Examples of What is Possible in Jacksonville

[simms3]

In light of this building being needlessly and shamelessly demolished:



NOONE took some demolition photos.  Hopes he posts them.

Below are some examples stemming from just one local architecture firm of re-use on a relatively small scale that can be replicated and should be replicated in Jax.  I have included relevant notes.  All pictures and information comes from

Smith Dalia Architects
http://www.smithdalia.com/works.php?display=Classifications&classID=6


1.

Client: Trees Atlanta (a non-profit)
Size: 12,000 SF
Year: 2008
Cost: $2MM
Green: LEED Platinum

Notes:

Located in a reinvented mixed-use residential community, the site fully integrates the outdoors, urban tree preservation and practical demonstrations of tree planting.  An Education Center and large conference room will operate separately from a work shed for mass tree planting equipment. Staff support areas include bike racks and a shower to encourage bicycle and pedestrian commuters, and a catering kitchen.

2.

Client: King Shaw, Paul Brown (Atlanta)
Size: 40,000 SF
Year: 1999
Cost: $1.72MM
Green: N/A

Notes:

In continual use since its construction in the 1920s, the Ashby Street Trolley Barn is an adaptation for mixed use of a historic streetcar barn into a micro-brewery and twelve diverse loft housing units. This landmark project, along with the King Plow Arts Center, was instrumental in the rebirth of Atlanta’s West Side.

Located at the corner of West Marietta and Ashby Streets, the former trolley barn most recently housed a lighting manufacturing facility. Four residential units were designated as affordable, while the other eight market-rate units boast ceiling heights in excess of 30 feet, with dramatic clerestory daylighting.The project was funded through a combination of City of Atlanta Urban Residential Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds, Historic Tax Credits and private funds. Fast-track construction management by Smith Dalia Architects was required to meet bond funding deadlines. The adaptation was successfully completed two months prior to the projected deadline.

3.

Client: King Shaw (Atlanta) [King Plow Arts Center]
Size: 170,000 SF
Year: 1994
Cost: $9MM (1994)
Green: N/A

Notes:

Around 1900, Clyde L. King embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure that would culminate in one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturing businesses in the Southeast: The King Plow Factory. By the 1930s, a dozen different factory buildings occupied over seven acres in what would become Metro Atlanta. Initially prospering but later falling prey to changing times, the factory closed its doors in 1983.As unsolicited inquiries about "loft space" at the vast and unoccupied King Plow Factory became more frequent in the latter half of the 1980's, King Shaw, the great-grandson of Clyde King, realized an opportunity to revitalize his family’s historic property.

Actor's Express Theater






Side track: Terminal West at King Plow, the latest addition this year and now a premiere concert and club venue.

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=262901310389426#!/terminalwest

Photos (Shows, nightlife, concerts):







4.

Client: Southern Dairies Partners, LLC
Size: 80,000 SF
Year: 2000
Cost: $7.5MM (2002)
Green: Further redevelopment that will include LEED certification is ongoing.

Notes:

By removing the coolers and fencing, the structure regained its historic relationship to the street. Building entrances now present an architecturally pleasing façade, with lawn extending to the sidewalk. Rich earth tones were used for exterior walls, and some original period signage was retained. Substantial landscaping featuring native Southern ornamental plantings was added, including hardwood street trees (Nuttall Oak) along the major intersections.In place of the monolithic coolers, courtyards were developed between buildings.  A variety of creative businesses and technology-based firms now operate in this vibrant, naturally lit and well-landscaped environment.

5.

Client: Community Loft Builders, Inc
Size: 100,000 SF
Year: 2005
Cost: $8MM (2005)
Green: N/A

Notes:

LaFrance Street Lofts is a popular adaptive use of a 1950s-60s warehouse.  The adaptation involved a 100,000 s.f. warehouse conversion into 89 residential condominium units with multiple unique configurations. The building volume was preserved by retaining the existing structure. Twenty-foot-wide pedestrian paths and private gardens were carved out of the warehouse envelope to organize the community around a central clubhouse and pool.The overarching design challenge for the warehouse was to maintain the inherent qualities of the exisitng structure. Secondarily, the design needed to interject a new residential pattern, creating a navigable framework of solid and open spaces while simultaneously infilling voids within remaining blocks.

6.

Client: Realty Development
Size: 73,289 SF
Year: 2002
Cost: $7.6MM (2002)
Green: N/A

Notes:

The historic building that has become the popular Freedom Lofts was formerly the headquarters of National Linen. Sixty-two one- and two-bedroom residential units were sculpted within the existing building’s framework. The resulting multi-level dwellings culminate in roof vestibules or mezzanine sleeping areas, providing comfortable living spaces and spectacular views of downtown Atlanta. Over 80% of the units were sold prior to completion of construction.

