Long-time Resident Profile Series

Name: Cathy Campbell and her son, Ian Campbell.

Age: Cathy is 50 years old. Ian is 13 ½  years old.

Status: Divorced

Location: Laura Street

Occupation: Cathy is an Accountant. Ian is a student at The Greenwood School.

Fun Fact:  Ian’s cousin, Mike Campbell, is the lead guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  Which means that, when Ian attends a concert, he gets to go backstage and hang with the band.

Q: What brought you to Springfield ?

A: I moved to Jacksonville in 1985, from the Florida Panhandle. I was raised on the beaches of Panama City, and then went off to school at Florida State in Tallahassee. I moved to Jacksonville because my aunt lived here, in Riverside, and she had a nice couch for me to sleep on until I found a job. My aunt and I both loved historic neighborhoods, so we enjoyed spending the weekends driving around those areas in Jacksonville. That’s when I found Springfield, prior to it becoming a National Historic District.

It was really scary then. We would drive through the neighborhood and marvel at the houses, but at the same time I couldn’t gather up the courage to move here. But I met a woman named Joyce Holbrook one day, a true neighborhood pioneer, and she convinced me that it didn’t hurt looking. Just looking, I told myself. Obviously I did more than just look, though. I bought my house in 1989 for 29k.

Q: What were some of your challenges or concerns at that time?

A: Just getting into to look at houses was challenge. First of all, everything was cash deal. No financing was available. Second, you needed to bring a crow bar, flashlight, and a dog to look at a house – so many were boarded up and abandoned with who knows what living in there.
The other challenge was the crime. My mother was living with me at the time I bought the house, but she wouldn’t make the move with me. And I don’t blame her; it was rough. Shootings were common. Drugs dealers and prostitutes were common. Bullets hit the side of my house one time. I was scared to sit out on my front porch of my own house!

Q: What kind of changes have you seen since 1999?

A: There were very few families and children in the neighborhood back then. Very few that you would feel comfortable with your child playing with, at least. It was not a very family-orientated place. If you saw someone walking down the street, there was a good chance it was a prostitute or a drug dealer. Like others have said, it was the Wild Wild West…..not a place to raise a family.

Now we have lots of families and professionals in the neighborhood. Good people that have put their money where their mouth is. It’s still getting better now, even in this tough market. Now when you see someone walking down the sidewalk, it’s probably just a mother pushing a stroller or someone walking up to the corner store.

Q: Does your house have a story?

A: Back then, most houses never officially hit the market, everything was for sale whether it had a sign in the yard or not. Joyce, whom I mentioned earlier, just told me to make a list of my favorite houses and then we would see which one’s could be bought. Two others were sold just before I could get them, so I “settled” for my 3rd choice. It’s a 1904, three story, 3500 square foot house with a wrap around porch and so much character that I bought it twice. Yup, twice.

I originally bought it in 1989, and it was a wreck. Garbage up to your knees in every room. Black streaks across the walls, broken plaster everywhere, and a sink and refrigerator in every bedroom. I cleaned it up as best I could, and started doing demo work on it. A few years later in 1991, my husband at the time, who was in the Coast Guard, was transferred, so we had to move. I sold my house to a neighbor for a loss.

When my husband, at the time, left the Coast Guard we moved back to Jacksonville. This time to Arlington. One day, he said, “I must be going crazy, but I miss the old neighborhood”, referring to Springfield. I was secretly hoping we would move back, so I was thrilled. I called the neighbor who I sold my house to, and he was willing to sell it back to me. So we bought it again, and moved here again in 1995. 

To my dismay, the house had been damaged even more. That’s when my restoration efforts began. I did most of the work myself. The house was restored, paycheck-to-paycheck, one project at a time. It was daunting, but by focusing on just one project at a time I never was overwhelmed. The restoration took 11 years. I just finished 4 years ago, in 2006. During that time, my son Ian was born and I was divorced. Of course I could have hired a contractor, but I wanted to do the work myself.

Q: What did you enjoy about the neighborhood when you first moved here in 1989?

A: The houses. In ’89, that’s about the only thing you could enjoy! Of course, the pioneers were all good people. If you needed something you could count on them. SPAR Council would organize “work parties”, where fellow pioneers would help work on big renovation projects in someone’s house. Those were fun too.

Q:  What do you enjoy most about the neighborhood now?

Cathy: Well I still enjoy the houses, especially now that so many have been restored. The new houses are nice too. But the people are what really make it special. 

I know neighbors. Not just the people living beside me, or on my block, but neighbors that live 8 blocks away. There are so many events, organizations, and activities you can get involved with. So much to do.

