Monopoly is coming to Jacksonville… or, maybe, Jacksonville is coming to Monopoly.
But not exactly for the first time.
As city officials plan for the 2025 launch of a Jacksonville-themed Monopoly board game, a vintage version from four decades ago reveals a veritable time capsule into the First Coast of the mid-1980s.
While long gone from shelves, the 1980s local version — not officially affiliated with Monopoly and titled simply "Jacksonville" — included dozens of Duval County businesses, institutions and events from an earlier era of the city.
The original "Jacksonville" essentially transferred the classic Monopoly board to the First Coast, with appropriate local touches and a few changes. The bank was Barnett Bank, bought by NationsBank in the late 1990s, while the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce replaced the Community Chest cards.
Of the landmarks, some remain prominent today, while others… not so much.
Since "Jacksonville" is essentially a variant of Monopoly, the Chamber of Commerce and Risk cards can turn the action upside down quickly with a Duuuval-flavored flip of the card.
Try "You are Involved in I-95 Fender Bender… Pay $50 for Repairs." Or "First Place Finish In The River Run. Collect $25." Or "Scalp Two Florida-Georgia Tickets. Collect $100."
Also of note for today's audience: what "Jacksonville" didn't include.
No Jacksonville Jaguars, who came into existence in November 1993 and kicked off their first NFL regular season game in September 1995. No cruise terminal at JaxPort, opened in October 2003. No Avenues Mall (1990) or St. Johns Town Center (2005).
No Dames Point Bridge, although the old version's box does show two bridges over the St. Johns River (the Main Street Bridge and the since-reconstructed Acosta Bridge, plus a glimpse of the former Times-Union building in the distant background). The Gulf Life Tower and Independent Life Building, both long ago renamed, stand tall on either end of the Main Street Bridge near the center.
The real-world city in the 1980s did have tolls on the roadways, although they don't factor into the gameplay. Maybe, for realism's sake, they should have.
Here's a tour around the original "Jacksonville" board, including its Monopoly counterparts.
GO: Barnett Bank.
Notable: The longtime Jacksonville-based bank, with its distinctive bright green sign, was a local institution for over a century until its acquisition by NationsBank in a process that stretched through 1997 and 1998. The bank eventually became part of Bank of America.
MEDITERRANEAN AVENUE: Cindy's Hallmark Shoppe, Cedar Hills Shopping Center, $60.
BALTIC AVENUE: Atlantic Plaza Card & Gift Shop, 5628 Atlantic Blvd., and Elizabeth's Hallmark Shoppe, Gateway Shopping Center, $60.
Notable: A rare space with two businesses combined in a single "Jacksonville" property.
INCOME TAX: Allsafe Security Systems, Inc., $200.
Notable: This replaces the familiar Income Tax space, and can be developed like other properties.
READING RAILROAD: Gateway Shopping Center, $200.
Notable: Shopping malls like Gateway take the place of the railroads.
ORIENTAL AVENUE: Boyko's Big Oak Sport Shops, $100.
VERMONT AVENUE: Norwood Bike & Mower, $100.
CONNECTICUT AVENUE: Holmes Home Center, $120.
ST. CHARLES PLACE: Hoyt Stereo, $140.
ELECTRIC COMPANY: Putt-Putt Golf & Games, $200.
Notable: This represents an increase in value from the conventional Monopoly board.
STATES AVENUE: Honey's Fashions, Ladies Fashions & Accessories, $140.
VIRGINIA AVENUE: Hurst Florist, $160.
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD: Grande Boulevard Mall, $200.
Notable: The short-lived Grande Boulevard Mall, opened in November 1983 with a decidedly upscale business model, lasted barely a decade before Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) acquired the property as what would become the Deerwood Center.
ST. JAMES PLACE: University Hospital of Jacksonville, $180.
Notable: The hospital has since gone through multiple name changes: University Medical Center, Shands Jacksonville and the current UF Health Jacksonville.
TENNESSEE AVENUE: W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc., $180.
NEW YORK AVENUE: The Prudential, $200.
FREE PARKING: H.E.I. Parking (Howard Enterprises, Inc.).
KENTUCKY AVENUE: Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Company (SWD) Mortgage Bankers, $220.
INDIANA AVENUE: Gate Petroleum Company, $220.
Notable: The preceding spaces ended up linked by more than just a game board. In 1983, Herb Peyton of Gate paid an estimated $60 million for around 20,000 acres of SWD real estate holdings, including substantial amounts of what became highly valuable property in the Deerwood, Ponte Vedra Beach and Southside areas.
ILLINOIS AVENUE: Burger King, $240.
B&O RAILROAD: Roosevelt Mall, $200.
Notable: The former enclosed mall was converted into an open-air mall in a large-scale 1997 renovation, then redeveloped again in 2021.
ATLANTIC AVENUE: Naegele Outdoor Advertising Company, $260.
Notable: Naegele was Jacksonville's largest billboard company, with an estimated 1,500 billboards in the city, at its April 1996 acquisition by Chicago-based Universal Outdoor Holdings, as reported in the Times-Union at the time.
VENTNOR AVENUE: WJXT, $260.
Notable: The broadcaster's logo on the board is displayed with its gold and red color scheme that remained until the mid-1990s.
WATER WORKS: IRS Audit, pay $75.
Notable: This space is also a change from the standard Monopoly board.
MARVIN GARDENS: WIVY 103 FM, $280.
Notable: A Top 40 station in the 1980s then widely known as "Y-103," the station at 102.9 FM has changed call signs and formats several times in the subsequent decades. WEZI, owned by Cox Media Group, currently broadcasts at the frequency.
PACIFIC AVENUE: Jacksonville University, $300.
NORTH CAROLINA AVENUE: O'Steens Pharmacies, "Your Prescription Centers," $300.
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE: Holiday Inn Baymeadows and Gabriel's Restaurant & Lounge, $320.
Notable: Like Baltic Avenue, a rare combination property.
SHORT LINE: Regency Square, $200.
PARK PLACE: Landcom Development Co., $350.
LUXURY TAX: University Christian Schools, $150.
Notable: The Southside school replaces the Luxury Tax space.
BOARDWALK: Coggin Pontiac/GMC, Datsun & Honda, $400.
Notable: The Datsun name disappeared from car dealerships later in the 1980s, replaced by Nissan.
