JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood is seeing a spirited revival , quite literally, at the site of the century-old Lawton L. Pratt Undertaking Co. Funeral home.

Now shuttered since 2019, the 110-year-old brick building at 525 W. Beaver Street is being carefully transformed into short-term rental units that honor its past while giving it a brand-new life.

Developer Eric Adler, founder of Silver Street Management, purchased the property in 2021 for approximately $645,000 to $650,000 and has invested roughly $4 million into its adaptive reuse.

The property was designed and built in 1916 by Joseph Haygood Blodgett, an influential African American architect and builder of the era.

The conversion plan, designed by Eric's mom Jill Adler, includes 13 short-term rental un

See Full Page