When I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Although, I moved to Jax in 2003, I grew up spending a lot of my childhood in the Northside during the 1980s and 1990s.
Regency Square was a dime a dozen in Florida (it wasn't close to being the largest mall in Florida by then) and every major Florida city built a festival marketplace, peoplemover and science museum back then.
All were one trick pony downtown revitalization projects of that era. Tampa razed their downtown peoplemover back in the late 1990s before building the TECO streetcar line.
All the festival marketplaces eventually closed except Miami's Bayside. Church Street Station in Orlando is mostly vacant now and Tampa's Harbourplace is a part of a hotel now. Jax, while dumb, was the only to demolish prematurely.
Despite this, none of these 1970s/80s era projects define each city's unique identity. To me, Jax's authentic unique identity is its historic neighborhoods, people, culture, foodways and natural environment.
For example, Jenkins BBQ may permanently close, but the mustard-based sauces associated with our story is still here and being served in hole-in-the walls and on corners all across the city. The same goes for camel riders, garlic crabs and Mayport shrimp.
As long as we don't drain the Timucuan Preserve, Heckscher Drive will offer a low country coastal setting that no other major metropolitan city can replicate.
I believe that we've still failed to incorporate authentic Jax into downtown. In fact, we've tried to suppress or remove it through urban renewal, demolition and public policies limiting long time local cultural traditions, such as fishing, from the riverfront.
The city's sense-of-place in the neighborhoods that birthed it, as well as our natural environment, is still well and alive and ready for those willing to accept it, take advantage and reintroduce back into the downtown scene.
Its a great opportunity we continue to have. We just have to embrace it and stop ruining our existing built assets.
Having grown up in Jax, I am missing the gradual and near-total loss of green forested and open spaces. In my youth, it was almost all pine forests down Beach and Atlantic, from University to the intracoastal. Likewise from University to St. Augustine on US 1 and out US 17 south of Orange Park. I-10 past Edgewood was a backwater. Palm Valley was truly palm valley, populated by hundreds of thriving palm trees. Ponte Vedra was the backwater of the Beaches outside of the club area. 210 was a two lane road through pitch black darkness at night.
Nobody outside the area ever heard of Fernandina or Amelia Island. While St. Augustine was better known, you could still almost always find free parking on its square anytime.
The beaches were quaint little ocean oases, with a get-away-from-it-all weekend vibe. Downtown still had decent remnants of department stores, restaurants, vibrant office buildings and major company HQ's, and easy-to-find cheap or free parking. While the 1960's took out lots of historic downtown, a good bit still remained giving it a certain distinctiveness and aura of the past. Areas like San Marco, Mandarin, Riverside and Ortega, while spotting more expensive homes near waterfront, were otherwise middle class affordable.
You could transit from any part of the City to any other part within 10 to 20 minutes mostly. The 4 lane Buckman and I-95 never had traffic jams and you always knew you could depend on moving at speed limit (or faster) given the lower volume of cars, even in "rush hour." I-295 and JTB didn't exist. UNF was "new" and in the middle of the woods. The Hart, Matthews, Fuller Warren and Trout River bridges all had tolls.
Restaurants were mostly fast food and few and far and few between compared to today. Eating out was special, not an everyday affair. "Better" restaurants were all family run, not chains.
Public school education ruled the day. Very few religious or private schools and no charters.
To Ennis's point, most every building of significance in any part of the City that existed in the 70's, 80's or earlier is gone. Anyone coming back to Jax after being away for 30 or more years would likely be lost today.
I estimate Jax had about 1/6th or less of the area population of today yet the urban area still had a "big city" feel.
To me, the ultimate identity of Jax that has survived time, is the river, intracoastal and the beaches along with our little remaining wetlands and forests. To be fair, the degradation of our environment extends across most all of Florida today. Very little of what I recall from childhood remains anywhere in this State so I would say Florida, too, is losing its identity. Every part of this State could be "anywhere else." Maybe this also applies to much of the U.S. Everything is a chain, a commodity, stripped down to its basics, disposable, just enough-to-get-by, devoid of character, in-a-hurry, not to slow down and "smell the flowers." The only respite can be found in our larger local, state and national parks.
As a resident that has been in Jacksonville as a toddler to an adult since the 80's, I agree with all the opinions given. Especially with the insight of how the entire country is becoming beige and basic. But I will say the thing I miss the most does involve The Landing. I am missing the central gathering place for the whole city for uniting events. Nothing beats the Tree lighting, Jag or Gator Bowl Pep Rallies, and community events. I remember as a kid becoming a fan of the Olympics, when the torch made a stop at The Landing for the 96 Atlanta Olympics. I know we have Riverfront Park, but it's something to see 2 stories filled with people for events coming together. Yeah, the crowds were crazy for some events, but it was the default for everyone in the city to go to celebrate. I miss the uniting space. There is nothing that matches that vibe anywhere in the city. Plus, even though many cities had a river marketplace, The Landing was always the spot to take visitors or family. I had a aunt that every time she was in town, we had to make a stop at the The Landing and Harry's for oysters. But we still have the river, beaches, and parks that are unique to Jacksonville. I would say one positive change, as a kid, I loved going to the Main Library (Haydon Burns) and walk around downtown. Then, it felt more empty with a lot of empty buildings. And now most of those buildings are now reopened or have some life to them. A lot can be done to make it better, but that fact that I live in a building I once was amazed by and that was once abandoned.
SAVE THE ORANGE DINOSAUR BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
Haha, I don't get the dinosaur but the Landing was a huge loss. DT Jax does miss that central gathering space and I'm not sure we've adequately planned to effectively bring one back. Riverfront Plaza and the planned hotel aren't necessarily being designed to have that same type of draw for an increasingly diverse population.
Maybe JWJ Park becomes that spot one day but to get there, we'll need to intentionally begin to revitalize the "outer square" with surrounding supporting uses.
QuoteAs long as we don't drain the Timucuan Preserve, Heckscher Drive will offer a low country setting, coastal that no other major metropolitan city can replicate.
One of the most underappreciated yet awesome things about Jacksonville, IMO. The first time I drove it, I was like 'WOW. I can't believe I am in a big city and yet seeing this'.
Thanks, Charlie Bennett.
Quote from: thelakelander on September 24, 2026, 09:37:16 PMAll the festival marketplaces eventually closed except Miami's Bayside. Church Street Station in Orlando is mostly vacant now and Tampa's Harbourplace is a part of a hotel now. Jax, while dumb, was the only to demolish prematurely.
ummm - did you mean just in Florida? Weren't you just at Faneuil Hall in Boston? And South Street Seaport in NYC was rebuilt and reimagined, but still going
Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 24, 2026, 10:34:31 PMIn my youth, it was almost all pine forests down Beach and Atlantic, from University to the intracoastal. Likewise from University to St. Augustine on US 1 and out US 17 south of Orange Park. I-10 past Edgewood was a backwater. Palm Valley was truly palm valley, populated by hundreds of thriving palm trees. Ponte Vedra was the backwater of the Beaches outside of the club area. 210 was a two lane road through pitch black darkness at night.
