Metro Jacksonville

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2011/05/20/modis-building-to-wells-fargo-center.html

Very Nice.

I was just coming to post that.  Good news for the skyline.  Though I will admit... I have enjoyed seeing the Independent Life building with the clean, no-logo look.

I remember when I kept hinting towards this everything thought I was dreaming. But it was obvious that this is what they were up to. Wish it was their headquarters, but hey Im satisfied with just their name in our skyline! :)

It is nice, but they are really just moving from one downtown building to another, right?   Their space at 225 Water Street will be vacant now.

Quote from: Debbie Thompson on May 20, 2011, 12:41:47 PM
It is nice, but they are really just moving from one downtown building to another, right?   Their space at 225 Water Street will be vacant now.

In fact  overall vacancy will increase with this move. They are dropping 35,000 sq. ft. in the move.

Who cares???? One of our tallest building will have a very prominent name on it. Yes they are just playing musical chairs but why complain  >:(

No complaining here. Up next the Everbank decision. I really do not think Enterprise Center will have a hard time finding someone to fill the space Wachovia will vacate.

Quote from: Jimmy on May 20, 2011, 12:34:24 PM
I was just coming to post that.  Good news for the skyline.  Though I will admit... I have enjoyed seeing the Independent Life building with the clean, no-logo look.

Ditto!

Quote from: fsujax on May 20, 2011, 01:26:10 PM
No complaining here. Up next the Everbank decision. I really do not think Enterprise Center will have a hard time finding someone to fill the space Wachovia will vacate.

++1000

(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/hightowerlover/wellsfargo.jpg) it's hard to fit it all up there... the gold letters would look nice if they turn the teal uplights back on though.

Quote from: hightowerlover on May 20, 2011, 02:13:42 PM
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/hightowerlover/wellsfargo.jpg) it's hard to fit it all up there... the gold letters would look nice if they turn the teal uplights back on though.

Yeah Im interested to see how it will look at as well.

Maybe they could squeeze in the stagecoach logo to make the Westsiders feel at home! :D

The teal uplights are up to the building management company. I am sure though the signature tenant could push for it.

Quote from: hightowerlover on May 20, 2011, 02:13:42 PM
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/hightowerlover/wellsfargo.jpg) it's hard to fit it all up there... the gold letters would look nice if they turn the teal uplights back on though.

I think black letters during the day that light up either white or red at night would look a little more sleek on the building rather than gold. Just a personal preference.

Quote from: Jimmy on May 20, 2011, 12:34:24 PM
I was just coming to post that.  Good news for the skyline.  Though I will admit... I have enjoyed seeing the Independent Life building with the clean, no-logo look.

Same here.

All in time for the new football season (thats currently in lock out mode) With three national televised games this year I was concerned about the modis building. With Wells Fargo Center heading the skyline, and a newly renovated friendship fountain up and running, the ariel shots of the city are going to be awesome.

Quote from: hightowerlover on May 20, 2011, 02:13:42 PM
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/hightowerlover/wellsfargo.jpg) it's hard to fit it all up there... the gold letters would look nice if they turn the teal uplights back on though.

Don't care about the sign. What is that on the helicopter?

Quote from: Overstreet on May 20, 2011, 04:48:14 PM

Quote from: hightowerlover on May 20, 2011, 02:13:42 PM
(http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/hightowerlover/wellsfargo.jpg) it's hard to fit it all up there... the gold letters would look nice if they turn the teal uplights back on though.

Don't care about the sign. What is that on the helicopter?

What's what?

QuoteWith Wells Fargo Center heading the skyline, and a newly renovated friendship fountain up and running, the aerial shots of the city are going to be awesome.

Now if someone could just convince the folks at the BOA tower to flip the switch back on........

Quote from: blizz01 on May 20, 2011, 06:49:14 PM

QuoteWith Wells Fargo Center heading the skyline, and a newly renovated friendship fountain up and running, the aerial shots of the city are going to be awesome.

Now if someone could just convince the folks at the BOA tower to flip the switch back on........

If I'm not mistaken I think they have. The last time I past by the DT at night I remember the lights being on? Fidelity and BCBS need to get it together. Fidelity neon lights have been gone for some time now and BCBS blue light at the top of the building has been out also. So tacky. lol

The old Independent Life signage was right on and looked great on that building. Then some jackass at Modis put their name WAY TOO BIG up there--from wall to wall. Let's hope the designers at Wells Fargo have good taste and do a better job than Modis did.

BTW, does anyone remember that the original design for the Bank American tower had three little palm trees in the square insets up at the top of the building? Too bad something more interesting isn't happening now on that building. Despite it's size, it gets totally lost in the skyline.

Quote from: ubben on May 20, 2011, 07:30:04 PM
BTW, does anyone remember that the original design for the Bank American tower had three little palm trees in the square insets up at the top of the building?

Really?  I think that would take away from the sleek obelisk design of the building. 

I agree, Debbie, it does seem a little odd. And looking up in February and seeing three little palm trees freezing their butts off way up there would just be sad.

The top of the obelisk though, the four flat sides of the corners, used to light up at night. What happened to that? I think better lighting of the whole building is needed. It really is hidden behind Independent Life (Wells Fargo Center). After all, you don't build the tallest building in a city with the intention that it will barely be noticed.

WOWZERS

Well I passed DT last night and the top of the BOA building is lite up at night. I think they just recently started doing that because I don't remember seeing any lights previously. My question is, why isn't there a BOA sign up there? Why is it ground level? That is the weirdest thing I ever seen.

I am also anxious to what AT&T will look like after they install their new lighting.

