Cool set of pictures from the removal of the Wachovia sign downtown.
http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=33754440&event=1157210&CategoryID=9088
Too bad that there's no indication of when something will replace it.....
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2011/01/21/wachovia-fades-from-the-skyline.html
Gives some time for the folks that like "clean" building tops, without corporate logos.
It's pretty pathetic that Wells Fargo doesn't even want to put their sign up on a building in Jacksonville, especially given I-95 runs right by it. I'm not endorsing Wells Fargo's signs, but what does it say to us when they aren't looking to replace their sign?
Quote from: simms3 on January 23, 2011, 12:07:02 PM
It's pretty pathetic that Wells Fargo doesn't even want to put their sign up on a building in Jacksonville
They will have their name on the Enterprise Center tower (225 Water St.) or Independent Square (1 Independent Dr., a.k.a. the Modis Building). http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=532153 (http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=532153). The company may simply have decided that the cost of advertising on two buildings was not justifiable. They'd get a lot more visibility on the Modis Building anyway.
Ok, good. :) Thanks
Riverplace looks naked now.
maybe Rayonier will put thier name on the tower since they are relocating there.
It'll always be the Gulf Life Tower to me, no matter what new signs come and go. ;)
(http://www.docomomofl.org/gulfedit.jpg)
Quote from: Jimmy on January 23, 2011, 01:43:08 PM
It'll always be the Gulf Life Tower to me, no matter what new signs come and go. ;)
Agreed.
Quote from: fsujax on January 23, 2011, 12:49:10 PM
maybe Rayonier will put thier name on the tower since they are relocating there.
With about 36,000 SF of space (or less...can't remember exactly)? It's a medium-sized private investment company. Those kinds of companies almost never advertise on top of buildings. Smith Barney, Aramark, Raymond James, Lanahan Insurance, Childers, Legg Mason, APL Logistics, Gate Petroleum, and Rogers Towers are the other sizable tenants in Riverplace Tower.
I would hope that Gate puts its name on top, but other companies that tend to advertise on buildings include Legg Mason, Raymond James, and Aramark. A small, but attractive red Gate logo could look very nice in contrast to the white stonework of the building. I could actually picture Rogers Towers up there, as well. This would be where Bill Brinton has his office. Jacksonville does not have any Big 50 law firm offices in town, which does not help our downtown tenancy picture.
Yep Gulf Life and Independent Life.
For all of those pictures the TU published, they couldn't even be bothered to put up a finished shot? Like a 'before,' several 'durings' and a final 'after?'
Well, now the Modis sign will start coming down this week.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=532787
geez!
Wow. A lot of naming rights opportunities in the urban wasteland.
Independent Life, anyway. (And Gator Bowl, 20th Street Expressway, and Barnett Bank Tower.)
Quote from: simms3 on January 23, 2011, 03:24:10 PM
Quote from: Jimmy on January 23, 2011, 01:43:08 PM
It'll always be the Gulf Life Tower to me, no matter what new signs come and go. ;)
Agreed.
Quote from: fsujax on January 23, 2011, 12:49:10 PM
maybe Rayonier will put thier name on the tower since they are relocating there.
With about 36,000 SF of space (or less...can't remember exactly)? It's a medium-sized private investment company. Those kinds of companies almost never advertise on top of buildings. Smith Barney, Aramark, Raymond James, Lanahan Insurance, Childers, Legg Mason, APL Logistics, Gate Petroleum, and Rogers Towers are the other sizable tenants in Riverplace Tower.
I would hope that Gate puts its name on top, but other companies that tend to advertise on buildings include Legg Mason, Raymond James, and Aramark. A small, but attractive red Gate logo could look very nice in contrast to the white stonework of the building. I could actually picture Rogers Towers up there, as well. This would be where Bill Brinton has his office. Jacksonville does not have any Big 50 law firm offices in town, which does not help our downtown tenancy picture.
Rayonier is certainly not a "medium-sized, private investment company."
