New York businessman William Backhouse Astor, Jr., was the driving force behind the creation of a club promoting boating and water sports in Jacksonville.

Astor felt that the broad and slow St. Johns River was a perfect location for boating, though he was the only person in Jacksonville to actually own a yacht at the time.

The original clubhouse was constructed at the end of Market Street in downtown Jacksonville, and cost $3,500, to which Astor contributed $500.

The original Florida Yacht Club building was a large two-story edifice, with the second floor being used for gatherings and dances.

The club moved to a temporary clubhouse in the Riverside neighborhood, before relocating to a new dedicated facility on Willow Branch Creek in 1907.