Ian: I like to feed the ducks in the park, work with the SACARC (Springfield Animal Care and Rescue Club) animals, and ride my bike.

Q: Do you take part in any of the neighborhood events or organizations?

A: I was a founding member of SACARC and am still very involved in that. I’m also a member of SPAR, the Woman’s Club, and Shadco. I try to get to as many meetings as I can, but SACARC is my passion. 

Q: What do you hope to see happen in the neighborhood going forward?

A: More restored homes and home owners, less investors, less illegal rooming houses, more businesses on Main Street, fewer historic houses being torn down, and more residents getting involved in neighborhood issues. 

More hands make light work, you know.

Q: Is there anything that you’d like to say to you someone thinking about moving into the neighborhood?

A: This is not a vanilla, “Beaver Clever” neighborhood. It’s funky and flavorful. So if you’re intimidated by a homeless person walking through the neighborhood, then don’t even bother. 

If you want character, personality, community, and opportunity, then you’ll probably like the Springfield Historic District.

New Resident Profile Series

Name: Crissie, Max, and Charlotte Cudd

Age: “Mature”, “mature”, and 24 respectively.

Status: Crissie and Max are husband and wife.

Location: Hubbard Street

Occupation: Crissie is a Watson real estate manger, Max works in commercial real estate, and Charlotte is a student at UNF.

Fun Fact: The Cudd’s have an impressive the travel resume, having visited China, Central America, Cuba, France, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, among other destinations. Wait….isn’t visiting Cuba illegal?

Q: What brought you to Springfield?

Crissie: Our daughter, Charlotte, was attending Flagler College in St. Johns County. We lived in Naples, FL at the time, so when we came up to visit her we always ended up in Jacksonville. Max and I really enjoy unique, urban neighborhoods, so we used to seek the out in Jacksonville. That’s how we discovered Springfield, and we liked it.

I lost my job in Naples when the real sate bubble burst. We decided we were ready for a change of pace and moved to Jacksonville. Well, we still had to sell our house in Naples, so we rented in Jacksonville for a while. First in Mandarin, but we wanted something more urban and vibrant, so we rented in Riverside. When our house in Naples finally sold, we decided Springfield was the right place for us and here we are. We just moved in in February. 

Max: Springfield just fit our lifestyle. We lived in downtown Atlanta for 8 years and loved it. So we wanted something somewhat similar. Something that was walkable, bikeable, and that felt like a real community.

Q: Did you purchase an old or new house, and why?

Max: We bought a new house. We’ve been at this moving thing a while and know that older houses can come with more maintenance. I didn’t want to go down that road again.

Crissie: Our house is new, yes, but had been very abused. The people living here before us, renters, were just horrible to the property. There was small fire damage in the kitchen and pet urine and candle wax everywhere. 

Q: How did you decide that this specific house was the one for you?

We originally wanted an original, historic home, but everything just fell together for this one.

The molding is probably what did it for me. Very nice.

Q: What did your family and friends think of your decision to move into the neighborhood?

Crissie: Mixed emotions, I guess. Our friends and family that like older, more interesting neighborhoods think its great. The ones that have lived in the suburbs all their lives are dazed and confused about the whole thing.

Q: Since moving in, what have you enjoyed most about the neighborhood?

Crissie: The absolute best thing about the neighborhood is the people.

Max: We knew it had attractive architecture and a city lifestyle we enjoy, but we didn’t know how welcoming and active the community would be. More so than any other place we’ve ever lived. It’s a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

We also like frequenting the local businesses in the neighborhood. Three Layer’s monthly wine tastings especially.

Q: Do you plan on participating in any neighborhood events or organizations?

Crissie: We haven’t missed a First Friday party yet! We also participated in the Bike Tour, Home & Garden Tour, and the recent tree plantings in Klutho Park. We’re trying to ease in. 

Q: How do you see the neighborhood evolving in the future?

Crissie: Generally, the trend is very positive. People are buying to live here now, rather than just buying as an investment flip. That trend should continue. Obviously we think the neighborhood has good things in it’s future……we moved here didn’t we? 

Specifically, I’d really like to see the city put money into cleaning up Hogans Creek. It’s time they make that commitment.

Max: I’d like to see Main Street develop into something like Ft. Lauderdale’s Los Olas Boulevard. It’s a hip, eclectic collection of shops, restaurants, and clubs. I think Main Street can become something similar to that, it’ll just take time.

I’d also like to see the Emerald Necklace of parks fully restored and rejuvenated as Henry Klutho, the original architect, intended them to be. It would be a showpiece for the city.

Q: What advice would you give to people considering making a move to Springfield?

Crissie: You’ll learn everything you need to know about the neighborhood at a First Friday social!

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