In September, the largest taproom on San Marco Square closed. Within two weeks, a wine bar of about 1,500 square feet opened a few blocks north on Hendricks Avenue, in buildings that used to sell art supplies. San Marco's newest places to eat and drink are small, and most of them sit along Hendricks rather than on the Square.
Square footage explains most of this. Here is what changed this fall, what is open now and what is on the Balis Park calendar through Thanksgiving weekend.
Two floors overlooking Balis Park
Voodoo Brewing Co. took over the renovated San Marco Building at 1974 San Marco Blvd. The building is 101 years old and faces Balis Park in the middle of the historic retail district. The taproom lasted two years. The Florida Times-Union reported the closure on Sept. 19 and noted it was the Pennsylvania brewery's only Northeast Florida location.
First Coast News gave Sept. 15 as the closing date. It said the location had seating on two floors, with craft beer, cocktails and a full food menu, and that the building needed major renovation before it opened. One of the local franchise co-owners told the station the business faced high food and labor costs, rent and slow foot traffic. He also said the size of the space made it hard to take on. That leaves more than 8,600 square feet empty, overlooking the park.
San Marco wasn't the only place this happened. First Coast News cited the Jacksonville Business Journal: Voodoo was the ninth craft brewery to close in the region since March 2024. Intuition Ale Works, for example, closed downtown in April. Closer to home, Fore Score Golf Tavern at 1407 Atlantic Blvd. closed on Aug. 3, after its lease ran out, according to the Times-Union.
A whole complex built in smaller pieces
The other half of this story is a short walk up Hendricks, at the old Reddi-Arts building complex. Kings Ave Properties LLC owns the site, and its president is Allen Stevens. In August 2025 he told The Resident Community News that the redevelopment, called Hendricks Place, had four buildings with 13,500 square feet in total. Leasable bays range from 1,200 to 6,000 square feet.
Comparing those numbers with the Square shows how different the two places are:
| Space | Size | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Former Voodoo Brewing Co., 1974 San Marco Blvd. | More than 8,600 sq. ft. | One tenant, two floors |
| Hendricks Place, all four buildings | 13,500 sq. ft. total | Several tenants |
| Largest Hendricks Place bay | 6,000 sq. ft. | Single bay |
| Smallest Hendricks Place bay | 1,200 sq. ft. | Single bay |
| The Huguenot, 1039 Hendricks Ave., No. 5 | About 1,500 sq. ft. | One room |
That one closed taproom equals about 64 percent of the floor space across the whole four-building complex. Even the largest bay at Hendricks Place is smaller than what one operator was carrying on the Square. Splitting the complex into bays lets several businesses share the walk-in traffic, the parking and the work of drawing a crowd.
What is open on Hendricks right now
Tavola San Marco was the first business to open at Hendricks Place. The Italian trattoria opened Aug. 3 at 1035 Hendricks Ave., and the Times-Union calls it family-owned. Downtown Vision lists it as open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and describes the food as upscale but approachable: classic Italian dishes, modern presentation and Florida ingredients.
The Huguenot opened Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 1039 Hendricks Ave., No. 5. Chad and Lauren Munsey own it. Chad is a Jacksonville restaurateur recognized by the Michelin Guide. The Times-Union describes it as a European-inspired bar with a sommelier-chosen list of wines by the glass and bottle, plus artisan cheeses, cured meats, composed boards and plates to share. The list leans toward wines from sustainable, organic or biodynamic farms. The name honors the French Huguenots, who were among the first to make wine in the New World.
Details for a first visit:
- Tavola San Marco: 1035 Hendricks Ave., open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. per Downtown Vision's listing.
- The Huguenot: 1039 Hendricks Ave., No. 5, about 1,500 square feet, so it is a small room.
- Parking: free lots in front of the complex off Hendricks Avenue and in back off Kings Avenue, with more spaces under I-95 about half a block north, according to the Times-Union's report on The Huguenot.
The parking matters. When First Coast News spoke with people near the Square about Voodoo's closing, parking and traffic came up as problems for a large space. Hendricks Place has its own lots on two streets.
More tenants are planned. In May, the Jax Daily Record reported that three businesses were planned for the rest of the structure and named Tavola as one of them, without naming the other two.
Balis Park runs on free events
With Voodoo's dining room gone, the busiest thing on the Square through the end of November is the free calendar in Balis Park. The San Marco Merchants Association lists these dates:
- Saturday, Oct. 31: a Square cleanup at Balis Park, a 9 a.m. audiobook walk that meets at Lions Fountain and finishes at San Marco Books and More at 1971 San Marco Blvd., and free community yoga in the park.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Story Time in the Square, 10 to 11 a.m. at Balis Park, hosted with the San Marco Preservation Society and San Marco Books and More.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: the Light Up the House 5K and block party at Ronald McDonald House, 824 Children's Way.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: another Square cleanup at Balis Park.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, and Sunday, Nov. 29: the San Marco Art Festival at Balis Park.
The Merchants Association hosts the art festival. It is free and expects about 30 artists. The festival's site and the association's calendar both give hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Both also say traffic around San Marco Square stays open, and the association adds that free parking is plentiful. Since the festival falls on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, it's an easy outing with visiting family.
The 8,600 square feet still on the Square
Hendricks Place leases bays as small as 1,200 square feet and has two places open, Tavola since August and The Huguenot since late September. On the Square, Balis Park has a free event most Saturdays through Thanksgiving weekend. The San Marco Building's two floors overlooking the park are empty, and in First Coast News' words, the space is "available for whatever business comes next."
If you're figuring out how San Marco's mix of businesses and blocks fits your plans, whether that's a dinner on Hendricks or something longer-term, Eric Womack and The Womack Group are glad to talk through what's changing street by street, with no pressure and no rush. Let's Connect.
