Drive-By
Walk past the El Modelo Block downtown
View the brick block at 501-513 West Bay Street — one of the few downtown buildings to survive the Great Fire of 1901. Pair with a self-guided downtown historic walking tour.
- Duration:
- 15 min
Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domain Other Dark Tourism Site
El Modelo Block (Plaza Hotel)
An 1887 NRHP-listed mixed-use block on West Bay Street that survived the Great Fire of 1901, once home to Gabriel Hidalgo Gato's cigar factory and the early-twentieth-century Plaza Hotel — exterior viewing only.
501-513 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 4 sources
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private commercial building; exterior viewing only.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown Jacksonville sidewalk.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1887 · 1887 NRHP-listed downtown commercial block · Survived the Great Fire of 1901 · Home of El Modelo Cigar Manufacturing Company (Gabriel Hidalgo Gato) · Later the Plaza Hotel
The El Modelo Block was built in 1887 at 501-513 West Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville. From approximately 1890 to 1898, the building was occupied by Gabriel Hidalgo Gato's El Modelo Cigar Manufacturing Company — one of the most significant Cuban-American cigar enterprises in nineteenth-century Florida. Gato's daughter Marie Louise Gato is the figure at the center of the well-documented 1897 unsolved-murder case associated with Jacksonville's Old City Cemetery.
The block is one of a handful of downtown Jacksonville buildings that survived the Great Fire of 1901, which destroyed most of the city's commercial core. After Gato's death, the building was occupied by the Plaza Hotel and by a succession of saloons and bars in what historical accounts describe as a rough neighborhood of the early-twentieth-century city.
The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on October 16, 1980 (reference 80000948), and is documented in the Library of Congress HABS collection (HABS FL-345). It survives as a privately-owned mixed-use property.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Modelo_Block
- https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/fl0255/
- https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/six-haunted-places-in-jacksonville/
- https://www.hauntedrooms.com/florida/jacksonville/haunted-places
Apparition of a man (described as the 1907 shooting victim)General sense of unease in upper floors
According to Jacksonville haunted-place compilations including The Jaxson's 'Six haunted places in Jacksonville' and Haunted Rooms America's roundup, the El Modelo Block / Plaza Hotel's ghost story dates to 1907, when — per the lore — a Spanish-American War veteran entered one of the building's ground-floor saloons and was immediately shot in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. The veteran's identity is not specified in the sources reviewed, and HauntBound treats this account as folkloric rather than as documented event.
The building's separate historical connection to Gabriel Hidalgo Gato — through the El Modelo Cigar Manufacturing Company — links it narratively to the Marie Louise Gato murder of 1897. Gato's 19-year-old daughter was shot five times by a spurned suitor and is buried at Old City Cemetery, where her ghost has been reported. Some retellings of the El Modelo legend overlay these two unrelated shootings, but the surviving sources keep them distinct.
Reports remain anecdotal and the building is in private commercial use. No corroborated paranormal investigation has surfaced for this site.
This venue is privately owned and not open to the public — appreciate from the public sidewalk only.
Notable Entities
Unnamed 1907 Spanish-American War veteran (folkloric)
Media Appearances
- The Jaxson — 'Six haunted places in Jacksonville'
- Haunted Rooms America — Most Haunted Places in Jacksonville
Plan Your Visit
1 way to experienceSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is El Modelo Block (Plaza Hotel) family-friendly?
Exterior viewing only. The associated 1907 shooting story should be discussed thoughtfully with younger visitors. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit El Modelo Block (Plaza Hotel)?
Private commercial building; exterior viewing only. This location is free to visit.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is El Modelo Block (Plaza Hotel) wheelchair accessible?
Yes, El Modelo Block (Plaza Hotel) is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Downtown Jacksonville sidewalk..