Quote from: duvaldude08 on May 21, 2011, 11:58:04 AM
Well I passed DT last night and the top of the BOA building is lite up at night. I think they just recently started doing that because I don't remember seeing any lights previously.

unless something changed yesterday, there is only a small bit of uplighting near the top of the BofA tower...it has been on for years...what people want to see is the pyramid top lit up

Quote from: duvaldude08 on May 21, 2011, 11:58:04 AM
I am also anxious to what AT&T will look like after they install their new lighting.

When will they do that?

It would be so COOL to have the Bank of America's tower's pyramid to include lighting like at Luxor's

(http://blog.mapawatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/luxor_light.jpg)

Not only the Jacksonville's Skyline is there, but it goes into SPACE with its intense beam of lights.

-Josh

Quote from: iMarvin on May 21, 2011, 12:54:37 PM

Quote from: duvaldude08 on May 21, 2011, 11:58:04 AM
I am also anxious to what AT&T will look like after they install their new lighting.

When will they do that?

About a week or two ago there was article about it. The building owners are installing new lighting at the top. They didnt give a timeline though

Quote from: tufsu1 on May 21, 2011, 12:51:34 PM

Quote from: duvaldude08 on May 21, 2011, 11:58:04 AM
Well I passed DT last night and the top of the BOA building is lite up at night. I think they just recently started doing that because I don't remember seeing any lights previously.

unless something changed yesterday, there is only a small bit of uplighting near the top of the BofA tower...it has been on for years...what people want to see is the pyramid top lit up

I found a picture from superbowl weekend and I seen the pyramid lit up at the top. LOL yes we need that back. We were at the top of our game that weekend I must admit. That should be every day

I almost guarantee it will be the mustard gold. 


(http://www.ccimechanical.com/media/images/projects/image/wells-fargo-948.jpg)
Salt Lake
(http://www.spokanenightscenes.com/wellsfargo750.jpg)
Spokane, WA
(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS_wkJxev7Jvort6KDiyY-jnPNLama16T8oYLGNdOcGyS_IwZxP1g&t=1)
Englewood, CO contrasts with a black background
(http://www.bergoiata.org/fe/Los-Angeles/Wells%20Fargo%20Building_4_LA.jpg)
Los Angeles goes eskew
(http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/12910100.jpg)
Arlington, TX added some neon
(http://static.flickr.com/3200/3287864579_a963915e53_z.jpg)
San Fransisco keeps it classical
(http://cloudarchitecturedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Wells-Fargo_Clouded-copy.jpg)
Atlanta
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Met_2_Miami_(Wells_Fargo_Center).JPG/250px-Met_2_Miami_(Wells_Fargo_Center).JPG)
Miami
(http://www.connectinguscities.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/new-wells-fargo-signs-atop-former-wachovia-building-downtown-1.jpg)
Birmingham has white.

I think it should be like the one in San Fran. I think the classic look would fit Independant square perfectly.

Spokane , Washington :)

Arlington, TX added some neon so one vote.

"Good wife Libby," just tossed a zinger into this discussion. "Isn't it interesting to you that they waited until AFTER an election that had a pro downtown candidate running against an announced anti downtown development candidate to announce their intentions, connections?"

Gotta hand it to her, that's an idea that might have more feet then any of us realized.

OCKLAWAHA

Quote from: Timkin on May 24, 2011, 12:46:00 AM
Spokane , Washington :)

Haha - i guess they don't like hotlinking - Spokane, WA is what I anticipate ole' Modis to resemble most once complete, but we'll see...

Well FartToe Frank! (Well Fargo Bank)

So the building needs to be frank in order to contain the farts from the toes of the occupants in the building in order to be well!

Just a random, "OMG HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND" moment brought to you by... me.

Realistically, I think it would be nice to have the White Text with deep shadow behind it, then at the night, the logo would emit lights from the behind to give the dramatic effect.

-Josh

Quote from: JeffreyS on May 24, 2011, 07:11:15 AM
Arlington, TX added some neon so one vote.

I dunno man. The neon seems a little tacky to me. I think the neon would be ok, if it were done differently perhaps. Im not to fond of theirs.

Stagecoach History

Since 1852 Wells Fargo rushed customers’ important business by any means â€" steamship, railroad, and, where the railroads ended, by stagecoach. At first Wells Fargo contracted with independent stageline owners. Then, by joining in the great enterprise of building reliable transcontinental transportation, Wells Fargo came to own and operate the largest stagecoach empire in the world.

Since then, Wells Fargo is forever linked with the six-horse Concord Coach charging across the vast plains and high mountains of the West.


The Butterfield Overland Mail, also known as the Oxbow Route, the Butterfield Overland Stage, or the Butterfield Stage, was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. In 1857, Wells Fargo joined other express companies to form the Overland Mail Company, establishing regular twice-a-week mail service between St. Louis and San Francisco. Wells Fargo had the route surveyed and shared in the financing.  It was a conduit for the United States mail from St. Louis, Missouri through Arkansas, Indian Territory, New Mexico, and Arizona, ending in San Francisco, California. The stage was an early operation of American Express and Wells Fargo.

In 1861, the Civil War forced overland staging to a central route across the Great Plains, through the Rocky Mountains, into the Great Basin, and over the Sierra Mountains.

