Jacksonville's next Downtown skyscraper

[reednavy]

the existence of skyscrapers has nothing to do with whether a city is great or not....San Diego is pretty nice and they have a 500' height limit

They need to move that airport yesterday.

[I-10east]

Um,, Aetna wasn't the tallest in the SE for 13 years, Nashville's L&C Tower was built in 1957 at 409ft.

My bad. Nashville Life & Casualty is taller than Aetna. I'm a bad wiki link "casualty". So I guess Aetna was the South's tallest for about two years; Whatever, my point is the Southbank is unquestionably downtown.

[stjr]

I was reading an article about the top 100 tallest SS in the US, Jax was not even on the list. Top 100 in US.......

the existence of skyscrapers has nothing to do with whether a city is great or not....San Diego is pretty nice and they have a 500' height limit

Washington DC has no "skyscrapers" as nothing can approach the height of the Washington Monument.  Philadelphia had an unwritten "law" that no one could build higher than the hat of William Penn's statue on City Hall (although that is still something like 50 stories if memory serves me right) until a developer challenged it in the early 80's or so and won in court.  I don't think these cities have made their marks based on skyscrapers.  By the way, many would argue that, overall, Washington is the prettiest major urban area in America (that's overall, folks.  I know they have some bad areas, too!).  Washington's "skyscrapers" are in its Virginia and Maryland suburbs - an "inside-out" arrangement as only Washington could have.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I think the Philadelphia city hall, counting the statue on top, is almost exactly the same height as the Independent Life* building.

* Sorry, still can't get used to calling it by its current name 12 years later

[heights unknown]

I was reading an article about the top 100 tallest SS in the US, Jax was not even on the list. Top 100 in US.......

the existence of skyscrapers has nothing to do with whether a city is great or not....San Diego is pretty nice and they have a 500' height limit

In most people's eyes, skyscrapers, especially tall ones are a symbol of economic and financial success and prosperity, especially in America.  In Europe not so much, the Far East, Mid East, and Australia skyscrapers are viewed basically in the same light as in America, symbols of economic and financial power, success and prosperity.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

the existence of skyscrapers has nothing to do with whether a city is great or not....San Diego is pretty nice and they have a 500' height limit

They need to move that airport yesterday.

I wonder if Jax hadn't closed down Imerson and moved it's Airport way in Northern Duval, would there have been a height limit here (in Jax) as well.

Heights Unknown

[Ocklawaha]

Maybe with CSX and Blue Cross scattered all over the town, we could get a single consolidated tower out of them. The new Bahn Tower in Germany (Railroad system) is as stunning as the one in the photo above. Perhaps as an old Italian friend of mine once said, "We could make them an offer they can't refuse..." Anyone ever see the Canadian National RR tower? Wow.

OCKLAWAHA

[Keith-N-Jax]

Thats nice, to upscale for Jax,

[heights unknown]

Yeah, I could never see a tower like that in Jax; if it did, it would shock me.

Heights Unknown

[JeffreyS]

That tower would shock anyone in any city.

[Deuce]

Tower is gorgeous. Would love to see that in Jax! JAX needs more upscale. That's the problem with JAX, it's too downscale! If you want to compete in the information economy, you need to attract members of the creative class. You need upscale for that. Adding more shipping firms is great, adding a biotech firm is better.

[stjr]

With few exceptions, Jax's skyline mostly tracks the City's approach to development:  functional, cost effective, no frills other than maybe a few superficial faux details, conservative and traditional, simple, unimaginative, unoriginal, and unsophisticated , noncontroversial, lacking innovation, shying from cutting edge, short term, disposable thinking - lacking a vision and statement for the decades.  OK to forgo higher standards if it means getting the project done "yesterday". 

Recent example:  The new Courthouse! 

It's also why Jax can bulldoze so many outstanding historic buildings with character and not lose any sleep over it.

[I-10east]

Thats nice, to upscale for Jax,

Why, because it's tall, and nice looking? I don't understand how a building can be too "upscale" for a metro. Is Mobile's new "Chrysler like" tower too "upscale" for them? I guess that Bank of America in Charlotte is still too "upscale" for them. Buildings like that will get build, they'll settle in the skyline, then people will accept them. Sound like Jax's classic "low self-esteem" is coming out of peeps.

[reednavy]

Of course, some people don't understand sarcasm apparently.

[stjr]

Of course, some people don't understand sarcasm apparently.

Humor is often in short supply on MJ.  And, sarcasm or satire is totally unappreciated.  I speak from experience.  Go to: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,4755.0.html where many missed my point of a tongue-in-cheek poll entirely.