(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Hard-Rock-Hotel/i-SMWsq6G/0/KtCR3r58JC9GjCK9wPBWvfr5TsR8chtT8QfcT9xwm/L/Hard%20Rock%201-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Cities/Jacksonville/Development/Hard-Rock-Hotel/i-7xRG3dh/0/KbkR8MGGGs8LqH7xp3sKKsvQP8Mtk5LJRH4HRz7FH/L/Hard%20Rock%202-L.jpg)
Additional Renderings:
https://www.jacksonville.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2026/10/01/first-look-hard-rock-tower-in-downtown-jacksonville/92041422007/
Wait so is this an actual Hard Rock and not a Reverb? Look at us graduating to Arquitectonica! The way the lower floors pull away from the Riverwalk to create more space is compelling, too. Curious then if there might also be some kind of meeting space with how those lower floors facing Bay are set up. I can't tell if there's also parking, imagine there'll have to be given what nothing NAVI is.
That said, I am not ready to see the incentives request for this.
Yes, there is a ballroom and meeting space on the third floor. There's one level of parking for the 152 residential units. On the 18th floor (the curvy part in the rendering), there's a restaurant, bar and club. The riverfront has a few retail/dining spots at ground level. A Hard Rock store is proposed along Bay Street. The tower height is a little under 420 feet. They want to break ground in Q1 2027.
^I asked in the other chat in case you missed you. How did it go? Is there any chance your team suggested? One level of parking? Is that enough? Q1 seems aggressive. Hope all goes well.
Quote from: thelakelander on Yesterday at 07:31:19 PMYes, there is a ballroom and meeting space on the third floor. There's one level of parking for the 152 residential units. On the 18th floor (the curvy part in the rendering), there's a restaurant, bar and club. The riverfront has a few retail/dining spots at ground level. A Hard Rock store is proposed along Bay Street. The tower height is a little under 420 feet. They want to break ground in Q1 2027.
Q1? That's in like 3 months lol. Sure.
In this rendering, that looks like one ugly building. Too many contrasting elements/pieces that just don't fit together in a unified and pleasing way. Choppy looking. The all glass sections don't look too interesting either. Hope they start over with the tower section or the DDRB insists on a whole new approach.
(https://www.jacksonville.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2026/10/01/NFTU/92041101007-hard-rock-renderng-1.png?width=660&height=373&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
So is Munz working this development and RiversEdge too? Bc nothing is happening over there besides Bartram Park looking townhomes.
Quote from: Jagsdrew on Yesterday at 10:42:32 PMSo is Munz working this development and RiversEdge too? Bc nothing is happening over there besides Bartram Park looking townhomes.
Munz has been out of River's Edge for years.
Financial viability aside (an admittedly large aside), I absolutely love it. In a vacuum, it might not make perfect sense. But when you start looking at all the gaps it could help fill, I think it could be an incredible addition to help bridge the gap between the Sports District & the CBD.
Things I love:
1. We're doing very little as a city to set the Sports Complex & Met Park up as a major festival & event destination. Having a Hard Rock on the periphery instantly helps. We badly need a mid-range hotel to serve that area, and the amenities will be beneficial while we figure out what we're building around the stadium.
2. A Hard Rock gives us the ability to celebrate our Southern Rock heritage organically, with exhibits built into the hotel. Versus building something standalone that will struggle to draw visitors year-round.
3. The concert space and signature nightclub give Bay Street a genuine entertainment anchor with national brand recognition.
It's a very hard time to be asking for a cash completion grant, assuming that's on the table, but if the cash is there and some of these proposed projects start to come to fruition, the northbank riverfront starts to look pretty interesting. When you potentially start stacking projects like Riverfront Plaza's restaurant & Phase 2, Gateway's Riverfront Plaza Tower, the Culinary Institute, Shipyards West Park, potential food hall, Hard Rock, MOSH, the Four Seasons (and adjacent parcel), Met Park, and the Stadium, you've got a really nice mixed of residential, hotel, retail, restaurant, night life, green space, etc.
Cannot IMAGINE the Berkman 1 residents are crazy about this proposal though.