Quote

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_bQsuhPJduqQ/Tdu9T3lTLWI/AAAAAAAAE90/WFd2pLmQzTs/s640/Southern-Express-Company.JPG)
Southern Express Company Routes

Remember your history teacher told you how far behind the rest of the nation the South was, yeah well...The South was almost entirely covered by the Adams Express service in 1861, when the American Civil War necessitated the splitting off of another company under Henry B. Plant, which, for political reasons, was given the name of Southern Express. There was a mysterious kinship between the two ever afterward, having joint offices at common points. Southern stock was never quoted in the market, and it was even charged by some Adams stockholders that Southern was secretly owned by Adams. The current official history of Adams, written in 2004, acknowledges that Southern was its subsidiary. Psst...the teacher was propagating a myth.

Along the more northerly mail route, passengers and Wells Fargo’s express rode the stages of the Pioneer Stage Line from California to Virginia City, Nevada. The Overland Mail Company, by now under Wells Fargo’s control, ran coaches from Virginia City to Salt Lake City, Utah. There mail and passengers connected with Ben Holladay’s Overland Express running through Denver, Colorado, and eastward to the Mississippi.

The Pony Express was established to prove that the nation’s mail could be carried across the West swiftly on the central route. From April 1860 to October 1861, young riders relayed mail across almost 2,000 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in only 10 days. In its final months, the Pony Express became part of the stagelines’ U.S. Mail contracts. The Wells Fargo-run Overland Mail Company operated the Pony from California to Salt Lake City.

Quote

WANDERING MINDS WANT TO KNOW...OCK'S WORD SMASHING:

Sometimes considered the motto of the United States Postal Service, even used to refer to the Pony Express rider shown above, this is in fact a translation of a line written in the fifth century BCE by Herodotus, the Greek writer known as “the father of history.” His master work was On the Persian Wars composed between 500 and 479 BCE. In this famous passage, Herodotus praises the stamina and persistence of horsed messengers in the service of Xerxes, king of Persia. Hope you didn't think the Pony Express was purely American...NOT!

Now, for a moment of word study, check out this passage in Classical Greek, and don't freak out if a few letters differ from those in our Roman alphabet, shall we, boys and girls?

This is a rough transliteration so the Greekless MJ reader wants to know what Greek sounds like.

tous oute nifetos ouk ombros

ou kauma ou nux ergei

me ou katanusai ton prokeimenon

auto dromon ten tachisten.

In spite of the form in which I show the Greek, it is not poetry. It is Herodotus writing one of the first books on earth that may properly be called a history. Rather than scribble a mere list of what happened, Herodotus traveled to some of the Persian War locations and tried to write down the causes of human actions. Please allow me to examine a few of the Greek words in this passage and see if they are as weird and other-worldly to English as they at look to be.

Now here's a rough, literal, deliberately awkward, in-the-original-word-order translation of this passage of Greek prose. This same language train wreck applies to Spanish and almost all languages when translating from anything else into English (English is constructed 'backwards'). Whether or not one is a Christian, this also remains a huge comic error of the churches that demand the King James version of the Bible as the only correct translation.  A look at the following word-for-word translation is funny and if you translate it into English, and I translate it into English...all we can do is a thought to thought translation, so which one is correct?

"For these [riders], not snowstorm, not thunder-shower, not heat, not night shall work to delay their imposed mail-route (dromon) nor their carrying it out as fast as possible."

A formulaic phrase very similar to the one in Herodotus appears in Homer’s Odyssey, probably written down three or four hundred years earlier. Even by the time of Homeric Greek this ‘nor snow now sleet nor dark of night’ phrase may have become a cliché. Homer, it is thought, throve during an age when the oral recitation of epic poetry, the earliest mode, began to share presentation with written epics.

Bottom line, in the United States the Wells Fargo contract expired when the Pony Express was replaced by another means of communication. This particular express system only survived for a couple of years here, and ironically the same length of time in the ancient world.

My mother was born in Butterfield, Missouri, onetime home of a large operation and currently a ghost town in the southwest of the state. The Butterfield - Wells Fargo stage coach had a relay station, beenery, livery, and sundry feed and accessory buildings in the little town. Last time I was there exploring the roads were still unpaved and even locating where the town had been was difficult, ultimately I found the church leaning at about a 20 degree angle...my grandfather a Methodist Circuit Rider had built it over 100 years before my 'discovery'..

The Butterfield Overland Mail Company had the government mail contract from September 15, 1857. Originally all of the Overland Stage owners had submitted routes with relay stations and frontier forts that were north of Albuquerque, New Mexico territory; they had no knowledge of what was called the ox bow route.

John Warren Butterfield (who was in a partnership with the principals of Wells Fargo for the American Express company) was paid $600,000 (USD) to get the mail between St. Louis and San Francisco in 25 days. At that time it was the largest land-mail contract ever awarded in the US. It was required by contract to go through El Paso, Texas and through Fort Yuma near present day Yuma, Arizonaâ€"the so-called "Oxbow Route".  Nicknamed the “Butterfield Line” after its president, it ran 2,757 miles through the Southwest via El Paso, Tucson and Los Angeles and then up through California’s Central Valley to San Francisco.

Night and day the stage rolled on at a pace from 5 to 12 miles an hour across vast, treeless plains, jagged mountain passes, scorching deserts and rivers cursed with quicksand. The coached stopped only to change horses or let passengers slug down a cup of coffee with their beef jerky and biscuits. About 25 days later, it clattered into San Francisco! The western fare one way was $200 with most stages arriving 22 days later at its final destination.