Nobody outside the area ever heard of Fernandina or Amelia Island. While St. Augustine was better known, you could still almost always find free parking on its square anytime.
The beaches were quaint little ocean oases, with a get-away-from-it-all weekend vibe. Downtown still had decent remnants of department stores, restaurants, vibrant office buildings and major company HQ's, and easy-to-find cheap or free parking.
With these kind of natural amenities in close proximity to what was a banking and insurance hub, it's not hard to see why people chose to move to Jacksonville. The city should have done a better job managing growth, providing transit infrastructure, and preserving wild spaces along the way. I agree that the main things that make Jacksonville unique are our natural amenities and cultural traditions. Going forward, we need to protect the environment, preserve significant wild habitats, provide education so that people understand why it's worth protecting, and celebrate and talk about the chefs and others who are keeping our culture intact.
Fully agree on the Landing. To me, the loss was less about losing a "mall" or a festival marketplace - though we did tell more businesses to pack up shop when we closed the Landing that we've added to all of downtown in the years since.
Instead, the loss was even more about losing that center of gravity for the city. For decades, when something big was happening, the Landing was understood to be ground zero. When Jacksonville won the Jags, thousands of people organically flocked to the Landing to celebrate. When Georgia-Florida took place, that was where you went. Tree lighting. Boat parade. Olympic Torch. Political speeches. Every piece of travel and marketing literature leading up to Super Bowl XXXIX centered on the Landing.
We had that center of gravity through the 1970s with Hemming Park. We had it with the Landing.
And sadly, getting back to (surprise) a lack of master planning, we not only no longer have that center of gravity, but we haven't even defined what or where it will be. Which isn't just a logistics question. It's a question about how and where we convert our foot traffic for key events into economic vibrancy and sustainability into our key corridors.
I've tried to stay positive on Riverfront Plaza because so much work has gone into it, and because it's a minor miracle it was funded and will be completed on time, but to me, it's a colossal miss versus the potential that existed for that space. Too awkward with too little flexible space to be that Town Square. No real vision for how it all comes together, or how it is programmed throughout the year. The children's playground is beautiful, but beyond that, it's just nondescript parcels of unshaded green space. Still can't get over the fact that they elevated the central lawn high enough to block river views from Laura Street.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQz5aHnSFxmdTPPzUIs_bACehrFzhfi3ExFZ7JrHowGcQtewwRNa0-wHe0&s=10)
And, as I've said many, many times, James Weldon Johnson Park is a generational opportunity to bring back some of that history that we've long neglected and return the space to a highly flexible, heavily programmed Town Square that pulls pedestrians in from the river, Pearl District, UF, and the CBD, while pushing them back out into the surrounding blocks to stabilize ground-level business, catalyze property values, and grow residential & office demand.
And instead, we seem to be moving forward with an overly-designed labyrinth that will cripple its ability to serve its most logical function for decades to come. We'd be lucky to fit a food truck into the new design, and instead of clear sightlines for safety and trust, we're kindly building in 40 new hiding places for the deranged bums.
(https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ONG2WSGRDJGYZLSEDBXUTUYJV4.jpeg)
I love progress, and we're all hungry for it to happen quickly.
But a part of me thinks that we need to hit the brakes for two or three years years of nearly everything that isn't already committed while we figure out what the big picture should look like, both from a development and from a transportation perspective.
Subsidizing development with no underlying rhyme or reason beyond hitting arbitrary resident goals isn't a plan.
We need a block by block plan, with the end clearly in mind, that we can prioritize investment against.
Quote from: tufsu1 on September 25, 2026, 09:31:42 AMQuote from: thelakelander on September 24, 2026, 09:37:16 PMAll the festival marketplaces eventually closed except Miami's Bayside. Church Street Station in Orlando is mostly vacant now and Tampa's Harbourplace is a part of a hotel now. Jax, while dumb, was the only to demolish prematurely.
ummm - did you mean just in Florida? Weren't you just at Faneuil Hall in Boston? And South Street Seaport in NYC was rebuilt and reimagined, but still going
I was referring to Florida but yes, the festival marketplaces were everywhere. Last week, I skipped eating at Faneuil Hall to get oysters at the Union Oyster House a block away. They were celebrating their 200th year in business.
As for Faneuil Hall, it was basically a food hall. Something we could have easily done with the Landing.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 25, 2026, 09:38:06 AMFully agree on the Landing. To me, the loss was less about losing a "mall" or a festival marketplace - though we did tell more businesses to pack up shop when we closed the Landing that we've added to all of downtown in the years since.
Instead, the loss was even more about losing that center of gravity for the city. For decades, when something big was happening, the Landing was understood to be ground zero. When Jacksonville won the Jags, thousands of people organically flocked to the Landing to celebrate. When Georgia-Florida took place, that was where you went. Tree lighting. Boat parade. Olympic Torch. Political speeches. Every piece of travel and marketing literature leading up to Super Bowl XXXIX centered on the Landing.
We had that center of gravity through the 1970s with Hemming Park. We had it with the Landing.
Yes, in this sense, the Landing, its horseshoe shape and orange roof, was an iconic downtown landmark and foot traffic generator. Honestly, I think the center of gravity is likely to shift north towards Pearl Square in the future. The linear riverfront parks aren't packed enough with a diverse mix of uses to create a critical mass style focal point.
QuoteI've tried to stay positive on Riverfront Plaza because so much work has gone into it, and because it's a minor miracle it was funded and will be completed on time, but to me, it's a colossal miss versus the potential that existed for that space. Too awkward with too little flexible space to be that Town Square. No real vision for how it all comes together, or how it is programmed throughout the year. The children's playground is beautiful, but beyond that, it's just nondescript parcels of unshaded green space.
I washed my hands of the Landing site once demolition happened. I said then that it was a generational screw up and that we'd eventually spend hundreds of millions on a product that would attract less people. We're living that reality but it is what it is. I've been there a handful of times since Phase 1 opened.
The playground is nice (Kids Kampus was better) but my kids are grown now. My youngest recently graduated college and is more interested in Pearl Square and renting an apartment there than Riverfront Plaza. When my boys were younger, we'd eat and attend events at the Landing on a consistent basis.
QuoteBut a part of me thinks that we need to hit the brakes for two or three years years of nearly everything that isn't already committed while we figure out what the big picture should look like, both from a development and from a transportation perspective.
Subsidizing development with no underlying rhyme or reason beyond hitting arbitrary resident goals isn't a plan.
