Beacon Riverside Renderings Released

[coredumped]

No boat dock for residents? Blasphemy!!!

[PeeJayEss]

It's a shame these renderings don't include and extended riverwalk.

I feel the same way. While Cummer may be a sticking point for further extension, it would be nice to see the possibility left open.

Robin Shepard Group PR Firm. They are moving to Riverplace Tower

Yup, they have actually already made the move.

[Scrub Palmetto]

Robin Shepard Group PR Firm. They are moving to Riverplace Tower

Nice. More residents in the core, and slightly less office vacancy downtown. Fringe benefits!

Although it feels like we're such a wasteful culture. We have some 17 floors of a residential building "built" that will never be used (Berkman II), and we're taking down some 16 floors in Avondale (Commander Apts). Out with the old, to heck with the decaying, and in with the new...

[simms3]

Nice looking condo tower.  Definitely an improvement over the original from a few years back.

Agree on all fronts, though the rendering does indicate it will be a stucco facade with demarcations between floors.  It would be nice if somehow design in the city got away from faux stucco.  I especially agree that it's an improvement over the previous proposal - that would have been a faux stucco nightmare!

More residents in the core, and slightly less office vacancy downtown. Fringe benefits!

Although it feels like we're such a wasteful culture. We have some 17 floors of a residential building "built" that will never be used (Berkman II), and we're taking down some 16 floors in Avondale (Commander Apts). Out with the old, to heck with the decaying, and in with the new...

The good thing about the 1% in Jacksonville is that they make the city their primary residence, as opposed to an SF or NYC where luxury condo towers are filled with foreigners and jet setters and the buildings are maybe 15-25% occupied at any given time.  Permanent residents >>> part-time residents.

Still waiting for more rentals (as opposed to condos) to be built in type 1 or type 3 construction format in infill areas.

Agree that some Jax development trends seem wasteful.  Commander Apts would be a perfectly nice place in many cities (that'd be one of the nicest buildings for renters in SF!!! people living there would be able to afford waterfront homes in Jax LoL).  It's funny how the less affluent/expensive a city is, the more snobby people are about what's "nice" and what's not.  It would never pencil in most cities to demo an 18 floor building and raze a prime waterfront site and rebuild entirely with even less GLA/units than before.

Though if I were a developer, I would never trust Berkman II to be a sound structure.  Given the market, that thing's going to be a monument of failure for many years to come.  No sane developer will restart that building (would it even be able to be restarted?  Cheap contractors/subs, humid/wet elements in Jax, now a half decade exposed - that thing isn't sound if Confucius said so himself).

[Keith-N-Jax]

More of these please, thank you very much

[Riverrat]

I like it! There's some level of Frank Lloyd Wright inspiration that I'm picking up. At least at the top. Speaking of, I wish the top were more dramatic and soared a little more...but I can't complain overall...it will be a great addition.

[thelakelander]

It's a shame these renderings don't include and extended riverwalk.

I'm not sure, but I believe the old 2005 PUD included language about having a public riverwalk between Bishop Gate and Lomax Street.  I wonder if that's still a part of the plan?

[grimss]

"The building embodies the rich traditions of Riverside architecture refined to reflect an updated design with modern features and amenities. "

Hmm. Could someone help me see where the "rich traditions of Riverside architecture" are reflected in this building? Not saying they're required to echo the area's architecture, as the property's location and currect PUD are baked into the cake pre-Overlay, but the claim that the building is any way related to its surroundings is, IMHO, bogus. (Are they claiming Prairie Style because of the overhangs? Haven't seen too may hi-rise Prairie buildings, so need some guidance.)

Hoping this design is improved . . .

[I-10east]

It's a shame these renderings don't include and extended riverwalk.

I agree that would be nice, but it seems like those would be two totally different projects, with the city dealing with any extension to the riverwalk. I would have been pretty surprised to see an extended riverwalk, and a condo tower all in one big gulp; Who knows, a riverwalk extension could come later.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I'm with the group that's panning this as 'meh'.

I don't see anything that resembles cutting edge, nor do I see anything that 'embodies' what's existing in the neighborhood.  What would one say that IS the embodiment of the existing neighborhood?

Where is the parking?  (for the cars or the boats)

Is the decorative ivy going to be purchased in 25-30' lengths?

Looks like stucco to me.  Jacksonville Beige, even. 

The only color that 'pops' is the back-lighting of the glass along the river.  Everything else seems kind of bland.


Now.... Don't take those comments and think that I don't approve of the project.  I think it's worlds better than much of what I see up and coming.  I think it will be a fantastic project; I'm just not completely smitten with the exterior.

[thelakelander]

"The building embodies the rich traditions of Riverside architecture refined to reflect an updated design with modern features and amenities. "

Hmm. Could someone help me see where the "rich traditions of Riverside architecture" are reflected in this building? Not saying they're required to echo the area's architecture, as the property's location and currect PUD are baked into the cake pre-Overlay, but the claim that the building is any way related to its surroundings is, IMHO, bogus. (Are they claiming Prairie Style because of the overhangs? Haven't seen too may hi-rise Prairie buildings, so need some guidance.)

Hoping this design is improved . . .

Now that you bring it up, the facade does include features that are considered to be general characteristics of Prairie School.

Open floor plan
Low-pitched roof
Broad, overhanging eaves
Strong horizontal lines
Ribbons of windows, often casements emphasize horizontality of overall design
Prominent, central chimney
Stylized, built-in cabinetry
Wide use of natural materials especially stone and wood

http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/prairie.htm

Also, there's quite a few Prairie School influenced highrises around the country.  In Jacksonville, the Florida Life Building is an example of one.



Frank Llyod Wright's Price Tower in Oklahoma is a nationally well known example.

[I-10east]

^^^Only a mother would love that thing over there in Oklahoma; I take it that of course it's world renowned, and has many accolades. Just like abstract art, and Paris runway fashion, it's unique and adorned LOL.

[I-10east]

hahaha.  yeah.  those idiots.

I never said that; I can't say that I've heard of that megalopolis Bartlesville, OK either. At first, I thought that tower was in Tulsa or OKC somewhere. Thanks Wikipedia, an underrated and often unadorned info source.

[Scrub Palmetto]

I'm not sure the Price Tower fits Prairie style; I've only seen it called "modern," though it does have similar motifs to Wright's earlier work. But Wright considered it reflective of a tree, which is kind of counter to the core of the Prairie style, which was more reflective of the treeless landscapes of the prairie. The connection lies in Wright's ideas for symbolizing nature in his work.

I love the building, and I'm not its mother! I think it's pretty brilliant. I really should go down for a tour soon, as close as I am

[Noone]

No boat dock for residents? Blasphemy!!!

It's in the Silo's fine print.
2013-669, Councilman Redman, Chair of Waterways attach an amendment that will keep the 680' Promised Downtown Public Pier for the citizens of Jacksonville and the state of Florida.
Councilwoman Boyer rocked at the 10/9/13 Jacksonville Waterways Commission meeting on a piece of cherry picked legislation. And the vote reflected it.
Has anyone reported on the new Waterways signage in our new highly restrictedDIA/CRA in the USA zone? Councilman Redman is aware of it.
This looks like a fantastic project. All privately funded?