This route was an extra 600 miles further than the central and northern routes through Denver, Colorado and Salt Lake City, Utah. However the southern route was free of snow. With the American Civil War looming the competing Pony Express was formed in 1860 to deliver mail faster and on a central/northern route away from the volatile southern route. The Pony Express was to succeed in delivering the mail in 10 days. But the Pony Express failed to get the mail contract.In 1861, the Civil War forced overland staging to a central route across the Great Plains, through the Rocky Mountains, into the Great Basin, and over the Sierra Mountains. The

Butterfield's assets as well as those of the Pony Express were to wind up with the Wells Fargo partners. A correspondent for the New York Herald, Waterman Ormsby, remarked after his 2,812 mile trek through the western US to San Francisco on a Butterfield Stagecoach thus: "Had I not just come out over the route, I would be perfectly willing to go back, but I now know what Hell is like. I've just had 24 days of it."
Employing over 800 at its peak, it used 250 Concord Stagecoaches and 1800 head of stock, horses and mules and 139 relay stations or frontier forts in its heyday. The last Oxbow Route run was made March 21, 1861 at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War.



In 1861, the Civil War forced overland stages to a central route via Salt Lake City. In 1866, Wells Fargo combined several major stage lines over 3,000 miles of western territory. The distinctive red and gold Wells Fargo ran from from California to Nebraska, from Colorado into Montana and Idaho. The stagecoach became the enduring corporate symbol of Wells Fargo & Company.

Stagecoaches transported gold, silver, and money throughout the West. To protect its customers’ assets, Wells Fargo often employed shotgun messengers to guard valuable shipments, including brothers Wyatt and Morgan Earp in Tombstone, Arizona. If robbers stole treasure, Wells Fargo’s company policy was “never to abandon or relax the pursuit of anyone who committed a criminal offense against it.” Between 1870 and 1884, bandits attempted 347 stagecoach robberies. With the help of local law officers, Wells Fargo special agents James Hume and John Thacker pursued, captured, and secured convictions of 226 robbersâ€"including the notorious Black Bart.

When the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, the iron horse overtook the stagecoach, and Wells Fargo Express increasingly rode the rails. In 1888, Wells Fargo became the country’s first nationwide express company. “Ocean to Ocean” service connected over 2,500 communities in 25 states, from busy urban centers in the East, through the rail hub of Chicago and Midwest farms, to ranching and mining in the Southwest, to lumber towns in the Pacific Northwest.

By 1910, Wells Fargo’s network of customer service expanded to over 6,000 communities, large and small. Wells Fargo agents offered financial services such as money orders, traveler’s checks, and transfer of funds by telegraph. In 1918, Wells Fargo was an important part of the business community in more than 10,000 locations across the country and around the globe.




But that year, the U.S. Government took over the nation’s express and railroad operations as a wartime measure. (a nationalization who's disaster was so great that to this day America bucks anything government owned and operated) Wells Fargo& Co.'s Express was forced from the transportation industry, Transportation companies and particularly railroads were handed back to their private corporations, but they were largely a physical wreck.  but Wells Fargo Bank continued operations in San Francisco. Sound management helped Wells Fargo grow, as the Company weathered the Great Depression and met new consumer needs after World War II. Wells Fargo opened branch banks, keeping pace with American mobility and expansion.

New banking concepts not only changed where people banked, but how. As in stagecoach days, Wells Fargo pioneered banking convenience to customers: Drive-up tellers, banking by phone, credit cards, ATMs, and online banking offered innovations for modern customers.

By 1998, Wells Fargo Bank had expanded from a single location in San Francisco to its historic territory throughout the West, then extended across the Midwest. Today the Wells Fargo name once again extends to Eastern statesâ€"from “Ocean to Ocean.”


2008 marked the 150th Anniversary of the First Express Run from St. Louis to San Francisco.

Welcome home Wells Fargo!




OCKLAWAHA
(BITS AND PIECES FROM A COLLECTION OF WEBSITES)

I vote for white letters during the day and at night, white, but back lit/shadowed with gold (like the first image, Salt Lake). I think mustard yellow would date the building during the day.

Noticed today the Wachovia signs on the Enterprise Center tower were gone.

Quote from: fsujax on June 06, 2011, 02:10:54 PM
Noticed today the Wachovia signs on the Enterprise Center tower were gone.

Kool. The new signage atop the modis building is supposed to be done this month. I'll keep my eye out for it. I havent looked out there today.

Just got back from Tampa and drove through Orlando, all the new Wells Fargo signage has just been installed on the former Wachovia buildings there, and they're definitely going with the traditional gold block lettering. Looks decent.

Quote from: ChriswUfGator on June 06, 2011, 03:23:59 PM
Just got back from Tampa and drove through Orlando, all the new Wells Fargo signage has just been installed on the former Wachovia buildings there, and they're definitely going with the traditional gold block lettering. Looks decent.

I was just going to say the same thing, but you beat me to it.  ;D There are two Wells Fargo buildings downtown in Orlando and it looks okay on the one in the center of downtown...but the yellow really clashes with the one a little more east of downtown...the burgundy and blue tower with gold letters...not working so much. But yes, if they did it there with no regard to what would look best on the building, I'm certain they will do it here.

Email from Downtown Vision, Inc.:

QuoteThe Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has announced the following street closures for the Arrival of Wells Fargo Parade on Wednesday, June 15 from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.


Streets along the following parade route will be temporarily closed as the parade passes.

· The parade will begin at the 300 block of Coastline Drive.
· Proceed west on Coastline Drive to Market Street.
· Proceed north on Market Street to Bay Street.
· Proceed west on Bay Street to Laura Street.
· Proceed south on Laura Street to the roundabout.
· Proceed west on Water St. to 225 Water St.

I'm glad their going to be in the Ind. Life/Modis building but a parade??  Whatever.

i think it is just going to be their famous wagon. nothing big.

Anyone know if the new lettering on the building is being revealed today? I noticed the Wachovia's around town are showing off their new signage.

