The Barnett and Laura Trio about to be sold

[stjr]

The subject buildings in their heydays and today!

[JeffreyS]

I am just itching for details on this one.

[Coolyfett]

Heh, I was at the Landing Hooters having dinner a few weeks back and returned from the bathroom to witness a chopper circling the Main St. bridge.  After a closer examination I noticed a guy hanging from the rail of the bridge and a couple JSO officers trying to pull him back up.  When we left the Landing I struck up a conversation with two parked marine officers that were circling beneath while the guy was hanging.  They told me that the guy was attempting to jump but then got scared.  He was carted off and baker acted.  I had to laugh and say to the officers that "the guy could have picked a better bridge!  He would've had to do a belly flop to do any damage!".  They agreed.

Main Street Bridge?? nah thats not how you end it all, you gotta think big like the Buckman or Dames Point...Are people still using the Mathews for the "big jump"??

[Jason]

The most recent jumper I remember was at the Dames Point this past year.  But I don't think she actually made the leap either.



How many times has the Laura Trio changed hands in the last 5 years?  3 or 4?

[thelakelander]

Trio?  City to Police & Fire Pension Fund to Cameron Kuhn to the bank to current contract.  Four going on five.

[Brick]

What's the latest in the rumor mill?.... Wouldn't all residential make the most sense at this point, at least for the towers? I heard from someone that Peterbrooke was looking at the Marble Bank.

[Jason]

Peterbrooke is (I'm pretty sure) under negotiations with Sleiman and the Landing.  The design contract was supposedly awarded to an architect on the westside (says an architect friend that was competing for the project).

[mtraininjax]

Peterbrooke wanted the Library but did not have financing. No way would they look at the Atlantic Bank building and think they had the money to pull off financing.

[coredumped]

Has anyone heard anything on this?

[thelakelander]

I guess the buyer decided to move on.  All for buildings are listed for $6.5 million.

The asking price is getting contracts signed. It’s the renovation costs â€" and the red tape that comes with those renovations â€" that’s preventing someone from closing on the buildings.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=52743

[thelakelander]

The demo guys want a piece of these....

The Laura Trio consists of the Marble Bank Building, the Florida Life Building and Bisbee Building. Most everyone associated with the trio over the past decade â€" from the City to the Police and Fire Pension Fund to the Kuhn Companies â€" agrees the Marble Bank Building is the gem and other two can be taken or left, but preferably razed.

It’s likely the buildings would have sold and been renovated long ago if either or both of the Bisbee or Florida Life buildings could have been torn down. However, both have been granted historical designations, making it virtually impossible to raze them.

Maybe the designation of a small commercial historic district is needed to preserve our last remaining historic structures downtown?  By the way, the "buildings" could not have been renovated long ago if they were purchased to be torn down.

[Joe]

Since the Florida life and Bisbee Building are already "local landmarks" they are as protected as they'll ever be. They can only be demolished upon majority vote of the council. It wouldn't be any different with an historic district.

Frankly, I think that virtually every historical commercial building that's NOT a local landmark has already been torn down. There are a handful of non-landmark buildings left on Bay St and Hogan street, but that's about it. Pretty damn sad.

Once the courthouse finally gets built, look out for a rash of demolitions near the Church district. Lot's of law office and bail bondsmen work out of converted residential buildings. Once the courthouse (finally) moves, expect a few of these gems to be torn down once the offices eventually move to LaVilla. None of them are protected, to my knowledge.

[nestliving]

In my opinion, the renovation of these 3 buildings is the key to the revitalization of downtown. I pray they are bought by someone with a vision on making that area the center of our downtown.

[vicupstate]

Once the courthouse finally gets built, look out for a rash of demolitions near the Church district. Lot's of law office and bail bondsmen work out of converted residential buildings. Once the courthouse (finally) moves, expect a few of these gems to be torn down once the offices eventually move to LaVilla. None of them are protected, to my knowledge.

Why would they move, they would only be a block or two farther from the courthouse than they are now?

[Joe]

Lots of firms (law and bail bonds) like to be as close to a courthouse as possible. Remember that 10 story office building that was canceled due to the courthouse construction delays? It would have been mostly law firms and other legal businesses.

Anyway, you don't have to believe me, but mark my words. Without a focused attempt at preservation, many of those converted residential buildings will have met the bulldozer within a decade of the new courthouse's completion. Maybe the jail will keep some of them around, but most will have no reason not to move a couple blocks West.

The only silver lining is that many of these structures are non-historic and non-urban. Hopefully those will be the first to go.