Quote
(https://i.postimg.cc/mgwBfWLn/IMG-0137.jpg)
Kraft Heinz demolishes 100-year-old building, part of its Downtown Jacksonville facility
The structure in Maxwell House's complex at 735 E. Bay St. was built in 1926. It was the easternmost facility along East Bay Street just past a bridge over Hogans Creek.
"The building was no longer in use nor structurally sound; as such, we removed it," a Kraft Heinz spokesperson wrote an emailed statement. "As of now, we don't have anything planned for this property."
Rad!
Full story: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2026/jan/29/kraft-heinz-demolishes-100-year-old-building-part-of-its-downtown-jacksonville-facility/
This felt like another missed opportunity. I truly believe that building was salvageable.... and it could have been reused to engage the public, activate that part of Bay Street, and compliment the naval museum across the street on the river.... Demolition has run amok in downtown Jax...Next up: MOSH building
The article mentions demo delays and other protections needed to prevent examples of this.
Unfortunately, any protections that are not already in place though a local historic district or landmark aren't applicable to any new properties, per OGC, due to last year's Florida Senate Bill 180.
There's a movement to ammend SB180 soon, which is much needed.
Quote from: fsu813 on January 31, 2026, 12:54:23 PM
The article mentions demo delays and other protections needed to prevent examples of this.
Unfortunately, any protections that are not already in place though a local historic district or landmark aren't applicable to any new properties, per OGC, due to last year's Florida Senate Bill 180.
There's a movement to ammend SB180 soon, which is much needed.
This. SB180 makes it difficult to add any new protections to properties. Hopefully, that changes.
Sad! Would have made a great landmark coffee house/cafe for the area while marketing Maxwell House which, from what I read, could use a bit more of same, especially in a Starbucks/Nespresso/Store Brand world today. Hershey (with Hershey Park) and Anheuser Busch (Busch Gardens and brewery tours, in the day) knew how to do this. Even Google has a minipark with sculptures of all their icons over the years that loads of tourist busses stop by for pictures.
Total lack of imagination by a big corporate owner which, by the way, rates as possibly the worst investment Warren Buffet ever made. They are preparing to split the company back up. Moves like this may explain part of it, they don't know how to leverage their brands, especially in today's experiential world.
(https://l450v.alamy.com/450v/kfrt8x/android-sculpture-garden-or-android-lawn-statue-park-on-the-google-kfrt8x.jpg)
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ljJCtwBOASE/maxresdefault.jpg)
Being that they are trying to energize that leg (east leg) of Bay Street into an entertainment/night club district, that building would've also been an awesome night/dance/disco club with a coffee house and bar on the first floor (or something else imaginative in that context). Don't think it would've been difficult to draw someone in to transform this building into that.
I find myself a bit indifferent about this one. It's their property on an operational industrial campus and clearly there was plenty of time before just last year and SB 180 to have done something if there was interest in this particular building. It isn't complimentary to the Naval Museum that is a quarter mile away, doesn't have crosswalk access to MOSH (whenever that happens), and is separated by the remaining Hart ramps from really anything in the Sports & Entertainment complex.
There are enough other fish to fry in this area: Berkman, the Police Memorial Building, eventually the jail, Shipyards West Park, MOSH, whatever replaces Intuition, the Ford on Bay. I don't see how this would have made or broken the area.
Coincidental to my post above about Kraft Heinz lack of brand support, I just saw this quote in CNBC article supporting my comment:
QuoteWith the benefit of hindsight, analysts and investors have blamed much of Kraft Heinz's downward spiral on the brutal cost-cutting strategy imposed after the merger. The company's leadership was too focused on slashing costs and not enough on investing back into its brands, particularly at a time when consumer tastes were changing.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/31/kraft-heinz-kellogg-breakups-show-big-food-is-getting-smaller.html
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Quote from: marcuscnelson on January 31, 2026, 07:58:50 PM
I find myself a bit indifferent about this one. It's their property on an operational industrial campus and clearly there was plenty of time before just last year and SB 180 to have done something if there was interest in this particular building. It isn't complimentary to the Naval Museum that is a quarter mile away, doesn't have crosswalk access to MOSH (whenever that happens), and is separated by the remaining Hart ramps from really anything in the Sports & Entertainment complex.
There are enough other fish to fry in this area: Berkman, the Police Memorial Building, eventually the jail, Shipyards West Park, MOSH, whatever replaces Intuition, the Ford on Bay. I don't see how this would have made or broken the area.
It not just about one building, but the character of the City and the greater area. The loss, one by one, of these buildings is death by a thousand knife cuts. One day, we will wake up and there are no old buildings left. We have already demolished so much of our character and history, that we have lost much of the City's identity, barely able to find significant remnants left today.
Anyone who grew up in Jax can appreciate the cumulative losses the most and, likely, could name dozens or more landmark buildings that told the City's history and built its identity. Jax is the ultimate "live for today", "throwaway the past" and "don't plan for the future city." As such, it just wanders about with no real direction, vision, character or identity.
Marcus, I gather you are young(er). One day, you may have a longer view of time and appreciate what disappears in your lifetime that you thought should be treasured. Most every building or project you cited is less than 50 years old or in the future. Only one, the Police Memorial Building, is considered an architectural landmark, and, I would guess, will one day be demolished. Intuition is an older building, but is also sure to follow in the footsteps of the original Doro building. At that point, the whole area will effectively be "sanitized" joining LaVilla, Brooklyn, and most of the Southbank, as a start. Not to mention, Downtown has only a fraction of its historic buildings remaining.