Quote from: comncense on June 15, 2011, 02:08:41 PM
Anyone know if the new lettering on the building is being revealed today? I noticed the Wachovia's around town are showing off their new signage.

I couldn't see a thing with all the smoke.  ::)

Quote from: comncense on June 15, 2011, 02:08:41 PM
Anyone know if the new lettering on the building is being revealed today? I noticed the Wachovia's around town are showing off their new signage.

I work on the southbank and I just took a peak and the building is still bare. They stated it would be up by the end of the summer.

Wells Fargo just signed a 13 year lease for the building.

Great news on the 13 year lease.

But man, the Wells Fargo signage showing up around town is just AWFUL.

Ugly beyond belief.

Bordering on visual plight.

+1,000,000 ugh!!

The signage is not ugly, it is SCAREY AS HECK. The first sign I seen at night, I just imagined the wicked witch of the west in the carriage on her way to get Dorothy. It is very creepy to say the least.

Quote from: duvaldude08 on June 17, 2011, 12:44:18 PM
The signage is not ugly, it is SCAREY AS HECK. The first sign I seen at night, I just imagined the wicked witch of the west in the carriage on her way to get Dorothy. It is very creepy to say the least.

Or Legend of Sleepy Hallow

well this is the signage they use all over the country...so get over it!

Quote from: tufsu1 on June 17, 2011, 02:28:32 PM
well this is the signage they use all over the country...so get over it!

Still doesn't make it any less offensive to the eyes :)

Quote from: tufsu1 on June 17, 2011, 02:28:32 PM
well this is the signage they use all over the country...so get over it!

I kind of like that one company has signage that looks a bit different form all of the power blue logos.

signage = small potatoes...very, very small potatoes.  They signed a 13-yr lease; that's GOOD.

Quote from: duvaldude08 on June 17, 2011, 12:44:18 PM
The signage is not ugly, it is SCAREY AS HECK. The first sign I seen at night, I just imagined the wicked witch of the west in the carriage on her way to get Dorothy. It is very creepy to say the least.

I don't know about you, but I for one welcome our scary horse buggy banking overlords!  :D

Quote from: JeffreyS on June 17, 2011, 03:04:01 PM

Quote from: tufsu1 on June 17, 2011, 02:28:32 PM
well this is the signage they use all over the country...so get over it!

I kind of like that one company has signage that looks a bit different form all of the power blue logos.

Fair point.  It'll make the downtown skyline a little more visually diverse, color-wise.

Maybe the bank of america building will step up their game and put up a sign too!

Quote from: coredumped on June 28, 2011, 11:19:53 PM
Maybe the bank of america building will step up their game and put up a sign too!

And light up the top of the building! UGH who ever operates that building needs their @ss whipped. One of our tallest building, completey naked at night and disappears in the skyline

here it is the proposed signage for Wells Fargo Center Downtown.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=534046

I was wondering about the sigage. Lets get her done! City will look great for Monday Night Football.

I'm glad they are using a neutral background instead of the usual red. The red would not look good on top of that bilding.

Ugh..  Maybe I'm just used to seeing blue lettering at the top of that building.. but.. it just doesn't look good to me.. But I guess its better than nothing! Hopefully it looks better in person!

They need to run some LED lights up the side of that building (Anyone seen the Duke Engergy Building in Charlotte).. That'd be sweet.

Quote from: SMoody84 on July 15, 2011, 02:33:01 PM
Ugh..  Maybe I'm just used to seeing blue lettering at the top of that building.. but.. it just doesn't look good to me.. But I guess its better than nothing! Hopefully it looks better in person!

They need to run some LED lights up the side of that building (Anyone seen the Duke Engergy Building in Charlotte).. That'd be sweet.

I didnt expect anything different. I think once we see it on the building, especially at night, you will like it :)

Quote from: CG7 on July 15, 2011, 11:43:31 AM
I'm glad they are using a neutral background instead of the usual red. The red would not look good on top of that bilding.

What am I missing? Neutral background? It looks like a giant field of red behind the letters....looks incredibly horrible, actually. I was hoping Wells Fargo would have better taste. Is this really what it's going to look like? Groan.

Quote from: ubben on July 15, 2011, 05:03:21 PM

Quote from: CG7 on July 15, 2011, 11:43:31 AM
I'm glad they are using a neutral background instead of the usual red. The red would not look good on top of that building.

What am I missing? Neutral background? It looks like a giant field of red behind the letters....looks incredibly horrible, actually. I was hoping Wells Fargo would have better taste. Is this really what it's going to look like? Groan.

Being that this is a rendering, it more than likely does not reflect EXACTLY how it is going to look.. The background does look red in the picture. But if they say its going to be neutral, its going to be natural I guess....

Or do the Wells Fargo folk think "red" = "neutral" since it is their base color scheme?
If they do mean neutral, I hope that wasn't a WF rendering.

According to the jax daily article Wells Fargo has decided to use a neutral background, i wasn't referring to the picture attached to the story.

Ok, that sounds better. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Speaking of our lovely skyline, I must say, the new Baptist Tower is making a nice addition to the Southbank.

Quote from: ubben on July 16, 2011, 10:56:35 AM
Ok, that sounds better. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Speaking of our lovely skyline, I must say, the new Baptist Tower is making a nice addition to the Southbank.

agreed.

colors don't work with our existing pallette.

hey... gray is a color.

^ but primer is not.

