Former JEA Tower and The Embers Revolving Restaurant

[sandyshoes]

Read the attached article just now from T-U.  Surely in this day and time the mechanism that made the restaurant revolve could easily be repaired.   Not sure of how much of the city one could see from the former (or future?) restaurant, but wouldn't it be nice to see the Friendship Fountain all lit up at night, from your table.  Even nicer if they get it to revolve again so everyone gets a view. Just throwing it out there.  And P.S. - found a 2017 article by Dr. Gilmore w/photos by Ms. Winkler;  at that writing, Friendship Fountain was most certainly visible.  (Not sure if there is now another building that might be blocking the view).  T-U story link follows.
 https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2024/08/27/jea-decides-to-seek-buyer-for-former-headquarters-tower/74960128007/

[jaxlongtimer]

The article failed to mention the building's most famous tenant, The Charter Company.

That said, the entire turntable for the restaurant is long gone and been replaced with just a fixed floor.  There is not anything left to restore/repair.  Given today's affinity for rooftop restaurants though, it would be neat to put in one in this space.  If someone wants to spend money to rotate it, all the better!

[heights unknown]

If the mechanisms to revolve the Restaurant are in fact gone, then IMO it would be quite a "pretty penny" to re-install; don't think anyone would want to take that on for cost alone. Also, as a young Whipper Snapper back in the 70's, me and a Friend of mine, both of us were in the Navy, used to go clubbing when there were quite a few bars and restaurants downtown back then. We stumbled upon a long line going into this building (some called it the Ivey Tower back then) and asked what was going on and was told that a new disco had opened on the top floor. I believe the name of the disco was the "Penthouse." It didn't take us long to get up there as the line was moving fast as were the elevators. But when we got up there, after a few drinks, we realized that it was a gay bar (ha ha/LOL), so we left. A week or so later we ended up, after going to a few regular discos downtown and around town, checking the Penthouse out again, more so out of curiosity and to get some laughs (and boy did we); but we ended up really having a good time and even "scored," as we used to call it back then when you left a disco/club with someone; not with guys, but with a girl each! Fun times at Ridgemont High!!!

[jaxlongtimer]

Wikipedia has a list of all the revolving restaurants in the world.  Below are the ones in the US.  Notably, many are no longer in operation.  Given there are likely millions of restaurants around the world, rotating ones are, indeed, a very rare breed. 

Other than eating at the Embers, here, when I was little, I have only eaten at the one atop the 1,100+ foot tall Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas.  Did it at sunset and it was neat to see the lights come on along the Strip while the sun set over the mountains in the distance.  To add, they have an indoor/outdoor observation deck you can visit after dining.  Not sure we could match that view here.