We need a block by block plan, with the end clearly in mind, that we can prioritize investment against.
I think its okay to support private development projects but I also agree that we should put the breaks on some major public initiatives until a real community vision and plan can be done. We've blown billions at this point on things that don't align. JTA continuing to make siloed transit decisions that don't align with downtown development, local land use policies and neighborhood vision plans is a great example of why breaks should be applied.
QuotePosted by thelakelander
- Today at 06:51:47 AM
Haha, I don't get the dinosaur
lake, meet Rex:
(https://i0.wp.com/thecoastal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/rex-dinosaur-beach-blvd-e1578006984280.jpg?resize=750%2C502&ssl=1)
Rex used to live in a Goony Golf course on Beach Boulevard. When it went out of business, a shopping center was built on the site, but the developer saved Rex. It's at 10150 Beach Blvd, about a half-mile east of Southside Boulevard, on the south side of Beach
https://thecoastal.com/featured/giant-orange-dinosaur-beach-blvd/
I've passed Rex on Beach over the years. Coming from failed mid-century road side attraction and theme park riddles Central Florida, I'm still trying to understand the infatuation with it.
I'd love to see Rex, or even better a larger reimagining of Rex, along the river in the new park space fronting MOSH 2.0.
I do agree with you though, Ennis. I think we've destroyed or suppressed so much of our heritage, history, and shared culture as a city that we have to cling to attractions like a Red dinosaur as "identity," versus things that carry more real civic meaning.
I think one component here is that we have SUCH a lack of tourism in our urban core. For example, how many people that live 15-20 miles away from Downtown Boston have dinner at Faneuil Hall or Union Oyster House on a weeknight? Union Oyster House has been around for 200 years. If let's say it was against the law for anyone but local residents of the Boston Metro to have dinner there, you think they'd have survived this long? What percentage of New Yorkers (counting the Metro Area of 22M) regularly go to South Street Seaport?
The residential population increases will help, but we've got to get more visitors into the urban core. They also sustain these after 5 places on weeknights, when locals need to get dinner on the table at home for the family and mom or dad is coming home annoyed after a crappy day at their dead-end job. Meanwhile, if mom or dad has to travel from time to time to another city for a meeting or a conference, they're going to eat out on a Monday or Tuesday night and have a drink or two (or more) with coworkers and/or colleagues they haven't seen in a long time.
If the city had the budget, I would love to see us build an observation tower directly across the river from the 1 Independent Square building. There is not enough space there for one, but the AI software that I used online managed to shoehorn one in place. I think it would bring in more foot traffic to the area and support the local shops. I gave the steel structure the same color as the old Jacksonville Landing's iconic roof.
(https://i.postimg.cc/B67ZnrvH/Tokyo-Tower-in-Jacksonville-Florida-2.jpg)
Response to Steve's comments:
This is where losing the Landing hurt. It was the spot where out-of-town people would congregate. It was also programmed consistently without public tax money.
When my coworkers from Chicago would come to town, it was just about the only place you could count on being able to get dinner at night, seven days a week.
Its important to keep those types of places and add as much complementing activities around them as possible. We don't have that now, so it will take years to re-establish in DT.
I don't think Jacksonville has had any identity, other than being a collection of some great neighborhoods which have identities themselves. The Civic Council did that survey many months ago....trying to come up with one. Perhaps they couldn't, either?
Jacksonville is the River City. That is its identity. The Jacksonville Shipyards has been gone for more than 3 decades and people are still aware of the history. It was the lifeblood of downtown for multiple generations. My father was a civil engineer there from the early 1970's up until it closed. Some of the remnants of his work are still there. The St. Johns River is one of the main reasons why the Landing was so popular.
Scott Matthews, history professor at FSCJ, has a fascinating 75 minute presentation on the Jacksonville's identity that I would highly, highly recommend everyone watching, if able. I've seen him present it in person annually during a local leadership program the past several years, and it has resonated with the attendees each year (their response is scored). It focuses on Jax and NE FL being a borderland/cross section of cultures throughout the past millennia.
In Florida but not of Florida, in the south but not of the South. Great stuff.
Quote from: fsu813 on September 25, 2026, 06:28:15 PMIn Florida but not of Florida, in the south but not of the South. Great stuff.
From the very FIRST time I visited JAX, I was awestruck by the unique 'blend' of the South (including the Old South) with elements of Florida that Jacksonville possessed. Over time as I made subsequent visits and spent vastly more total time here, I realized the locals seemed completely oblivious to that unique aspect of their own city.
I always felt that should be highlighted and (for lack of a better word) exploited to the hilt.
Quote from: OspreyGrad on September 25, 2026, 04:37:24 PM(https://i.postimg.cc/d0Zqwhq9/Observation-Tower-in-Jacksonville-Florida-2.jpg)
This looks like a cross between the Seattle Space Needle or Las Vegas Stratosphere and either the Eiffel Tower or the Tokyo Radio Tower 8).
I do agree, even great cities have iconic landmarks that when viewed, tell you exactly where they are. The best we have is the Independent Life/Wells Tower building and that's mainly due to its unique base.
Maybe we can get Trump to relocate his 250 foot high golden arch to Jax. DC doesn't want it and maybe the Feds would pay for it ;D .
Quote from: LadyBugJax on September 25, 2026, 04:50:19 PMI don't think Jacksonville has had any identity, other than being a collection of some great neighborhoods which have identities themselves. The Civic Council did that survey many months ago....trying to come up with one. Perhaps they couldn't, either?
Thinking about this, what would people say is the identity of these cities? All are river cities and currently have more vibrant and active downtowns than Jax.
(1) Providence, RI
(2) Grand Rapids, MI
(3) Kansas City, MO
(4) Louisville, KY
(5) Norfolk, VA
Quote from: OspreyGrad on September 25, 2026, 05:33:57 PMJacksonville is the River City. That is its identity. The Jacksonville Shipyards has been gone for more than 3 decades and people are still aware of the history. It was the lifeblood of downtown for multiple generations. My father was a civil engineer there from the early 1970's up until it closed. Some of the remnants of his work are still there.
Shipbuilding and repair is still a big industry here. Fincantieri Marine and JMR both operate at the base of the Mathews Bridge and BAE just expanded recently.
QuoteThe St. Johns River is one of the main reasons why the Landing was so popular.
I agree that the river is the historic life line that weaves a good part of old Jax culture together. Especially, the local foodways. However, we would not know that if walking around downtown. Its an opportunity for downtown, IMO.
Quote from: jaxlongtimer on September 25, 2026, 06:53:19 PMQuote from: OspreyGrad on September 25, 2026, 04:37:24 PM(https://i.postimg.cc/d0Zqwhq9/Observation-Tower-in-Jacksonville-Florida-2.jpg)
This looks like a cross between the Seattle Space Needle or Las Vegas Stratosphere and either the Eiffel Tower or the Tokyo Radio Tower 8).
