Oak Street Lofts rendering

[thelakelander]

This project is dead, but this is the first time I've seen a rendering of what it could have looked like.  This would have been located in Five Points, right between 1661 Riverside and Mossfire Grill.

[Beloki]

Why would they kill this project? Seems like that area is still hot

[Duke]

Why would they kill this project? Seems like that area is still hot

I agree, I go through there every week and they JUST demolished the house/structure that was on that lot. 

[Lunican]

Is 1661 Riverside sold out?

[vicupstate]

It looks good, maybe it will be resurrected eventually.

[second_pancake]

They demolished the house??? 

Frankly, I'm glad this isn't going up.  It's an eyesore and wouldn't fit into the make-up of the neighborhood at all.  Get rid of the corrugated metal roofing and the quasi-industrial, fire-escape looking balconies and replace the grosteque rotunda thing with a more appropriate wooden pergola structure and then you'd have something.

[Beloki]

I agree that the new structure should better blend in with the exsisting architecture of Riverside.........

[Jimmy]

They demolished the house??? 

Frankly, I'm glad this isn't going up.  It's an eyesore and wouldn't fit into the make-up of the neighborhood at all.  Get rid of the corrugated metal roofing and the quasi-industrial, fire-escape looking balconies and replace the grosteque rotunda thing with a more appropriate wooden pergola structure and then you'd have something.

I could not have said that better.  I agree.  I can't believe that structure ever would have passed muster with RAP.

[thelakelander]

They demolished the house??? 

Frankly, I'm glad this isn't going up.  It's an eyesore and wouldn't fit into the make-up of the neighborhood at all.  Get rid of the corrugated metal roofing and the quasi-industrial, fire-escape looking balconies and replace the grosteque rotunda thing with a more appropriate wooden pergola structure and then you'd have something.

This is the negative of building new infill projects in historic districts.  Architecturally, Jacksonville has become known to be quite conservative and traditional (see courthouse design, for example).  I'd love to see an area in urban Jax rise where all forms of architecture are allowed and accepted, that combine to create their own unique atmosphere.  Perhaps in LaVilla or the Cathedral District since most of the historic building fabric in those neighborhoods have been already been torn down.

[avonjax]

Most of the comments here are the reason Jacksonville is the boring city that it is. So many people here believe every structure must match it's surroundings, every tree must reflect the South Georgia look we so admire here. As pretty as parts of Jacksonville are, most of our architecture is downright horrible. It has to be brick or wood or it's bad....I LOVE THE METAL and GLASS of this design and I would hate a wooden pergola it would be so predictable. Too bad this is a dead project because now we have an empty look to stare at for years.
Sorry everyone I'm not really a jerk but there is so much criticism of diverse design in this city it just got to me.

[RiversideGator]

This development was not allowed the City Council and not supported by RAP for several reasons.  The two main ones are:
1)  The proposed development did not contain nearly enough parking spots that code or common sense requires and
2)  The proposed development looks terrible.

[RiversideGator]

Most of the comments here are the reason Jacksonville is the boring city that it is. So many people here believe every structure must match it's surroundings, every tree must reflect the South Georgia look we so admire here. As pretty as parts of Jacksonville are, most of our architecture is downright horrible. It has to be brick or wood or it's bad....I LOVE THE METAL and GLASS of this design and I would hate a wooden pergola it would be so predictable. Too bad this is a dead project because now we have an empty look to stare at for years.
Sorry everyone I'm not really a jerk but there is so much criticism of diverse design in this city it just got to me.

It really is ridiculous to claim that, to be a great and livable city, we must embrace every bad architectural trend that comes down the pike.  The bottom line is this project is ugly and does not provide sufficient parking.  Not everyone agrees with this subjective judgment but most people do.  Modern architecture has a very bad track record of not wearing well, i.e. it begins to look dated and deteriorate very rapidly.  Also, this could have been approved in other areas of the City but in Riverside/Avondale one of the reasons people choose to live here is because the look and feel of the neighborhood is as it is.  In short, innovate elsewhere.

[RiversideGator]

And, now that I think about it, I dont think design played much role if any in its denial.  It is outside the boundaries of the historic district so it would not have to conform to the dictates of good taste.  However, the parking requirements of the zoning code certainly do apply here and this is why the City Council shot it down if memory serves me correctly.

[riverside_mail]

If anyone has ever tried to find a parking spot near there at lunchtime, you'll understand why this didn't pass.

[thelakelander]

Personally, I don't have a problem with the building (it looks 100% better than the strip of retail shops anchored by Starbucks), but I understand why some would complain about the building materials used, given the historic setting.  One thing this project did get right was proper urban design.  I love the way it was designed to embrace the street.  The architects definately deserve a pat on the back for that, considering the stuff normally coming out of local offices here.  The market has changed, but I would hope this developer would take a look at alternative locations in the core for this type of infill development.

Anyway, I'd love to see Jax develop into a more architecturally diverse city (we definately have the room for it).  100 years ago we were quite innovative combining elements of the Midwest's Prairie style with  regional building materials and styles.  Somewhere along the way we lost that will to be a trend setter and settled for being a follower longing for yesteryear.  A clear example of this is our desire to spend $350 million on a courthouse that mimics the ones that we thought little of 50 years ago, when we threw wrecking balls into them.  Only this time around, we'll end up with a cheap looking super expensive knock off because today's materials pale in comparison to the ones used 100 years ago.