Print ArticleImmediately following the Great Fire of 1901, the skyscraper made its way to Jacksonville. Over the decades to follow, the city's tallest building has changed nine times. Here's a look at those buildings.
1. Dyal-Upchurch Building 
Year completed: 1902
Height: 82 Feet/6 Stories
The Dyal-Upchurch building was Jacksonville’s first tall structure to be built after the Great Fire of 1901. This “high-rise” was initially going to be a mere five stories, but the demand for office spaces resulted in the sixth floor being added to the blueprints. The building was originally used by a Georgia investment Company, Dyal-UpChurch, that had moved to Jacksonville at the start of the 20th century. The business concerned itself with turpentine and lumber, until operations ceased in 1924.
The Dyal-Church building was the first building to be erected by Henry J. Klutho, a man who eventually put his name on many structures across town. One notable feature about his design of the building is that it stands on wood pilings, and as the first building of its size to do so.
This building anchors the corner of Main Street and East Bay. Cameron Kuhn, a commercial developer, bought the structure in 2005 for $4.5 million, but defaulted on the mortgage when his company declared bankruptcy three years later. The Dyal-Upchurch building was repossessed by The Jacksonville Bank in 2009, and was acquired for $3.73 million by A. Duda & Sons.
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