St John's Condos on the South Bank

[tlemans]

Hi everyone it has been a few years since I have posted on Metro Jax. Can you all bring me up to date on what happened to the St Johns condos that were proposed for the southbank near the Aetna building. I see that they still have an office near Baptist. I was wondering if the project is on hold or is totally dead?

[fsujax]

dead.

[David]

Those were the golden years for graphic artist and their renderings of proposed projects. The Southbank had at least 3 or 4 more projects planned. 70 story high rises near the stadium, one near the fuller warren bridge.  (Which was the St. John if I remember)

I'm not even saying build them, but at least give us some artist renderings of the proposed projects to look at. We are so past-due for a skyline altering project.

I digress, at least the southbank added a few buildings over the past decade, but still. I'm a fan of skylines.

[Seraphs]

Those were the golden years for graphic artist and their renderings of proposed projects. The Southbank had at least 3 or 4 more projects planned. 70 story high rises near the stadium, one near the fuller warren bridge.  (Which was the St. John if I remember)

I'm not even saying build them, but at least give us some artist renderings of the proposed projects to look at. We are so past-due for a skyline altering project.

I digress, at least the southbank added a few buildings over the past decade, but still. I'm a fan of skylines.

Me too!

[Ocklawaha]

The St. John was a beautiful building concept, bathed as it was in brilliant light.  One of those things you could see from space with all of those beams shooting skyward.  Yeah, I know, light pollution... but I really liked it.  Never could quite figure out how they were going to squeeze that building or it's garage spaces in that tight little corner. The JEA lot or Brooklyn would have been a better location.

[Noone]

As I recall that project was going to have a 120 slip marina.

[hightowerlover]

Does anyone know why the north bank has so much more riverfront surface parking lots than the south bank. It just seems odd to me.

[JUGrad]

Does anyone know why the north bank has so much more riverfront surface parking lots than the south bank. It just seems odd to me.

Because we're Jacksonville and it's how we do... 

[Josh]

Hi everyone it has been a few years since I have posted on Metro Jax. Can you all bring me up to date on what happened to the St Johns condos that were proposed for the southbank near the Aetna building. I see that they still have an office near Baptist. I was wondering if the project is on hold or is totally dead?

That's a funny way to phrase that. Baptist is using the trailer as a billboard by having a giant banner completely cover the front of the structure.

I never could grasp where this building was supposed to fit without demolishing the Aetna/Prudential building.

[Ocklawaha]

Does anyone know why the north bank has so much more riverfront surface parking lots than the south bank. It just seems odd to me.

Yes, the parking along with what was once 'Coastline Drive' M/L where the Riverwalk is today, was in response to two things, An attempt to keep downtown retail in place (including the largest Sears store built in any downtown in America) with ample free parking, and a chance to demolish acres of rotting wharves that were falling or had fallen into the river. Prior to the parking the wharf area was sea of corrugated sheet metal, rust, rot and creosote. The water that swirled around the pilings was tinted with rainbow shades from the chemicals and oils.

Metrojacksonville understands the economics of the old city where the rails and roads met the water, but by the 1960's that was no longer a workable model.  In that era there were a number of well placed designers that trumpeted Jacksonville victory over blight, while others mocked the city for taking the most valuable real estate in the State of Florida (at that time) and dedicating it to auto parking. 

IMO, the old wharves may have had a pier or two or three that might have been saved, but many of them no longer even had floors and the rain fell pretty freely on the inside of others. If we could have saved a few and rebuilt those old warehouses it would have made for a very cool place.  Over at the property known as The Shipyards, a series of huge concrete bunker looking buildings shaped like staircases stood well into the 1980's. Once upon a time close to 100 liberty and other war ships (including the USS Ponce De Leon) were built above them on giant ways. By this time in history, downtown was seeing the last traces of retail and what looked like a new incarnation as a live-work zone. There were constant festivals, parties and we literally painted the streets in celebration. But we also continued to turn a blind eye to preservation, and we demolished the shipyards, followed by Fairfield, Brooklyn, La Villa, and Sugar Hill.  Unfortunately the rebirth didn't happen, and the city stalled, slipping into a 30+ year coma. But what the hell right? It's just my opinion.