Alabama
The Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa, Florence
Arizona
Compass Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Phoenix
California
BonaVista Lounge, Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles (LA Prime Restaurant directly above does not rotate)
Equinox Restaurant, Hyatt Regency, San Francisco (open 1974 - 2007, reopening 2024[17])
Florida
Garden Grill, Epcot, Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista
Grand Plaza Hotel & Resort, Spinners overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, St. Pete Beach, Florida
The View at CK's at Marriott, Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Florida (closed)[18]
Georgia
Polaris, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta
Sun Dial, Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta (no longer revolves after 2017 accident)
Hawaii
La Ronde, Ala Moana Center, Honolulu (closed), designed by John Graham & Company; opened in 1961; the first revolving restaurant in the United States, preceding the SkyCity "Eye of the Needle" atop the Space Needle in Seattle (also designed by John Graham)[19]
Top of Waikiki, Honolulu[19] (closed 2020)
Illinois
Ventana's, Rosemont (closed to the public; only open for receptions, parties)
Indiana
Eagle's Nest, Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Indianapolis
Iowa
Top of the Tower Ballroom, Holiday Inn Downtown, Des Moines (closed in 1988)[20]
Kentucky
Eighteen, Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Waterfront, Covington
Galt House, Louisville (dual revolving floorplates)
Spire, Hyatt Regency Louisville, Louisville (only used for special events/receptions since 2007, not open to the public)
Massachusetts
Spinnaker, Hyatt Regency, Cambridge, Massachusetts (closed in 2004)
Michigan
Summit, Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan (closed in 2017)
Minnesota
Apostle Supper Club, Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview, Duluth[21]
Missouri
Skies Restaurant & Lounge, Hyatt Regency Crown Center, Kansas City (closed December 1, 2011, when Sheraton Hotels took over the Hyatt)
Top of the Riverfront, Millennium Hotel, St. Louis (closed 2014)
Nevada
Top of the World, The Strat, Las Vegas
New York
Changing Scene, First Federal Plaza, Rochester (closed)
The View, New York Marriott Marquis, New York City
Northern Marianas Islands
360 Restaurant, Susupe, Saipan
Oklahoma
3sixty Restaurant & Bar, Oklahoma City (Closed)
Ohio
Ventana's, Millennium Hotel, Cincinnati (later called itself a "revolving reception venue" after it closed to the public; building demolished in 2022)
South Carolina
Top of Carolina, University of South Carolina, Columbia; only open for Friday lunch and Sunday brunch during university's calendar year
Tennessee
Pinnacle Restaurant, Downtown Sheraton Hotel, Nashville[22] (closed 2000)
Top of the 100, 100 North Main, Memphis (closed)
Texas
Antares, Reunion Tower, Dallas (a major remodel took more than a year; renamed Five Sixty in 2009 when opened again by Wolfgang Puck, Closed)
Cloud Nine Cafe, Reunion Tower, Dallas (Closed)
Marriott Hotel, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston (closed in 2014)
Spindletop, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Houston (Closed)
Tower of the Americas, San Antonio
Virginia
Skydome Lounge, Doubletree Hotel Crystal City at National Airport, Arlington
Washington
SkyCity, Space Needle, Seattle, designed by John Graham & Company based on lessons from their previous design of La Ronde in Hawai'i[19] (closed 2017)
What was once the SkyCity restaurant has now been gutted and changed to the Loupe Lounge, a 21+ bar at the top of the Space Needle which opened 2021.
Wisconsin
The Gobbler, Johnson Creek (bar only - closed 1992, reopened as Gobbler Theater, "temporarily" closed in 2021 with no reopening date announced,[23] currently for sale[24])
Polaris, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, Milwaukee (closed 2009, gutted and reopened as event space under a different name but no longer rotates[25].)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_revolving_restaurants

[Ken_FSU]

Would be very Jacksonville to announce a plan to make the restaurant revolve again, hold up the sale and conversion of the building for ten years to commission studies on said revolving, and then demolish the building for surface parking.

Love that it sounds like a doable conversion. Big fan of this building, can’t let it suffer the same fate of so many others.

[Ken_FSU]

P.S. To someone far more knowledgeable about these things than I am:

Do the economics/expenses of residential conversion for a building like this necessitate market rate rents, or is it possible that a building like this could be repurposed as affordable housing?

[Jax_Developer]

If Gateway doesn't purchase it, the most likely outcome is market rate apartments with a predetermined unit count for affordable units. Similar to the new RISE Doro or the Corner Lot project near that Amazon Warehouse.

Allows the developer to obtain affordable incentives/grants on top of the historic & DIA programs available.

[thelakelander]

P.S. To someone far more knowledgeable about these things than I am:

Do the economics/expenses of residential conversion for a building like this necessitate market rate rents, or is it possible that a building like this could be repurposed as affordable housing?

The economics work far better when a building is in public ownership and donated to help the proforma. City Hall Annex would have been a great building for housing. The numbers don't work as well if the public entity wants a kings ransom for a property that still will require millions to update and retrofit.

[jaxlongtimer]

There is limited parking under the tower that is likely not sufficient to support a fully occupied building.  As such, at one time, the garage across Church Street was under common ownership with this tower.  It would seem that would be an important value to marketing the tower for whatever purpose.  Does JEA also own that garage and is it including that with the tower offer?

[thelakelander]

JEA also owns the garage across the street. Is that not also a part of the sale?

[Steve]

The Garage is part of the sale:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2024/aug/27/jeas-old-headquarters-campus-downtown-can-go-on-market/

They list 21 W. Church St. and 421 N. Laura St. (which is the office/customer center structures and Garage, respectively) as well as 21 E. Church St. That is the paved surface lot on the block bounded by Church/Ocean/Ashley/Main. Of note this block also has the two-story building at the corner of Church and Ocean that is currently being renovated.

In the right hands, this is actually quite a nice collection of property.

[heights unknown]

The old JEA Building is not in the "25 block Arena" that Gateway just recently purchased is it?

[jcjohnpaint]

I think they purchased the land north of it between Union and State.

[fsu813]

I'm surprised this building isn't landmarked.

[Steve]

I'm surprised this building isn't landmarked.

It IS listed as a contributing structure on the downtown historic district. I'm not saying demolition is impossible, but it should help in terms of developers approaching them.