This article clearly outlines why it is so impossible to get anything done Downtown in a timely manner. 90 minutes and 8 pages of notes to discuss the signage for Wells Fargo Center Downtown. Way to go DDRB. Maybe I am missing something here, but it seems a little bit ridiculos to me.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=534098

Quote from: fsujax on July 22, 2011, 10:25:13 AM
This article clearly outlines why it is so impossible to get anything done Downtown in a timely manner. 90 minutes and 8 pages of notes to discuss the signage for Wells Fargo Center Downtown. Way to go DDRB. Maybe I am missing something here, but it seems a little bit ridiculos to me.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=534098

Well being the fact that most compaines have to get signage exceptions, that always screws up our process. Something else that needs to be changed for sure. HOwever, IMO they are addressing some very important issues. From what I read, they just want to make sure all the signage does not end up looking tacky. Wells Fargo also has hideous colors and that does need to be looked at carefully. I dunno but I agree with them this time. I will say I like they idea about the that display all the other companies in the building. Because I honestly, I do not what other companies reside in there.

So they did originally want the red background atop Independent Square, thank goodness that isn't going to be the case now. That would've looked beyond terrible and completely out of place on a small skyline such as Jax's.

***UPDATE***

QuoteAlso approved was the final design for signage at Wells Fargo Center, the former Modis Building on the Northbank.
When the signage plan was presented to the board in July, it called for 15 signs on the building and property, including high-rise signage on the north and south faces of the top of the building.
Those signs were designed with yellow letters set against a red background panel, which the board said was inconsistent with the look of other high-rise signage on the skyline.
The signage plan approved Thursday specifies eight signs: Two high-rise signs, four street-level signs and two canopy signs on the Laura Street and Independent Drive sides of the building.
The design of the high-rise signs was changed to eliminate the red background panel in favor of backlit channel letters with the original yellow-and-red color scheme.
In addition, the board specified that the trees on the Laura Street side of the building be preserved, but may be trimmed to allow better visibility of the entrance to the retail branch bank Wells Fargo plans to open on that side of the building.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/downtowntoday.php?dt_date=2011-08-26

Quote from: blizz01 on August 26, 2011, 01:11:00 PM
***UPDATE***

QuoteAlso approved was the final design for signage at Wells Fargo Center, the former Modis Building on the Northbank.
When the signage plan was presented to the board in July, it called for 15 signs on the building and property, including high-rise signage on the north and south faces of the top of the building.
Those signs were designed with yellow letters set against a red background panel, which the board said was inconsistent with the look of other high-rise signage on the skyline.
The signage plan approved Thursday specifies eight signs: Two high-rise signs, four street-level signs and two canopy signs on the Laura Street and Independent Drive sides of the building.
The design of the high-rise signs was changed to eliminate the red background panel in favor of backlit channel letters with the original yellow-and-red color scheme.
In addition, the board specified that the trees on the Laura Street side of the building be preserved, but may be trimmed to allow better visibility of the entrance to the retail branch bank Wells Fargo plans to open on that side of the building.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/downtowntoday.php?dt_date=2011-08-26

Great! Now lets get our skyline back in order. Should look great during MNF

This article has an image of what the "Wells Fargo Center" will look like next week:

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/money_makers/2011/09/jacksonville-landmark-about-to-get-its.html

Thank got they eschewed the red background. It looks similar to the Wells Fargo building in Orlando.

There are also some pretty cool pictures of the building through the years. I barely remember it being the "AccuStaff Building"!

I agree.  the Red background was axed at the last JEDC meeting. (Thank God)

Isn't the Wells Fargo Center where the 76ers and Flyers play at? :)

I agree also.  The signage shown in daylight looks gaudy, it looks like wood behind the letters.  Perhaps lighted up at night it will pop.

Quote from: I-10east on September 20, 2011, 05:07:24 PM
Isn't the Wells Fargo Center where the 76ers and Flyers play at? :)

yes...after being the Corestates Center, First Union Center (philly folk used to just use the initials), and Wachovia Center

Here's a pic from 2 weeks ago when they were working on it:
(http://i.imgur.com/RL2gk.jpg)

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 20, 2011, 09:47:21 PM
First Union Center (philly folk used to just use the initials)

Typical Philly. LMAO

Full Name - Franklin Upchurch Santa Claus

Can't wait for the letters be up. I wonder who will get naming rights, on either of the old Wachovia towers.

Here is an image of the Wells Fargo tower in downtown Orlando:
(http://media.trb.com/media/photo/2011-06/62231284.jpg)

There are actually two Wells Fargo buildings in Orlando now, but this one is very similar to Independent Square in look, color, etc. Yellow letters on a beige building doesn't look great, but clearly much better than if there was a red background. The letters on the Jacksonville building should be significantly larger than the Orlando building.

I guess we'll know how it'll look soon enough!

I still feel like the large yellow/gold letters severely clash with the rest of the skyline, especially during the daytime, but a lot of times these things end up looking better in execution than in renders. We'll get used to it after a week anyway. I do think it will look pretty sweet though at night.

The Wells Fargo Tower in ORL looks kinda similar to Jax's BB&T Bank Building; The main difference is that Wells Fargo ORL has three inner columns, and BB&T Jax has two.

holy crap people...who cares about what color the sign is...after all, it's their logo!

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 21, 2011, 11:07:41 AM
holy crap people...who cares about what color the sign is...after all, it's their logo!

LOL if its ugly then its Ugly..nothing wrong with people voicing an opinion.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 21, 2011, 11:07:41 AM
holy crap people...who cares about what color the sign is...after all, it's their logo!

I care :)

Not to restate the obvious, but the wrong signage atop downtown's central and most recognizable tower can single-handedly transform the skyline from visually appealing to visually upsetting. Our skyline is what millions of travelers see each year as they travel down I-95. The skyline is what you see on nearly every postcard or marketing shot of Jacksonville, and what tens of millions more people will be seeing during our three prime time football games this year. The skyline is the reflection of the city itself, and obviously, you want it to look at visually appealing as possible.