7.

Client: Puritan Mill, LLC (Weaver & Woodbury)
Size: 92,000 SF
Year: 2003
Cost: $5.5MM (2003)
Green: N/A

Notes:

At Puritan Mill, five turn-of-the-century industrial buildings were adapted to form an attractive, integrated and continually leased set of properties accommodating 92,000 square feet of live/work space.  These renovated National Historic Buildings qualified for federal tax credits.

8.

Client: National Services Industry Headquarters
Size: 25,000 SF
Year: 2004
Cost: $2MM (2004)
Green: N/A

Notes:

For this national headquarters, a fresh identity emerged from a reclaimed warehouse. The design entailed nineteen enclosed office spaces, open workstation space, conferencing/training spaces, reception, lobby and public areas including an exterior amenity space. The industrial backdrop trades the traditionally staid corporate office and scale for a more accessible, human-centered workplace. Daylit spaces also help to energize this busy organizational hub.  When National Services Industries, a company with roots in Atlanta, decided to move its national headquarters from downtown Atlanta to a renovated north Atlanta warehouse, Smith Dalia Architects was retained to design and build the 25,000 s.f. office interior. The project scope included a 7,000 s.f. office space addition.

8.

Client: Michael Phillips, managing director of Jamestown, LP
Size: 30,000 SF
Year: 2002
Cost: $1.5MM (2002)
Green: N/A

Notes:

Now home to several notable successes in Atlanta’s upscale restaurant and gourmet food.  The 30,000 s.f. complex was once a historic meat packing plant. The re-design of the two-level structure accommodates a variety of retail tenants, restaurants, and art galleries.

Jonathan Adler:


Anthropologie:



Sid Mashburn:


Bacchanalia (AAA 5 Diamond)


JCT Kitchen and Bar:




9.

Client: adidas America
Size: 35,000 SF
Year: 1996
Cost: $2.9MM (1996)
Green: N/A

Notes:

Winner’s Pace: Built for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, adidas House is a major adaptive use of seven historic warehouse buildings. Used for athletes’ housing as well as a regional sales and events headquarters, the complex exceeds 35,000 s.f.

Now this area is the focal point of the "Luckie Marietta District" in downtown and is no longer an adidas place.

Appearance before:


Appearance for 1996 Olympics:



Appearance now:

Luckie Marietta District - DT Atlanta by city_simmons, on Flickr




Same group also transformed this:



Into this:


Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts - Atlanta by city_simmons, on Flickr





Obviously not going to happen in Jax because there aren't any buildings like that, BUT it goes to show how poorly conditioned a building can still be before it undergoes a rehab.  Hope for Bostwick, Trio, and any others in Jax deemed "too unsafe" for habitation.


And separately, the following building was up for awards this year (not Smith Dalia Architects' work).  Very possible small scale project for Jacksonville buildings.

Client: Epsten Group (green consulting group)
Green: LEED Platinum
Year: 2011

Notes:

Built in 1946, the 2,800 square foot structure at 399 Edgewood Avenue in Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District was in a dilapidated state in 2009 when the decision was made to renovate and add on to it. Now one of the greenest buildings in the State, the 9,000 square foot office building is occupied by The Epsten Group, an architecture and high performance building consulting firm, and Dynamic Dish, a vegetarian eatery. This adaptive reuse of a 1940’s building reflects the owner’s commitment to sustainability on all levels, and incorporates several technologies that both conserve natural resources and enhance the daily lives of its occupants.

Photos and information courtesy of http://calculatelca.com/resources/sample-projects/the-edge-office-building/ and the Epsten Group

[Timkin]

These are just amazing Adaptive uses for old buildings.

Until this City becomes visionary , it isn't going to happen.

[Debbie Thompson]

Why was it demolished?  Not that Jacksonville seems to need a reason.  But was there one?

[Timkin]

^ It just amazes me ( and probably should not ,but it still does)  that Jacksonville continues to expend money to wipe out buildings and become more and more of a void , when examples such as these amazing ones could be possible in even the buildings in the worst conditions.

Simms... Thank you for sharing these.   It just kills me that we live in a City that just does NOT get it.

[Steve_Lovett]

Not everyone "doesn't get it".

Come by Kings Avenue, south of Prudential. Look at:
- ELM | Ervin Lovett Miller Studio
- Burdette Ketchum
- Cady and Cady Studios

All three are good examples of reuse, and our building (ELM Studio) underwent a very dramatic transformation of the existing building. It's very possible but it takes commitment and faith in the urban market.

[Noone]

Why was it demolished?  Not that Jacksonville seems to need a reason.  But was there one?

