517-527 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL

Built in 1895, it opened as the Prospect House, a hotel designed not just for rest, but for rendezvous. Nestled in the heart of Jacksonville’s LaVilla district—then infamous for its sex trade—the Prospect House operated as a low-cost brothel during the height of the city’s “Vice Wars.” Hidden peepholes, shadowy transactions, and regular raids by police made it one of the most talked-about addresses on Bay Street.

When the Great Fire of 1901 reduced much of Jacksonville to ash, the Adams Building stood its ground. Made of brick and iron, it became a refuge for 500 of the 10,000 displaced—and later, resumed its infamous trade. For decades, the brothel persisted through Prohibition, corruption, and waves of urban neglect.

But the story didn’t end in vice. In the 1970s, the building passed to local pawnbroker Peter Lesnick. His grandson later handed over the decaying upstairs hotel to Hank Smith, a recovering addict who transformed it into the St. James Recovery Center—a safe, sober space for men reclaiming their lives.

Today, the Adams Building is one of the few original structures left in LaVilla, a neighborhood gutted by 1990s urban renewal. Now, with the University of Florida establishing a graduate campus just blocks away, the area is poised for another major transformation.

Community organizers are pushing to list LaVilla on the National Register of Historic Places. If successful, any future demolition or alterations would require approval from the U.S. Park Service—offering long-overdue protection for what’s left of one of Jacksonville’s most culturally significant neighborhoods.

The Adams Building isn’t just a survivor. It’s a witness. A former brothel that now anchors a new chapter for LaVilla—proof that even the most scandalous pasts can become part of a city’s soul.