I do agree, even great cities have iconic landmarks that when viewed, tell you exactly where they are. The best we have is the Independent Life/Wells Tower building and that's mainly due to its unique base.
Maybe we can get Trump to relocate his 250 foot high golden arch to Jax. DC doesn't want it and I maybe the Feds would pay for it ;D .
Which version? The St. Louis Arch or the Death Star? ;)
I think the Seattle Space Needle and the Tokyo Radio Tower got together to produce the River City Outlook Tower.
Quote from: vicupstate on September 25, 2026, 06:45:01 PMQuote from: fsu813 on September 25, 2026, 06:28:15 PMIn Florida but not of Florida, in the south but not of the South. Great stuff.
From the very FIRST time I visited JAX, I was awestruck by the unique 'blend' of the South (including the Old South) with elements of Florida that Jacksonville possessed. Over time as I made subsequent visits and spent vastly more total time here, I realized the locals seemed completely oblivious to that unique aspect of their own city.
I always felt that should be highlighted and (for lack of a better word) exploited to the hilt.
100% agree. This is the main reason I love Jacksonville and couldn't picture myself living in any other part of Florida. Jax does have such a unique culture and vibe compared to the rest of the Florida but also unique from other major Southern cities. You get all the benefits of living a coastal Florida lifestyle while still having the charm and hospitality of a Southern city that you no longer get in Tampa or Orlando. When speaking to transplants that chose to move to Jax by choice (rather than work/military/family) and stayed, cost of living is usually #1 but this unique cultural combination is often #2. It's the reason why Jax's demographic and political patterns are vastly different than every other major city in Florida
This reminds me of my favorite trivia question. What is the second biggest city in Georgia - Jacksonville. Jacksonville is not Florida. Somehow, we need to better capitalize on that. We need to combine outdoor life (state parks, preserves, river/creeks everywhere, beaches) and southern charm (unique neighborhoods, hospitality, affordability) in a metropolitan area.
I've been all over the country, and there are certainly other places I'd rather live. But a lot of those places are either extremely expensive, have limited job opportunities, or both.
I've also lived all over Jax, and I don't know; I think Jacksonville is pretty all right. It has its problems, but so does every city. Compared to other similarly sized cities, I don't think it's dramatically better or worse. It's relatively affordable, there's a decent job market, and there are plenty of different neighborhoods depending on what you're looking for.
It's not the most exciting city in the country, but it's a pretty practical place to live.
I also think there's sometimes an aversion to improving downtown or adding more amenities because people assume they won't use them, or because they're worried that more investment and development will increase the cost of living and push Jacksonville out of the little sweet spot it's in. Whether or not that concern is justified, I think it influences how people react to a lot of proposals to improve the city.
I didn't know where to post these new renderings for an idea of adding three new towers on the downtown riverfront. The tallest tower is almost identical to the Zaha Hadid Miami tower. I think we are due for some new towers downtown.
(https://i.postimg.cc/rm5qyzD9/New-Towers-on-East-Bay-Street-Sunny-Day.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/526QVmNt/New-Towers-on-East-Bay-Street-from-the-parking-garage.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/k56nZT9j/New-Towers-on-East-Bay-Street-Evening.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/GhKhsBqP/New-Towers-on-East-Bay-Street-Cloudy-Day.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/y8r1vMq6/New-Towers-on-East-Bay-Street-Dusk.jpg)
More great renderings, Osprey. However, I think your vision shows a lead-in to a high rise "wall" along our riverfront not unlike the walls of towers lining South Florida beaches.
For me, this would be disappointing. I would rather see towers more in the center blocks of the City and low rises along the waterfront, creating a "step down" approach to the river. I think this would be more aesthetically pleasing than an abrupt wall lining the riverfront. It also preserves wider "panoramic" views, keeps shading off the surface of the river and makes the river more inviting/approachable, not being "intimidated" or minimized due to visual competition by the high-rises.
Assuming that wall shows up on both sides of the river one day, the river will look to be more like the Colorado river running through Glen or Grand Canyons. In nature, it looks dramatic, here, not so much.
It is shameful that the City hasn't built in such considerations in its master planning (currently, non-existent) and zoning.
Thanks for your comments jaxlongtimer. We definitely want to avoid the "canyon effect" as a city. I'll look at adding some residential high-rises closer to the center of downtown.
Neat renderings...but the units in the Zaha Hadid building range from $7 million to $21 million. If that building was on the ocean in Ponte Vedra with 5 of the best restaurants in Jax on the ground floor, a world class pool and amenity package, free membership and shuttles to Sawgrass; it still wouldn't be financially feasible in North Florida.
Downtown Jacksonville's least biggest issue imo, is lack of high rise buildings. It likely has one of the most disproportionate relationships between the number of high-rises it has and the vibrancy of its downtown in the entire country.
I agree with you CityLife. High priced condo apartments are probably one of our least biggest issue. For me, bringing down the crime rate throughout our city and making families feel safe should be top priority.
Osprey, where did you go to school? I'm guessing UNF at some point. Are you studying architecture now? UNF does not have architecture.
jcjohnpaint, I graduated in EE at UNF. Had UNF offered architecture at the time I was there, I would have taken architecture.
@OspreyGrad this is far fetched, but wondering if you have some time. would you be willing to putting something together of all the recently proposed new towers and ones under construction? just to get an idea of what the skyline could/would look like in a few years.
Even if they some don't pencil out, just to get an idea.
Fleet landing, uf, pearl square, RF plaza, old court house, HRC, Related, DCPS, rivers edge, stadium and shipyards. And in case i missed any.
Thank you
@MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain Hi. Attempting to cover the entire area in one skyline shot might be possible, but a lot of the details of each project would get lost. A panoramic view of a narrower section like the stadium district and Shipyards West may work or UF in LaVilla and Pearl Square together might fit in one shot. I'll have to take a close look at what is possible. The rendering software that I'm using may not be up to the task. I've only been experimenting with my own renderings right now. Here are some ideas with a couple of 3 story residential structures and a community center in the Church District.