Has even one person gone by to look at this? Debbie there is 100 year old brick in huge piles. I've emailed the council members and have heard back. Tufsu1 it's just down the street from your hood. IF anyone wants to meet there today let me know. I plan to go and ask if I can take some of the brick so as to reclaim it for a future project and then at the same time reduce the tipping fee that has to be paid for the removal in those roll up dumpsters.

Simms great pictures and explanations as to re-use of Historic building stock. I shot you a couple of pics of the demo please be so kind to post a few. In fact the awnings look the same in your one example.

Debbie I'll shoot you a PM. Debbie, I'm serious with this but if you want to meet I'll bring my tandem and we can kayak Hogans Creek. I know we talked about it at the Urban Core CPAC meeting. We can kill two birds with one stone. We are about to demo the whole area.

[vicupstate]

Where is the building that was demolished?  near Hogan's Creek?

[thelakelander]

SE corner of Catherine and Church Streets.

[simms3]

Not everyone "doesn't get it".

Come by Kings Avenue, south of Prudential. Look at:
- ELM | Ervin Lovett Miller Studio
- Burdette Ketchum
- Cady and Cady Studios

All three are good examples of reuse, and our building (ELM Studio) underwent a very dramatic transformation of the existing building. It's very possible but it takes commitment and faith in the urban market.

I could have sworn I have pictures of your block, but I can't find them.  Doesn't strike me as necessarily similar to the former 601 East Church St, but excellent examples of putting a 20th/21st century spin on old buildings and re-using them.

I went to Burdette Ketchum's site and she has some good pictures of her space:

http://www.burdetteketchum.com/our-agency/space.html






Notes:

We work in a building that was originally a hardware store. Which makes sense, because we function like a hardware storeâ€"mecca of problem solving, creativity and finding answers. 1023 Kings Avenue was built in 1927 and then modernized in 1999, but we were careful to leave the character intact.

The fact that she is a marketing firm and yours an architecture firm and your neighbor's is a photography studio just reiterates these are the kinds of small businesses that inhabit these sorts of buildings.  Media/marketing/PR firms, ad agencies, architecture firms, engineering firms, consulting groups, non-profits, political offices, industrial design groups, small law offices, small accounting firms, cowork firms, consulates/foreign offices, foreign chambers of commerce, etc etc.

[simms3]

Here are noone's pictures.

Demolition of 601 East Church St:














Here are some blue bags he described for me (two in the area, the other on the pier...left around for weeks):

NEXT DOOR/ON PROPERTY:








Some bonus shots of the Riverwalk.  His comments were that the next extension is narrow, but I was just happy to see some joggers on it!



And note the strewn about trash in this pic (obviously the wonderful homeless):

[CityLife]

Really, really, really great photos Simms. Thanks for sharing. How much of that would you attribute to Atlanta being home to an excellent Architecture/Engineering school like Georgia Tech? I mean just look at the difference in quality of architecture in DT/Midtown Atlanta vs.  DT Jacksonville. Of course many of Atlanta's buildings are built for much larger companies than what we have in Jax, but still, the difference in quality is enormous.

[thelakelander]

I'm not a fan of the most recent riverwalk extension.  I would have much rather seen the cost of that go into connecting and making this pier usable for the public:



Allowing fishing at the shipyards, since its banned throughout the rest of downtown, would probably relieve issues like this:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-10-06/story/boom-fishing-puts-strain-jacksonville-riverfront-park-neighbors

Also, we do have a couple of places that have successfully renovated older brick buildings.  Atlanta rips down a lot of theirs too.  The city just happens to have more because it was much larger 100 years ago.  Burdette Ketchum is a good example on Kings Avenue:










Meeks, Ross, Selander, CPAs in Springfield is also a good example of renovating/adding on to an existing structure.


Before


After





It is unfortunate that will we focus on structures like the Bostwick Building, others that may be just as historically significant go out without a whimper.  Below, is the negative side of Metro Jacksonville after six years of being online.  All of those "isolated" demolitions start adding up.

[simms3]

Also, we do have a couple of places that have successfully renovated older brick buildings.  Atlanta rips down a lot of theirs too.  The city just happens to have more because it was much larger 100 years ago.  Burdette Ketchum is a good example on Kings Avenue:

Meeks, Ross, Selander, CPAs in Springfield is also a good example of renovating/adding on to an existing structure.

It is unfortunate that will we focus on structures like the Bostwick Building, others that may be just as historically significant go out without a whimper.  Below, is the negative side of Metro Jacksonville after six years of being online.  All of those "isolated" demolitions start adding up.