Rayonier is a publicly traded, diversified company that owns or controls more than 2.4 million acres of timberland and is one of the world's leading producers of performance fibers, with offices in several countries and more than 1800 employees.
My mistake on private...I mistook them for a competitor to a private timberland hedge fund that came and spoke in one of my classes. Rayonier is not much larger than Regency Centers, also in town. Both are Mid-Cap REITS (less than $5B market cap). I don't think they need to advertise on TV or on buildings, but I guess we'll see since they are a newcomer to Riverplace and were probably told there would be a naming opportunity. At least they are a local company :)
I wouldn't give them the acclaim that Miss Fixit did, but they are a pretty significant tenant, just based on their financial strength and potential benefit to downtown. Under 5 Billion isn't a huge market cap. 1,800 employees would be great if they were all in Jax. What is their presence in Jax, or more specifically downtown? My company has 4,000+ employees, but only 800-900 in Jax and only about 40 anywhere close to downtown.
Rayonier management is in 2 floors in Riverplace. Rayonier "employees" are spread out in GA and maybe AL in large pulp plants and such. I agree, they aren't a huge company/fund, but they have a huge reputation. They aren't exactly small, though, either. The literal center of the universe for timberland hedge funds and reits is up here in Atlanta. GA leads the country in actual timberland with the PacNW up there, too.
Not every building needs a sign on top. Many buildings in Manhattan live by their architectural uniqueness alone, not signs atop their buildings. Unfortunately, some of our buildings are so blah, it's hard to single them out by their architecture, although the "Gulf Life" building is not one of those.
I just hope we don't see any more of those ugly "CSX-style" signs popping up.
Some buidings were built to accomodate signage i.e. Gulf Life Tower, Independent Life....others not BofA, the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, etc. Most of our buildings are so ugly and bland the signs actually make them stand out.
Quote from: fsujax on January 25, 2011, 02:12:26 PM
Some buidings were built to accomodate signage i.e. Gulf Life Tower, Independent Life....others not BofA, the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building, etc. Most of our buildings are so ugly and bland the signs actually make them stand out.
+1
I just wish they'd light it up again.
I wonder what qualifies for a complete demise of an old name. Do we hafta call the Baseball Grounds, Wolfson Park even though it's a totally different park now? What about the old Jax Coliseum, hold on to that name too just for the sake of it even though the Jax Arena is at a totally new locale? Why not stop there? Cingular, Southern Bell, Circuit City, and Sound Advice. At some point we have to move into the present, not unless of course you wanna sound outdated.
If companies invest in our city by purchasing naming rights I will support the new name.
Quote from: Jimmy on January 23, 2011, 01:43:08 PM
It'll always be the Gulf Life Tower to me, no matter what new signs come and go. ;)
(http://www.docomomofl.org/gulfedit.jpg)
Here Here!!
Okay, I get it call everything what it was originally called; Going by that logic, it's not the Gator Bowl then, it's Fairfield Stadium. Gulf Life was HQd in Jax right? That sounds like a Gulf Coast name, opposed to a First Coast name, not unless someone knows about a nearby body of water that I'm not familiar with. That older bland and unadorned signage just screams 1980's; It reminds me of vibrant game arcades, and fallout shelters.
So unnamed sources hinting that Wells might move into Independent Square and put their sign on top. Does anyone realize how ugly that would be? A little bit of red would look great on the Riverplace Tower, but if you have seen the Wells Fargo signs on other buildings (and there is one literally right across from me), then you know that it just won't work with the color scheme of Independent Square. It would be awful, imo. Stay in Enterprise Center! LoL
Maybe we could just name it 'Jacksonville Municiple Skyscraper?' (Any highrise applicable ;D)
^^^LOL
Quote from: I-10east on January 26, 2011, 05:22:34 AM
^^^LOL
Lots of cities have buildings named for/by their address. Why not just call Modis "One Independent Square" like forever? Or if a company wants naming rights (for example), call it "The Modis Building at One Independent Square"?
BTW, pardon my ignorance, but where is the Enterprise Center?
