Hope rekindled for Laura Street Trio
By Michele Leivas A Philadelphia law firm will be brought in as outside counsel to assist the Jacksonville City Council in crafting legislation for a redevelopment agreement for the Laura Street Trio. The Personnel Committee voted Sept. 17 to retain Ballard Spahr at $625 an hour to help bring the redevelopment agreement across the finish […]
Laura Street Trio: City files foreclosure lawsuit against developer
By Michele Leivas The Laura Street Trio continues to face an uncertain future, following a foreclosure lawsuit filed by the city against developer and property owner Steve Atkins. Filed Aug. 19, the lawsuit alleges the developer has allowed more than $800,000 in administrative fines for code violations to accrue since October 2015. In a statement, […]
Legacy at Risk
Jacksonville History Center releases 2024 Endangered Historic Properties list The Jacksonville History Center presented its 2024 Endangered Historic Properties list at a brown bag lunch event on Wednesday, May 22 at Old St. Andrew’s Church. The annual list highlights the historic structures in Jacksonville that are at risk of being lost to the community. This […]
DIA Still “Willing and Able” to Discuss Negotiations for Laura Street Trio
The door remains open for negotiations between the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) and the developer for the Laura Street Trio following a pair of DIA board and committee meetings last month. Conversations regarding funding for the massive historic renovation and adaptive reuse of the three buildings have continued between the City of Jacksonville and SouthEast […]
Laura Street Trio Awaits Next Steps
Historic properties require unique financing The future of the Laura Street Trio remains in limbo as parties return to the drawing board to settle on a redevelopment agreement to help fund its adaptive reuse and restoration. New year, new deal At a Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 4, representatives from the development team […]
City Council Approves Laura Street Trio Redevelopment
After decades of neglect and several false starts, The Laura Street Trio is a step closer to being revitalized. The Jacksonville City Council has approved a $24.7 million incentive package with SouthEast Development Group LLC to renovate the Florida Bank Building, the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building into a 145-room Marriott Autograph Hotel […]
Preserving ‘Authentic’ Downtown Jacksonville
Downtown Jacksonville is looking to the past to help shape and revitalize its future via the Downtown Preservation and Revitalization Program (DPRP). Due to some ambitious plans for growth and revitalization, those programs are being put to the test and should spell progress for Downtown in the months ahead. Launched by the Downtown Investment Authority […]
Downtown’s Laura Street Trio closer to being revived
A cluster of Downtown’s most historic and visible buildings is a couple steps closer to a new life, one burgeoning with activity. Preservationists have described the Laura Street Trio as, collectively, the most endangered historical buildings in Jacksonville. The trio includes the Florida National Bank Building, the Bisbee Building and the Florida Life Building, built […]