Yes Atl has ripped up an unfortunate amount of stock and had a lot more to begin with, but while we became the epitome of sprawl and a national model of what not to do, you can't argue against the fact that for the past 30+ years we have been a national leader in restoration and re-use of what we do have.  The Fox Theater was our Penn Station and ever since we have taken it to a different extreme.  Cases in point:

1) Crum & Forster on GT's campus.  Has some significance to the school's College of Architecture and the facade is worth saving, but the rest of the building is crap, nothing special.  GT's plans are to incorporate the facade into its new building, but preservationists have taken an all or nothing stance and the project has stalemated for several years to the detriment of the school.

Building facade to be kept:


Plans:



Another case in point, a developer is being forced to keep a building I.M. Pei probably doesn't even want his name attached to simply because it was I.M. Pei (one of his first works, and it was probably something so generic he was "forced" at the time to put his name on it as if it were his turn).

It's the crappy corner building in and amongst the crappy proposal:



My own photos of Meeks... and some others:





I don't have any new pics of this building:

[TomHurst]

How much of that would you attribute to Atlanta being home to an excellent Architecture/Engineering school like Georgia Tech? I mean just look at the difference in quality of architecture in DT/Midtown Atlanta vs.  DT Jacksonville.

Hoping not to sound defensive, but there's not a lack of design talent in Jacksonville.  Steve Lovett's examples are good and there are several other buildings in his neighborhood that would be good candidates. 
The reality is that renovating these building require a tremendous amount of personal commitment and TLC.  When presented with a choice of working on a vacant lot, like we have in abundance in Jax, vs. putting the effort into rehabilitating one of these old structures, the clean site is most likely to be selected by the developer because it's simply much easier.
Also, the market demand for projects like these is minimal as is the vision of most commercial/residential developers in Jax (they have to finance this work after all).  Regardless, I know of many Architects like myself who have been very vocal proponents of adaptive reuse and historic preservation, including advocating on behalf of the Laura Trio, Ambassador Hotel, and Bostwick Building. 
We all just need to work harder to help others see the potential, both in terms of financial value as well as benefit to the city/neighborhood, in these types of properties rather than continuing to tear them down.  Toward this end, let's keep up this dialogue.

[simms3]

Really, really, really great photos Simms. Thanks for sharing. How much of that would you attribute to Atlanta being home to an excellent Architecture/Engineering school like Georgia Tech? I mean just look at the difference in quality of architecture in DT/Midtown Atlanta vs.  DT Jacksonville. Of course many of Atlanta's buildings are built for much larger companies than what we have in Jax, but still, the difference in quality is enormous.

So funny you should say that.  I prepared a verbose response, but honestly, while it's so easy to prop Atl up against a city like Jax which is just a sad sad story in every possible way, we have major self esteem issues up here, too.  We compare our selves to Boston, Seattle, SF, and DC and cry.  Jax can learn from Atl for many reasons, while Atl can learn from some of the larger cities.

I have a coworker who doesn't believe Atlanta has a skyline because it's so spread out.  I have another who would love to find a way to turn every 40-60 floor building into multiple 5-15 floor buildings so we can be like DC.  We have progressive building codes in some areas, and totally unprogressive codes in others like parking (codes kept lax because outside lenders don't believe in financing anything in Atlanta without abundant parking, even next to a MARTA station, due to the negative stereotypes that aren't even true anymore).

I could go on about the complexities, but honestly, Atlanta is in good company.  Chicago is the same city just 5x larger.  You want to put up a new building in Chicago?  You better have a garage for it!  Definitely an opportunistic developers' city with plenty of fascinating off the beaten path neighborhoods ripe for opportunistic capital to rehab old buildings and create infill, dead vertical office parks downtown where tenants play musical chairs with new office buildings due to oversupply, more expensive versions of the mixed-use/condo crap in Atlanta over the parking pedestals in River North, etc etc (despite the great transit that still pales compared to DC, Boston or NYC).

You're right, though, that between the relevant programs at Tech, Emory, UGA and GSU Atlanta would be nothing without its universities.  There is a model of Atlanta without GT somewhere on campus and it is the size of Jacksonville.

The same lenders that play in Atlanta (i.e. UBS or Metlife acting as equity moreso than debt) have come to expect enormous returns.  Lenders acting as equity...total sign that you are a risky opportunistic market with potentially huge returns or huge losses.  Why not limit those losses?  Case in point: Novare's Skyhouse.  No available rentals in Midtown because traditional lenders too scared to originate construction loans?  OK, finance a POS prefab 23 floor building next to a massive 7 floor prefab deck, tiny units, AC units ON the balconies rather than roof (major major value-engineer),then rent 1BRS starting at $1600 and be first to market.  Who wouldn't want a piece of that at greater stake than low interest construction loan?  UBS no doubt.

So long story short, in addition to the shiny class A office towers that have made architectural statements, our "high rise" arena also gets A LOT of crap, while our local neighborhoods are really the shining stars with their nods to the past and their creative infill developments.