(https://i.postimg.cc/NG1RLmKb/Contemporary-Community-Center-in-Downtown-Jax-Aerial-View-Daytime-Wide-Shot-fixed.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/sXW7YZwG/Contemporary-Community-Center-in-Downtown-Jax-Reverse-Aerial-View-Daytime-Wide-Shot.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0NbpN4Sy/Contemporary-Community-Center-in-Downtown-Jax-Street-Level-View-Daytime.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/bNNZyy6b/Residential-modular-timber-structures-in-Downtown-Jax-Aerial-View-Daytime-Wide-Shot.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/3rZyQ4FL/Monroe-Street-Downtown-Jax-Aerial-View-3-story-residential-modular-timber-structure-with-landscaping.jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/NG8XGPBx/Monroe-Street-Downtown-Jax-Aerial-View-3-story-residential-modular-timber-structure-with-landscaping.jpg)
Here is an aerial view of the Fleet Landing proposed tower alongside the One Riverside luxury apartments. I'll work on the other sections along the riverfront when I get the chance.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CxXSdrBL/Riverside-Northbank-Jacksonville-Aerial-View-Updated.jpg)
Thank you for doing this. Looks good!
No problem. I'm adding a few more today.
This is the aerial view of the Corner Lot Hotel and Culinary School proposed development and the Hard Rock Hotel proposed tower.
(https://i.postimg.cc/B6d9fFGg/Hard-Rock-Hotel-and-Cornerlot-Tower-Northbank-Aerial-View.jpg)
Here is the view of the Riverfront Plaza playground and the Gateway Jax Riverfront Hotel proposed tower. (I'm not taking credit for this one.)
(https://i.postimg.cc/hvTFDGSC/Riverfront-Plaza-Playground-and-Gateway-Jax-Riverfront-Hotel-Tower-Northbank-Jacksonville-Aerial-Vie.jpg)
Here is the River City Tower on the Southbank.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkCxLrbK/Southbank-Main-Street-Bridge-Aerial-View-River-City-Tower-Rendering.jpg)
Very nice! I see the predicted "river wall" developing with these renderings. Add the Fleet Landing and Ashco towers and we will be nearing a 20 to 30 story "wall" down most of the Downtown riverfront.
The green space in the Gateway rendering looks so appealing. Too bad this isn't the scheme for more of our riverfront. All of these towers could be one block back with green space between them and the river and they would be just as "valuable" or maybe more, given having the green space an amenity. Sad to see the City not only giving up public riverfront but actually paying developers to take it off their hands. Decades from now, we will have many regrets.
Here is the rendered UF Jacksonville Building 1A LaVilla Campus aerial view with the downtown's taller buildings in the background. It will look so much better once the rest of the campus fills this area.
(https://i.postimg.cc/nL0qb34Z/UF-Building-1A-La-Villa-Aerial-View.jpg)
This is awesome work! Thank you
@OspreyGrad
Here are the RiversEdge Development and the Ashco Twin Towers on the Southbank. I'll try to finish the renderings of the Stadium of the Future, Shipyards Four Seasons Hotel and the proposed MOSH museum together sometime later this week.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sDxktkqr/Riversedge-and-Ashco-Southbank-Development-Area.png)
Where did you get the Rivers Edge renderings? Are those your placeholders or did they provide those? Would be interested to know before commenting on the designs if they are real ;D .
^ Those are the actual Preston Hollow renderings.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on September 24, 2026, 07:44:35 PMWhen I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Been thinking about this, and I couldn't disagree more. I'm the first to say how disastrous demolishing the Landing was (I state it on the record at noticed meetings whenever it comes up) and how much losing things like water access, Adventure Landing, etc. sucks, especially for kids and young people. But at the same time, this city is more invested in itself and its unique identity today than it has been at any time in the last 200+ years. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, no one besides Jake Godbold and the late, great Bill Foley were even trying to describe Jacksonville as a city with its own spirit of place. I believe that The Jaxson and the kinds of books Ennis and I write only work because an interested audience is there.
People today are more invested in Jacksonville and the things that are local and unique to it -- food, art, stories, places, you name it. I was telling the Jaxson team, last year I was at a writing conference in Vermont, and me and the one other person from Jacksonville got everyone shouting "DUUUVAL!" It got to the point people would shout it whenever they saw us.
Some things change, and not always for the better. Some of those changes are wider trends. Local retail is getting Starbucked and Bezosed and LLMed all over the country, for example. But unfortunately a lot of it is the result of short-sighted local decisions. But overall I think we're in a better spot than we've ever been in. I personally haven't felt this optimistic about our future in over 20 years.
@jaxlongtimer, the Rivers Edge renderings are Preston Hollow Capital's just as
@marcuscnelson mentioned. It would be nice to see some of these projects become reality someday.
Quote from: OspreyGrad on October 21, 2026, 08:05:19 AM@jaxlongtimer, the Rivers Edge renderings are Preston Hollow Capital's just as @marcuscnelson mentioned. It would be nice to see some of these projects become reality someday.
Quote from: marcuscnelson on October 21, 2026, 12:53:53 AM^ Those are the actual Preston Hollow renderings.
Thanks! Not impressed. It looks cold and ugly in the renderings and, again, a mish-mash of styles. Nothing distinctive. Typical cheap Jax designs. Maybe it looks better in other renderings, but these turn me off.
I wish we had higher design and architecture standards in Jax for our most prominent properties. This should be tied to the non-existent Downtown plan.
Just as we are "giving away" our prized waterfront, we are "giving away" our Downtown environmental soul.
@jaxlongtimer Agreed! It reminds me of a bad looking plaid suit jacket from the 1970's. It might be vintage, but it still looks bad.
I just finished an aerial view of the MOSH museum with the Stadium of the Future and the Shipyards Four Seasons hotel.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZRpMVnk6/MOSH-Museum-4K-Aerial-View-Clean.jpg)
Quote from: Tacachale on October 21, 2026, 01:48:04 AMQuote from: Ken_FSU on September 24, 2026, 07:44:35 PMWhen I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Been thinking about this, and I couldn't disagree more. I'm the first to say how disastrous demolishing the Landing was (I state it on the record at noticed meetings whenever it comes up) and how much losing things like water access, Adventure Landing, etc. sucks, especially for kids and young people. But at the same time, this city is more invested in itself and its unique identity today than it has been at any time in the last 200+ years. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, no one besides Jake Godbold and the late, great Bill Foley were even trying to describe Jacksonville as a city with its own spirit of place. I believe that The Jaxson and the kinds of books Ennis and I write only work because an interested audience is there.
People today are more invested in Jacksonville and the things that are local and unique to it -- food, art, stories, places, you name it. I was telling the Jaxson team, last year I was at a writing conference in Vermont, and me and the one other person from Jacksonville got everyone shouting "DUUUVAL!" It got to the point people would shout it whenever they saw us.
Some things change, and not always for the better. Some of those changes are wider trends. Local retail is getting Starbucked and Bezosed and LLMed all over the country, for example. But unfortunately a lot of it is the result of short-sighted local decisions. But overall I think we're in a better spot than we've ever been in. I personally haven't felt this optimistic about our future in over 20 years.
Yeah, it's a fair point. Landmarks, family attractions and external postcard identity aren't necessarily the same thing as our own internal identity.