When one thinks of the world's great cities, so many have preserved far more of their past than we have. When one thinks of the NY skyline, much of what is savored is buildings approaching or over 100 years old. Interestingly, below is a recent example of that. Notice how many "old" buildings are still standing on some of the world's most valuable real estate and the character and sense of history they create for the area.
QuoteNYC's iconic Flatiron Building officially has apartments for sale, starting at nearly $11 million—take a look inside
There's no way to walk through New York City's Flatiron district without seeing The Flatiron Building. It first opened in 1902 and has been part of the city's fabric ever since. And for the first time in 124 years, if you have the money, you can call it home.
Formerly a commercial building, the Flatiron Building is being converted into 38 luxury condominiums, with a full completion scheduled for later this year. Apartments in the building range from three-bedroom units selling for around $10.95 million to the penthouse on the 21st floor going for over $50 million. Corcoran Sunshine is leading sales and marketing for all of the apartments, which were designed by Studio Sofield.
"Very few buildings in the world elicit an emotional response like The Flatiron Building and reimagining this iconic landmark as residential homes has been an exciting and deeply meaningful experience; one we approach with great care and respect," William Sofield, designer and founder of Studio Sofield, tells CNBC Make It via email....
....The Flatiron Building conversion began in 2023 and is a redevelopment led by the Brodsky Organization and the Sorgente Group.
"It's been a thrilling process because the building has this historical and architectural interest, but it also has this iconic shape," Lansill says.
Landsill adds that because the building was designed for commercial use, it took the team about eight months to develop a concept that made sense....
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/31/flatiron-building-apartments-for-sale.html
(https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/108259437-1769773745456-gettyimages-1184224598-img_9170.jpeg?v=1769773898&w=1480&h=833&ffmt=webp&vtcrop=y)
SB 180 has screwed up a lot. Hoping the momentum to get it changed is successful. It will be one of the things on my mind when I'm in Tallahassee next week.
I second this. I will say, I am younger (in my upper 20s) and I still appreciate the little remaining historic fabric the city has.....demolishing little historic structures here and there... like this... set a precedent that demolition is acceptable and it normalizes demolition as the default instead of thoughtful reuse. We have lost so much over the years, unfortunately there's still many more (perhaps more significant) structures remaining in danger of being lost.
Quote from: marcuscnelson on January 31, 2026, 07:58:50 PM
I find myself a bit indifferent about this one. It's their property on an operational industrial campus and clearly there was plenty of time before just last year and SB 180 to have done something if there was interest in this particular building. It isn't complimentary to the Naval Museum that is a quarter mile away, doesn't have crosswalk access to MOSH (whenever that happens), and is separated by the remaining Hart ramps from really anything in the Sports & Entertainment complex.
There are enough other fish to fry in this area: Berkman, the Police Memorial Building, eventually the jail, Shipyards West Park, MOSH, whatever replaces Intuition, the Ford on Bay. I don't see how this would have made or broken the area.
It not just about one building, but the character of the City and the greater area. The loss, one by one, of these buildings is death by a thousand knife cuts. One day, we will wake up and there are no old buildings left. We have already demolished so much of our character and history, that we have lost much of the City's identity, barely able to find significant remnants left today.
Anyone who grew up in Jax can appreciate the cumulative losses the most and, likely, could name dozens or more landmark buildings that told the City's history and built its identity. Jax is the ultimate "live for today", "throwaway the past" and "don't plan for the future city." As such, it just wanders about with no real direction, vision, character or identity.
Marcus, I gather you are young(er). One day, you may have a longer view of time and appreciate what disappears in your lifetime that you thought should be treasured. Most every building or project you cited is less than 50 years old or in the future. Only one, the Police Memorial Building, is considered an architectural landmark, and, I would guess, will one day be demolished. Intuition is an older building, but is also sure to follow in the footsteps of the original Doro building. At that point, the whole area will effectively be "sanitized" joining LaVilla, Brooklyn, and most of the Southbank, as a start. Not to mention, Downtown has only a fraction of its historic buildings remaining.
When one thinks of the world's great cities, so many have preserved far more of their past than we have. When one thinks of the NY skyline, much of what is savored is buildings approaching or over 100 years old. Interestingly, below is a recent example of that. Notice how many "old" buildings are still standing on some of the world's most valuable real estate and the character and sense of history they create for the area.
QuoteNYC's iconic Flatiron Building officially has apartments for sale, starting at nearly $11 million—take a look inside
There's no way to walk through New York City's Flatiron district without seeing The Flatiron Building. It first opened in 1902 and has been part of the city's fabric ever since. And for the first time in 124 years, if you have the money, you can call it home.
Formerly a commercial building, the Flatiron Building is being converted into 38 luxury condominiums, with a full completion scheduled for later this year. Apartments in the building range from three-bedroom units selling for around $10.95 million to the penthouse on the 21st floor going for over $50 million. Corcoran Sunshine is leading sales and marketing for all of the apartments, which were designed by Studio Sofield.
"Very few buildings in the world elicit an emotional response like The Flatiron Building and reimagining this iconic landmark as residential homes has been an exciting and deeply meaningful experience; one we approach with great care and respect," William Sofield, designer and founder of Studio Sofield, tells CNBC Make It via email....
....The Flatiron Building conversion began in 2023 and is a redevelopment led by the Brodsky Organization and the Sorgente Group.
"It's been a thrilling process because the building has this historical and architectural interest, but it also has this iconic shape," Lansill says.
Landsill adds that because the building was designed for commercial use, it took the team about eight months to develop a concept that made sense....
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/31/flatiron-building-apartments-for-sale.html
(https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/108259437-1769773745456-gettyimages-1184224598-img_9170.jpeg?v=1769773898&w=1480&h=833&ffmt=webp&vtcrop=y)
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