A Different Waterfront

[jeh1980]

I think the Riverfront in the 70's looked similar, just pre-skyscrapers look, so not much difference I believe.

To be honest with you, there actually was a slight difference on the northbank riverfront in the 70's. The 1971 downtown master plan had actually introduced us to a then-new Atlantic Bank building (now BB&T Tower) and Independent Square (now MODIS). Both were built in 1975 (not in 1974 as most of us thought). BB&T Tower - early 1975, MODIS - later that summer. By the end of '75, both the northbank riverfront and the southbank had a giant that ruled the city's skyline. How 'bout that!  

[Noone]

And to think that right now there is an opportunity to bring the USS Adams back to Downtown right now. Time sensitive.

Will it happen?

Mayor Brown, the city council, and with new leadership Aundra Wallace with the DIA, Paul Astleford with Visit Jacksonville will have the world recognizing that Downtown is a Destination and not a pass through.

[HisBuffPVB]

In the nineties, we had the chance to bring the Saratoga downtown to southbank . The Independent Life building has a basement, it was not built over the river though part of the landing and parking was. Instead of a plan that allowed for the courthouse to be somewhere close to the jail, as they were before , because of a judge's order, we had to very quickly build a new jail without consideration of the building of a new courthouse at that time, so we are stuck with transporting prisoners back and forth at least for the next fifty or so years. So many good plans have been turned down over the years or not adopted. But there is hope, there seems to be a large cadre of people who want to do something about downtown development and tie it to the rest of the close in neighborhoods. A plan is never static, the plan gives us a chance to see where we are and where we might want to go.