I do question how much shared identity a consolidated 800-square mile city, with 40% of our population being new since 2006, could realistically ever have, but I fully agree that we've undergone huge positive change.
Biggest change for me, by a MILE, is the complete and total death of Jacksonville's stifling inferiority complex. Unless you lived here during that era, it's hard to put into words how deeply engrained it was. Even the Super Bowl was a drag with all the negativity. We still view ourselves as underachieving, but not as lesser than. Ironically - and I know many here will likely disagree - I think the explosion of the Town Center area played a huge part in that change in mentality. For decades, Jacksonville's measuring stick for "making it" was weirdly tied to getting a Macy's, or getting a Cheesecake Factory, or getting a Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. I think seeing high end retailers like Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Apple, and IKEA fighting for retail space in Jax has helped validate locals in a certain way.
Ironically, the explosion of chains also led to this amazing period of explosive growth for local craft breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, retail, etc. Throw in an influx of young transplants and a younger local generation growing up, changing mindsets that allow for things like the HRO and Deegan's win, and it's a different, better city than it was 20 years ago.
I'm very bullish on Jacksonville's future, but I think I was more bullish during that wild Blake Bortles/One Spark era where places like Intuition, Bellwether, Black Sheep, Olio, Superfood and Brew, etc. were popping up like wildflowers, downtown had a healthy office population, James Weldon Johnson Park was exploding and driving adjacent investment like Sweet Pete's, etc.
To me, the ONLY thing standing in the way of Jacksonville's next big step forward is a unified master plan for our urban core. It's the difference between a roadmap and a prayer, and the difference between a 10-15 year success story and 50 more years of disjointed start and stop.
Quote from: Tacachale on October 21, 2026, 01:48:04 AMQuote from: Ken_FSU on September 24, 2026, 07:44:35 PMWhen I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Been thinking about this, and I couldn't disagree more. I'm the first to say how disastrous demolishing the Landing was (I state it on the record at noticed meetings whenever it comes up) and how much losing things like water access, Adventure Landing, etc. sucks, especially for kids and young people. But at the same time, this city is more invested in itself and its unique identity today than it has been at any time in the last 200+ years. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, no one besides Jake Godbold and the late, great Bill Foley were even trying to describe Jacksonville as a city with its own spirit of place. I believe that The Jaxson and the kinds of books Ennis and I write only work because an interested audience is there.
People today are more invested in Jacksonville and the things that are local and unique to it -- food, art, stories, places, you name it. I was telling the Jaxson team, last year I was at a writing conference in Vermont, and me and the one other person from Jacksonville got everyone shouting "DUUUVAL!" It got to the point people would shout it whenever they saw us.
Some things change, and not always for the better. Some of those changes are wider trends. Local retail is getting Starbucked and Bezosed and LLMed all over the country, for example. But unfortunately a lot of it is the result of short-sighted local decisions. But overall I think we're in a better spot than we've ever been in. I personally haven't felt this optimistic about our future in over 20 years.
Tacachale, question: Does the Mayor ever read the Jaxson postings? If so, is she ever influenced by comments on here? Do you know if any City Council or Department heads monitor the Jaxson?
If they do, I can't understand why they don't incorporate the many constructive and common sense "suggestions" made here.
Understand, I support Mayor Deegan but just think there is more low hanging fruit the Administration could go after, especially regarding City master planning, restructuring JTA/incorporating mass transit in City initiatives, pushing harder against incentives on riverfront property, etc.
I had an idea on what I think should be done with the Laura Street Trio. What I had in mind was to expand the size of both the Bisbee and Florida Life buildings by doubling the widths. The Bisbee building would become a hotel and the Florida Life building turned into an apartment building. The Marble Bank building can become a fine dining restaurant connected through one side to the Bisbee hotel. Both would be managed/operated by a single group. The Florida Life apartments would be separate from the other two.
Here is the street level view of the changes that I made to the buildings.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7YGNQbG5/Laura-Trio-buildings-Street-Level-Widened-Buildings.png)
The Bisbee hotel front desk and lobby seating area.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4xHFtBbj/Bisbee-front-lobby.jpg)
One of the single bed rooms in the Bisbee hotel.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qR4mP0V7/Bisbee-hotel-room-with-modern-amenities.jpg)
The Florida Life apartments front lobby and elevators. I'm going with a contemporary interior design.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FKgpgqfk/Florida-Life-Building-front-lobby-and-elevators.jpg)
One of the apartments on the upper floors.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RVNP5X8z/Florida-Life-Building-Apartment-Unit.jpg)
The Marble Bank fine dining restaurant with entrance through the side via Bisbee Hotel.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Xv8KyCm3/Marble-bank-Fine-dining-restaurant.jpg)
Evening view of the Trio
(https://i.postimg.cc/t4Zvr40m/Laura-Trio-buildings-Street-Level-Widened-Buildings-Evening.png)
^ Osprey, we could only wish your renderings came true! Please send to the developer and others to inspire them 8).
@jaxlongtimer The developers care more about maximizing their profits by asking for as much money as they can get from incentives. They would rather increase floor space by bolting on unattractive additions in order to get government historic funding and federal historic tax credits. If they were to make additional floor space like my additions, that historic funding and credits would disappear. Aesthetically this is much better in my opinion.
I don't think we have heard much details from the new owners out of Indiana, Becovic Management Group....besides the fact that they plan to restore the buildings, unless i missed something.
@Jones518 I meant to say that the past developers' renderings were poorly executed in their approach to restoring the Trio; in my opinion, maximizing profit seemed to be the primary driving factor. The additions to the Trio all appear disjointed. I'm glad they remained just renderings. I have not heard any news regarding Becovic Management Group's detailed plans. Let's see where they take this development.
Great work
@OspreyGrad ! Thank you for doing that.
I rewatched the council meeting with M Carlucci and Gateway. He brought Tarbert up towards the end and asked about work being done to The Trio. They're in talks with DIA still seems early in the process but this time it will get done. He invested a lot into that corner.
Becovic mentioned a while back that they'll only do the renovation on the 3 buildings to get them out of the elements and further decay. Phase 2 would be new additions. I don't expect them to reuse South East renderings. I'm just wondering how do you connect phase 1 to phase 2 without disrupting?
He has purchased a few of the buildings in that general area — all historic. One can only hope he ventures out to the Independent Life building, though that's not closer to Gateway Jax.
Haven't heard anything any movements on Live Oak and the former JEA building as well Corner Lot and the Jone Bros building in a while.
