The downtown Jacksonville skyline we know and love today would have looked dramtically different if these size skyscrapers would have been built as originally proposed.
The St. John
In March 2004, developer Hal Dodt announced plans for twin 40-story towers surrounding the Southbank's Aetna Building.
Soon, South Shore Group Partners and Hines Development secured the right to develop 300 residential units and 50,000 square feet of retail space at 841 Prudential Drive. Plans called for a 52-story single tower and a 12-foot wide riverwalk extension south of the Acosta Bridge. This progressed as far as an aggressive sales campaign that included billboards on I-95. In the end, the media coverage could not overcome the pending nationwide real estate crisis.
Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com
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