JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Community First Credit Union has purchased the site of the former Edgewood Bakery for $1.75 million with plans to bring a branch to Murray Hill, the company announced in a news release earlier this month.
The Jacksonville-based credit union serves 175,000 members across its 22 locations and over 450 employees.
Legacy Restaurant Group listed the property at 1012 Edgewood Ave. for sale in the spring after it sat empty for eight years. It was formerly the Edgewood Bakery from 1947 until it closed in 2016.
The building does not have historical designation, but the property has been a cornerstone of Murray Hill's business corridor and history.
Community First is "in the very early stages of analysis related to the property and building," including determining if the existing structure can be repurposed or renovated, the release said.
Greg Beere, board president of the Murray Hill Preservation Association, said in the news release the Edgewood Bakery building has "been a mainstay in Murray Hill" for over 75 years.
“Something special is happening in Murray Hill, and this is just another example of how attractive it is to entrepreneurs, small businesses and others who serve our community," he said. "Community First will play a vital role in Murray Hill's commercial and neighborhood revitalization and quality of life."
Community First has more than 1,300 members who live within about two miles of the Edgewood Bakery site, and that number continues to increase with neighborhood growth.
“Community First has a long history of serving our members and being strong community partners,” said Sam Inman, president and CEO of Community First. “We intend for this future Murray Hill location to become an asset to the historic Edgewood Avenue Business Corridor retail strip that has been serving the neighborhood for almost 100 years.”
This story was first published by the Florida Times-Union.