Quote from: jaxlongtimer on October 22, 2026, 12:57:15 AMQuote from: Tacachale on October 21, 2026, 01:48:04 AMQuote from: Ken_FSU on September 24, 2026, 07:44:35 PMWhen I first moved to Jacksonville, the things that I most strongly associated with the city as unique differentiators were the Jacksonville Landing, the Skyway, the 11 AM to 11 PM river taxis, the massive Regency Square Mall, Adventure Landing, the Southbank MOSH and River City area, and concerts at Met Park and Freedbird Live. These were all things that you couldn't really find in other cities that gave Jax a bit of its own feel.
In rapid fire succession, these things have all been erased from existence, and without them, I feel like we're rapidly turning into a rather nondescript mid-sized city. We've never been good at preserving our past, but it's kind of wild to see all these things just quietly disappearing. It feels like it's getting harder and harder to describe what makes Jacksonville unique, which to me, is a really significant, self-inflicted problem.
Been thinking about this, and I couldn't disagree more. I'm the first to say how disastrous demolishing the Landing was (I state it on the record at noticed meetings whenever it comes up) and how much losing things like water access, Adventure Landing, etc. sucks, especially for kids and young people. But at the same time, this city is more invested in itself and its unique identity today than it has been at any time in the last 200+ years. When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, no one besides Jake Godbold and the late, great Bill Foley were even trying to describe Jacksonville as a city with its own spirit of place. I believe that The Jaxson and the kinds of books Ennis and I write only work because an interested audience is there.
People today are more invested in Jacksonville and the things that are local and unique to it -- food, art, stories, places, you name it. I was telling the Jaxson team, last year I was at a writing conference in Vermont, and me and the one other person from Jacksonville got everyone shouting "DUUUVAL!" It got to the point people would shout it whenever they saw us.
Some things change, and not always for the better. Some of those changes are wider trends. Local retail is getting Starbucked and Bezosed and LLMed all over the country, for example. But unfortunately a lot of it is the result of short-sighted local decisions. But overall I think we're in a better spot than we've ever been in. I personally haven't felt this optimistic about our future in over 20 years.
Tacachale, question: Does the Mayor ever read the Jaxson postings? If so, is she ever influenced by comments on here? Do you know if any City Council or Department heads monitor the Jaxson?
If they do, I can't understand why they don't incorporate the many constructive and common sense "suggestions" made here.
Understand, I support Mayor Deegan but just think there is more low hanging fruit the Administration could go after, especially regarding City master planning, restructuring JTA/incorporating mass transit in City initiatives, pushing harder against incentives on riverfront property, etc.
The mayor and many other staff do read the Jaxson. I doubt they are following individual threads, but most of what gets talked about here, is already on the radar of folks in the office.
@MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain Thanks! Since all three buildings are designated as historically significant structures. They are protected under both local municipal landmarks and federal historic classifications which can be enforced by fines and penalties. In regard to connecting phase 1 to phase 2 without disrupting, one of the core principles states that building extensions on designated historic structures must be subordinate, visually compatible yet distinguishable from the original fabric, and fully reversible. My take on the building extensions would not meet that criteria.
I researched some interesting history on the Bisbee building; I discovered that the original structure was only 26 feet wide. Due to strong demand for additional high-rise office workspace, the owner William A. Bisbee ordered Henry Klutho to build an extension to double the width of the original building. For that to happen, one side of the original walls had to be torn down to add the extension.
Quote from: OspreyGrad on October 26, 2026, 08:37:51 AM@MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain Thanks! Since all three buildings are designated as historically significant structures. They are protected under both local municipal landmarks and federal historic classifications which can be enforced by fines and penalties. In regard to connecting phase 1 to phase 2 without disrupting, one of the core principles states that building extensions on designated historic structures must be subordinate, visually compatible yet distinguishable from the original fabric, and fully reversible. My take on the building extensions would not meet that criteria.
Just a general comment that those criteria points are subjective, and thus one person's distinguishable is another person's indistinguishable.
Quote from: Jones518 on October 25, 2026, 08:41:47 PMI don't think we have heard much details from the new owners out of Indiana, Becovic Management Group....besides the fact that they plan to restore the buildings, unless i missed something.
I've seen and heard their plans for the Trio, which would be phased and include new construction. They feel having an ecosystem of historic properties within a few blocks of each other is advantageous. Of course, if Amendment 3 passes, all bets are off. They and every other developer of note will be pausing projects until they know the required incentives could be available.
Just for entertainment purposes only, I was looking at the superblock where the former JSO HQ and the current pre-trial detention facility reside at 501 East Bay Street and 500 East Adams Street in Downtown. I decided to create a masterplan for the institutional superblock consisting of 2 high-rise and six mid-rise structures taking up almost the entire 6.1 acres of land. I'm just going to provide a name for each tower and the mid-rises with a brief description of their purpose.
The development is called The Meridian Gates. The tallest tower is called the Acosta Spire(35-story, 415 ft) which sits on a shared podium with the other high-rise that I named the St Johns Tower(28-story, 330 ft) and the 6 mid-rise buildings I named as a group called the Gatehouse Lofts(6 to 8-story, 68 to 85 ft).
Acosta Spire and St Johns Tower Podium Space: Street front retail, tower lobbies, 900-space wrapped garage, L4 sky park
Acosta Spire Tower: 184 luxury condos (L5-L34), L35 sky lounge, infinity pool & solar crown
St Johns Tower: Class-A office (L5–L16), 110 executive residences (L17 L27), L28 conservatory
Gatehouse Lofts:
Building A – (8-story, 85 ft) Ground live-work & lobby, 84 industrial-modern courtyard loft apartments
Building B - (8-story, 85 ft) Ground co-working & retail, 84 industrial-modern courtyard loft apartments
Building C - (6-story, 68 ft) Corner cafe/bakery, live-work studios, 66 river-view lofts
Building D - (7-story, 76 ft) Makerspace & gallery retail, 78 courtyard & terrace loft apartments
Buildings E&F – No plans at this time
I created 11 renderings below to provide different viewing angles of the Meridian Gates.