Not to go off on a tangent, but as most interior decorators will tell you, there is also a lot of psychology between color choices. Colors can have pretty remarkable affects on people's moods. Our downtown's main color theme is obviously blue, a very soothing, calm, relaxing color. Yellow on the other hand has been proven to cause anxiety. It's a distressing color in some instances.

It is what it is, the decision has been made, and like I said, sometimes these things look much better in execution than in artist renderings, but of course it matters what the signage atop the most iconic building in the city looks like. There's nothing whiny or petty about pointing that out.

ok...but Wells Fargo is the one who signed the lease and paid for the naming rights...so why shouldn't they be allowed to display their logo (no matter how ugly it may be to some)?

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 21, 2011, 11:55:07 AM
ok...but Wells Fargo is the one who signed the lease and paid for the naming rights...so why shouldn't they be allowed to display their logo (no matter how ugly it may be to some)?

No one said they shouldn't be "allowed" to do what they want with their signage. It's a matter of how we, individuals in the community, thinks it looks.

At this point i wouldn't care if they painted the building red and yellow. At least they didnt take their jobs to burbs!

Quote from: KenFSU on September 21, 2011, 11:45:57 AM

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 21, 2011, 11:07:41 AM
holy crap people...who cares about what color the sign is...after all, it's their logo!

I care :)

Not to restate the obvious, but the wrong signage atop downtown's central and most recognizable tower can single-handedly transform the skyline from visually appealing to visually upsetting. Our skyline is what millions of travelers see each year as they travel down I-95. The skyline is what you see on nearly every postcard or marketing shot of Jacksonville, and what tens of millions more people will be seeing during our three prime time football games this year. The skyline is the reflection of the city itself, and obviously, you want it to look at visually appealing as possible.

Not to go off on a tangent, but as most interior decorators will tell you, there is also a lot of psychology between color choices. Colors can have pretty remarkable affects on people's moods. Our downtown's main color theme is obviously blue, a very soothing, calm, relaxing color. Yellow on the other hand has been proven to cause anxiety. It's a distressing color in some instances.

It is what it is, the decision has been made, and like I said, sometimes these things look much better in execution than in artist renderings, but of course it matters what the signage atop the most iconic building in the city looks like. There's nothing whiny or petty about pointing that out.

Well, yeah, I mean we've long since recognized that different colors have different psychological effects on people, this is exactly why Red, Yellow, and Green are used in traffic lights. I get that and it makes sense and all, but at the end of the day, I am not sure as a matter of principle that we should be involved in second-guessing a private business' choices of how it wishes to display its logo, if we're just objecting to color choices. That seems, considering the current collapsed state of downtown Jacksonville, like looking one helluva gift horse in the mouth.

• The new Wells Fargo signs are scheduled to be installed by helicopter Sunday on the former Modis Building Downtown. For safety reasons, several streets will be closed from 6 a.m.-2 p.m., including Independent Drive from Laura Street to Newnan Street; Bay Street from Ocean Street to Hogan Street; and Main Street from Adams Street to Prudential Drive, including the Main Street Bridge. Motorists trying to cross the St. Johns River will be detoured to the Acosta and Hart bridges.

Quote from: tufsu1 on September 21, 2011, 11:55:07 AM
ok...but Wells Fargo is the one who signed the lease and paid for the naming rights...so why shouldn't they be allowed to display their logo (no matter how ugly it may be to some)?

dang, who pissed in your cereal this morning?

Quote from: ChriswUfGator on September 21, 2011, 01:44:00 PM
I am not sure as a matter of principle that we should be involved in second-guessing a private business' choices of how it wishes to display its logo, if we're just objecting to color choices. That seems, considering the current collapsed state of downtown Jacksonville, like looking one helluva gift horse in the mouth.

We just moved into a new suburban office complex a few months ago. As part of our lease, our signage had to be compliant with the aesthetic makeup of our neighbors. We had to adjust our logo, including colors (more specifically, remove color), accordingly. Signage regulation is far from uncommon.

All that aside though, I think you guys are reading way too much into my comments.

It's the city and building owner's place, not Wells Fargo's, to consider and ultimately approve the signage. WF are free to do whatever they please, pending approval.

Of course I'm happy that Wells Fargo took over the lease.

I'm not looking to throw them out of the building, or stop the installation of the signage.

I even said it a) would look nice at night, and b) might look better during the day than the renderings suggest.

I simply pointed out the obvious that the renderings, in my solitary personal opinion, fall somewhere between not matching the rest of downtown and clashing horribly with our scenic skyline.

Nothing more, nothing less :)

So, it is better if all the buildings downtown look alike?  No individuality?

Quote from: KenFSU on September 21, 2011, 02:03:26 PM

Quote from: ChriswUfGator on September 21, 2011, 01:44:00 PM
I am not sure as a matter of principle that we should be involved in second-guessing a private business' choices of how it wishes to display its logo, if we're just objecting to color choices. That seems, considering the current collapsed state of downtown Jacksonville, like looking one helluva gift horse in the mouth.

We just moved into a new suburban office complex a few months ago. As part of our lease, our signage had to be compliant with the aesthetic makeup of our neighbors. We had to adjust our logo, including colors (more specifically, remove color), accordingly. Signage regulation is far from uncommon.

All that aside though, I think you guys are reading way too much into my comments.

It's the city and building owner's place, not Wells Fargo's, to consider and ultimately approve the signage. WF are free to do whatever they please, pending approval.

