many tried to save it, nothing  substantial has come to fruition.  From numerous break-ins, horrible graffitti, a fire, torrential rain coming onto the roof and it caving, the school is in such disrepair it is unfortunately, more than likely it is doomed.

Annie Lytle House was born in Ohio on December 31, 1871.  She began her teaching career at Riverside Grammar School at the age of 17.  She would teach and become the principal spending at least 35 years there.  The school closed some three years after her February 21, 1957 death. She is buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

We’re still hoping for Annie Lytle Public School Number Four.

See you tomorrow,

Nan