Day time views:
Northbank Riverfront featuring the Meridian Gates
(https://i.postimg.cc/Cxj319H2/Northbank-Riverfront-Developments-featuring-the-Meridian-Gates-Daytime.jpg)
Aerial View of Downtown featuring the Meridian Gates
(https://i.postimg.cc/7ZD0KdCZ/Aerial-View-of-Downtown-featuring-the-Meridian-Gates-Daytime.jpg)
Proposed Hard Rock Hotel's 18th floor Circular Club Restaurant looking across East Bay Street
(https://i.postimg.cc/FH5thhcd/Hard-Rock-Hotel-s-18th-floor-Circular-Club-Restaurant-looking-across-East-Bay-Street-toward-the-Ac.jpg)
Street level view across East Bay Street and down Catherine Street with the Gatehouse Lofts on the left and Acosta Spire on the right
(https://i.postimg.cc/kgx04LFj/Street-level-view-across-East-Bay-Street-and-down-Catherine-Street-with-the-Gatehouse-Lofts-on-the.jpg)
Street Level View of the Northbank Riverfront looking down East Bay Street
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnvpQyzx/Street-Level-View-of-the-Northbank-Riverfront-Developments-Day-Time.jpg)
Night time views:
Northbank Riverfront featuring the Meridian Gates
(https://i.postimg.cc/XYwRJtc1/Northbank-Riverfront-Developments-featuring-the-Meridian-Gates-Early-Evening.jpg)
Aerial View of Downtown featuring the Meridian Gates
(https://i.postimg.cc/WzkgyP6t/Aerial-View-of-Downtown-featuring-the-Meridian-Gates-Nighttime.jpg)
Proposed Hard Rock Hotel's 18th floor Circular Club Restaurant looking across East Bay Street
(https://i.postimg.cc/QdGLjj5K/Hard-Rock-Hotel-s-18th-floor-Circular-Club-Restaurant-looking-across-East-Bay-Street-toward-the-Ac.jpg)
Street level view across East Bay Street and down Catherine Street with the Gatehouse Lofts on the left and Acosta Spire on the right
(https://i.postimg.cc/vZWJBCL0/Ground-level-evening-view-of-the-Meridian-Gates-looking-across-East-Bay-Street-and-down-Catherine-St.jpg)
Street Level View of the Northbank Riverfront looking down East Bay Street
(https://i.postimg.cc/PxxmmR3T/Street-Level-View-of-the-Northbank-Riverfront-Developments-Night-Time.jpg)
Ground Level View of the Northbank Riverfront proposed Hard Rock Hotel, Acosta Spire and St Johns Towers from the park
(https://i.postimg.cc/FH5thhcY/Street-Level-View-of-the-Northbank-Riverfront-Developments-Night-Time-from-the-Park.jpg)
^ Very nice!
Very nice Osprey, if you're renderings were real this would put Jax on par with every other Florida City excluding Miami
Thanks JaGoaT and tufsu1! I'd like to see projects like these happen in this area for sure. It would bring a lot more activity downtown which the city has been struggling to do for a long time. I'm studying the currently empty lots where the proposed Corner Lot & The Culinary Institute of America is located and see if I can render a version of a culinary school and hotel.
Quote from: OspreyGrad on November 04, 2026, 01:21:47 PMThanks JaGoaT and tufsu1! I'd like to see projects like these happen in this area for sure. It would bring a lot more activity downtown which the city has been struggling to do for a long time. I'm studying the currently empty lots where the proposed Corner Lot & The Culinary Institute of America is located and see if I can render a version of a culinary school and hotel.
Can't wait to see it! I completely agree that area needs to be built up because it's the bridge between the core and sports district
Here is my take on what I think should be built on the two currently empty lots at 220 and 330 East Bay Street. I understand that there are requirements on what should be developed on the property. I'm not going to take it too seriously since this is for entertainment purposes only. This gives me plenty of leeway on what I can build on the properties. I have decided to place the culinary school on the lot at 220 East Bay Street and the Hotel, conservatory, amphitheater and park with a bronze sculpture on the other lot at 330 East Bay Street. Please note that I didn't mean to extend the 330 East Bay Street lot further out towards the river. I decided to leave it as is. Here are the renderings with daytime views first.
An aerial view of both properties looking southeast towards the river.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GmCdQ7j5/Day-Waterfront-District-Aerial-2.jpg)
A street level view of the bronze sculpture that I'm naming "Heading to the ford". I removed some trees to show the buildings in the background better.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZRCSR1TJ/Day-Waterfront-District-Street-Level-View.jpg)
This is an aerial view from the other direction looking northwest into downtown.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9QYVNd8V/Day-Waterfront-District-Aerial.jpg)
A lower aerial view of the group of structures.
(https://i.postimg.cc/LsySmHFf/Day-Waterfront-District-Low-Aerial.jpg)
Here is a street level view at the amphitheater.
(https://i.postimg.cc/V633NvGn/Day-Waterfront-District-Street-Level.jpg)
This time in the evening at the amphitheater where there is an event.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Fst4rW8P/Evening-Waterfront-District-Street-Level.jpg)
The low aerial view of the buildings looking northwest.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kc3bySqP/Evening-Waterfront-District-Low-Aerial.jpg)
Now looking southeast at night.
(https://i.postimg.cc/sxWCP7Qm/Evening-Waterfront-District-Aerial.jpg)
Back to the bronze sculpture on a moonlit night.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QxL384vV/Moonlit-Night-Waterfront-District-Street-Level-View.jpg)
Osprey, your renderings and designs are so far superior to anything on the table currently. I hope you start sharing these with DIA, DVI, City Council members, the Mayor's office and developers such as JWB, Corner Lot, Gateway, etc.
Hopefully, it will elevate the standards, expectations and conversation about what could and should be vs. the simplistic and unimaginative stuff we are usually seeing.
I think the "cow fording" sculpture is an amazing idea! Most people in Jax could really grasp our early roots if this was brought to fruition. Push that forward too.
The images are amazing. The cow fording sculpture is nothing short of brilliant (and yet so obvious at the same time)!
The images really reveal how bland the Hyatt and Berkman buildings look in comparison.
Again, beautiful renderings; and, to agree with jaxlongtimer, better than anything from the supposed professional developer's designers.
It looks like you extended Independent* Drive one block eastward to Market Street. This makes sense if the Bay-fronting parcel is the culinary school, and not a convention center, as some (thelakelander?) have suggested. If a convention center, to capitalize on the facilities in the Hyatt, there shouldn't be a street in the middle of them.
What is the shorter building on the "Cowford" block? And, I agree with the others, the "Cowford" sculpture is brilliant.
* since "Independent Life" ceased to exist decades ago, perhaps it is time for a new name for this street. West of Hogan it is Water Street, which fits the proximity to the river. A subtle change would be "Independence Drive."
Thanks jaxlongtimer, vicupstate and Charles Hunter! Charles Hunter, you are correct about extending Independent Drive so that allows separation between the culinary school and the Hyatt hotel. The building that you're asking about is the food hall with a rooftop glass atrium. I've seen this done in other cities, but this one has the best outdoor views. Along with the amphitheater, I was trying at a smaller scale to recreate The Landing for our missing downtown gathering spot by the river. For the amphitheater, a removable bandshell can be installed for music events when needed. The bronze sculpture provides a sense of place and reminds visitors as well as locals of Jacksonville's past.
Excellent, that's a great place for a food hall. Like you said, great views of the river and planned marina - which can also provide clientele for the food hall.
Those renderings are really something, especially the cowford sculpture idea. My kids are still at the age where a big weird statue by the river would be the whole trip for them. A food hall down there with that view would get me downtown a lot more than I go now.