Of course I'm happy that Wells Fargo took over the lease.

I'm not looking to throw them out of the building, or stop the installation of the signage.

I even said it a) would look nice at night, and b) might look better during the day than the renderings suggest.

I simply pointed out the obvious that the renderings, in my solitary personal opinion, fall somewhere between not matching the rest of downtown and clashing horribly with our scenic skyline.

Nothing more, nothing less :)

I'm with ya, Ken, in principle. But I do actually think it'll look just fine during the day.

I think it will look great.  Not at first, and not to be cliche, but it will be an acquired taste.  The font and color scheme are pretty classic, and it will stick out pretty obviously on the skyline.

Sure, at first, it may seem out of place, but I think it will grow on everyone and you'll begin to like it.

does anyöne else think it doesn't matter past 'some corporation gets to put its logo on our skyline'?

Quote from: KuroiKetsunoHana on September 21, 2011, 05:30:28 PM
does anyöne else think it doesn't matter past 'some corporation gets to put its logo on our skyline'?

In english please  ;D

Quote from: downtownjag on September 21, 2011, 05:22:23 PM
I think it will look great.  Not at first, and not to be cliche, but it will be an acquired taste.  The font and color scheme are pretty classic, and it will stick out pretty obviously on the skyline.

Sure, at first, it may seem out of place, but I think it will grow on everyone and you'll begin to like it.

Well's Fargo has hideous sinage, The need to take all that red out of their color scheme. I am SO glad JEDC told them HELL NO to the red background. The signage will look okay. Hopefully there will be some other type of lighting to allow the building to stand out at night

After a while, a very short while, no one will care what color the sign is.

Witness our traffic lights...
Red means Stop
Green means Go
Yellow means Go Faster - Talk about the color of anxiety.

I like the red and yellow signs.  I mean how many corporate blue logos can there be in the world?

Doesn't look bad, actually!

It looked great pulling in to work this morning. I actually had to remember I was driving and to look at the road. I may ride by DT tonight and see how it look in the night sky.

I really didn't think I would like the yellow signage, but it doesn't look bad. I kind of like it (although white would have been better) ...that said...shifting thought to the BOA Tower, who can we convince to get them to light the pyramid back up?! With all of the new cost-effective LED lighting now, it can't be an energy use/money issue any longer...

Electricity costs may be less but an LED system to light up something that big would be a pretty penny  :o

Quote from: Riverrat on September 26, 2011, 01:49:20 PM
I really didn't think I would like the yellow signage, but it doesn't look bad. I kind of like it (although white would have been better) ...that said...shifting thought to the BOA Tower, who can we convince to get them to light the pyramid back up?! With all of the new cost-effective LED lighting now, it can't be an energy use/money issue any longer...

They last time they lit it up was for the Suer bowl. Havent seen it since. I think it could be because of the electric cost. But atleast light it up on the weekend and two days during the week.

lots of towers Downtown have now gone dark at night. BofA, JEA, Fidelity (green neon lights), The old Gulf Life had ligthing around the top for a while, the list goes on. It is the property managers responsibility to keep that kind of stuff up. If City Hall actually cared, they might be able to encourage these property managers to at least light them on the the weekend! Sometimes it's the simple things. This is what is supposed to make Downtown stand out from a suburban office park building.

Quote from: fsujax on September 26, 2011, 02:09:20 PM
lots of towers Downtown have now gone dark at night. BofA, JEA, Fidelity (green neon lights), The old Gulf Life had ligthing around the top for a while, the list goes on. It is the property managers responsibility to keep that kind of stuff up. If City Hall actually cared, they might be able to encourage these property managers to at least light them on the the weekend! Sometimes it's the simple things. This is what is supposed to make Downtown stand out from a suburban office park building.

Agreed! That sounds easy right? Even though Dt is dead at  night, somone passing through Jacksonville on 95 would atleast have something to look at. Does anyone know the status of the AT&T building? In the daily record a few months back they said they installing light on the top of the building and I havent heard anything since?

Have they started lighting up the Wells Fargo sign yet? When I pasted by on Saturday night it wasnt on.

I heard they have been lighting it at night.

I was in Jacksonville on Friday-Monday and it was off Saturday night, but on both Friday and Sunday night.  There's a photo of it lit up on my Facebook page.

It was on last night as well.

What's the BOA building have to say about that? Still dark?

Quote from: blizz01 on October 06, 2011, 03:18:10 PM
What's the BOA building have to say about that? Still dark?

They wont turn on that pyramid if the city paid them  ::)

last I heard about that, they had to replace the lighting system up there. They wanted to use LED's, but nothing has happend.

Does anybody know when the last time that BOA was lite up? The last I can remember was superbowl weekend. And whats sad about that is, I never it lit up until SB weekend! I drove threw DT for years to club on riverside and never knew the top of that building lit up.

I noticed it lite up tonight, looks pretty good, different than what were r used to. They even had the Go Jaguars on today.

can somebody please get some nighttime pics of the wells fargo center??

We were down there last night looks great . I should have taken a pic.

Went inside the old Wells Fargo Building yesterday for lunch. Man, it was depressing. It was so empty and eerily quiet. The Enterprise Center Cafe on the 10th floor was not as busy as usual. They said that they were going to try and hold on. Also, it was interesting to note that all the old Wells Fargo stickers had been ripped off the and exposed was the First Union names on each floor near the elevators. I sure hope they can get that space filled quickly.

You mean old Wachovia building?

I think he's talking about the old Florida National building ...  :)

First Union, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, now back to Enterprise Center tower!