Enterprise Center is Omni/Wachovia buildings. 225 Water St.
Quote from: I-10east on January 25, 2011, 09:50:45 PM
Okay, I get it call everything what it was originally called; Going by that logic, it's not the Gator Bowl then, it's Fairfield Stadium. Gulf Life was HQd in Jax right? That sounds like a Gulf Coast name, opposed to a First Coast name, not unless someone knows about a nearby body of water that I'm not familiar with. That older bland and unadorned signage just screams 1980's; It reminds me of vibrant game arcades, and fallout shelters.
Gulf Life began in Pensacola before moving its HQ to Jax, hence the name.
Quote from: simms3 on January 25, 2011, 10:00:06 PM
So unnamed sources hinting that Wells might move into Independent Square and put their sign on top. Does anyone realize how ugly that would be? A little bit of red would look great on the Riverplace Tower, but if you have seen the Wells Fargo signs on other buildings (and there is one literally right across from me), then you know that it just won't work with the color scheme of Independent Square. It would be awful, imo. Stay in Enterprise Center! LoL
I agree. I tried to visualize it and it would be to attractive. I'd rather it stay name less. Does anybody have a clue as to the BOA does not have the name on it? That is a mess. It is one of our tallest buildings and at night you just wonder, "What is that?"
Quote from: duvaldude08 on January 26, 2011, 11:39:23 AM
Does anybody have a clue as to the BOA does not have the name on it? That is a mess. It is one of our tallest buildings and at night you just wonder, "What is that?"
The BofA tower was actually built by Barnett Banks as its HQ's before BofA/Nationsbank acquired them. The building is a slightly modified "copy" of a tower in Manhattan. Barnett made the decision not to put their name on top, probably to be "classy" (i.e. opposite of CSX Building's new sign). Today, it would appear that either the building design can't accommodate a sign or BofA agrees with Barnett's reasoning. I actually think the building is now owned by a REIT or investors but signage is probably addressed in BofA's leaseback or sale agreement.
^^^Owned by a private real estate management group (RE Hedge fund if you will). Parmenter Realty Group, the tower is in the very first fund they assembled. The BOA Tower is their signature core asset that they postcard.
http://www.parmco.com/investment_funds/fund1.html
Thanks for the info Wacca
I'll have to check thru but a couple of years ago i remember reading somwhere b of a was going to install signage at the top of the building, i believe in the square cutouts. It was either in the Times Union or daily record. they had to get a special approval due to the signs being larger than what is allowed.
Who owns Riverplace Tower? I thought I remember hearing it was Gate.
It is Gate.
Makes the most sence to put their name on the building them.
Quote from: Julian on January 26, 2011, 02:32:47 PM
I'll have to check thru but a couple of years ago i remember reading somwhere b of a was going to install signage at the top of the building, i believe in the square cutouts. It was either in the Times Union or daily record. they had to get a special approval due to the signs being larger than what is allowed.
I saw that story too. I remember when the building was new, given the shape of the Barnett logo, I assumed one would eventually go in each of the square cutouts.
Of course, there is a Bank of America logo on the building at street level.
A lot of very relevant and informed commentary here, but all I could think about looking at those pics was the badassery of the dudes who make their living hanging off skyscrapers.
They're hanging off of the Modis Bldg. right now...
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/asonj23/01291610.jpg)
I know it's hard to see, but the line beneath the "M" is scafolding. Two workers are hanging out up there taking down the sign bit-by-bit.
Someone asked why do we need signage on our skyscrapers anyway? Well, as far back as I can remember, and I'm talking 50's, 60's, 70's and on to today, Jax's skyscrapers have had signage on them; it is sort of a tradition in this city. I remember when I moved to Jax from the country (Jasper, FL) in 1965, I'd say 90% or more of Jax's tall buildings had signage on them; and back then they were quite flamboyant with the lit up signs with blinking letters here and there, etc. Jax was a vibrant city back then and the signage on the scrapers just added to the flamboyance and the fact that Jax was alive!
HU