A Century of Jax's Tallest Skyscrapers

Immediately 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.



2. Atlantic National Bank Building



Year completed: 1909
Height: 135 feet/10 Stories

Atlantic National Bank was founded in 1903. One of the bank’s founders, Thomas Dehman, had ties to the Florida, Atlantic, and Gulf Central Railroad at the time.

The Atlantic National Bank building was designed by two New York architects, Louis Mowbray and Justin Uffinger. The building’s design included notable features such as: a steel frame, white Sylacauga marble covering on the bottom two floors, and a white terra cotta covering on the upper eight. The façade of the building also includes ornate detailing, as well as two-story columns around the entrance.  

In 1985, the Atlantic National Bank merged with the First Union Bank, which was in turn, acquired by Wachovia, and ultimately, Wells Fargo. The building had a five-story renovation done in 2000. Now home to the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's administrative offices, some of the building's pedestrian tunnels are still in use.



3. Florida Life Building



Year completed: 1911
Height:  148 feet/11 Stories

The Florida Life Building was erected for use by the Florida Life Insurance Company. This high-rise was also designed by Henry Klutho, who was building the St. James Building (now City Hall) at the same time. The structure included several Prairie School elements, such as scrolled capitals at the top of the pilasters, made popular by Louis Sullivan, “the father of the skyscraper.” Other notable features of the building include broad plate glass, Chicago-styled windows, and a copper cornice.

Florida Life used this building for a mere four years before they filed for bankruptcy in 1915. For decades, this building, the Marble Bank and Bisbee Buildings were occupied by the Florida National Bank. Together, they are known as the Laura Trio.

The Laura Trio was acquired by Cameron Kuhn in in the mid-2000s. Kuhn desperately wanted to restore this building, as well as the rest of the Laura Trio, but he, unfortunately, went bankrupt before he could do so. In 2010, the property was acquired by the Atkins Group for a second attempt at restoration. Future plans for the structures call for their conversion into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.



4. Heard National Bank Building



Year completed: 1913
Height: 180 feet/15 Stories


Also known as the Graham Building, the Heard National Bank Building is a result of construction plans put forward by John Joseph Heard, a capitalist who moved to Jacksonville to take advantage of the city's flourishing market. In 1911, Heard announced that he was going to construct a building for his bank, one so large, it would be the biggest building south of Atlanta.

Duval County Judge John Dodge would enter the picture, and Heard would suddenly find himself at the center of a huge extortion scandal. Dodge liked the idea of a skyscraper, and he happened to own the land to the south wall of Heard’s new project. Draftsmen on Dodge’s project were instructed to create a building the same height and width as Heard’s building. This would block the riverfront view and ventilation of Heard’s building, rendering it virtually useless. Heard had no choice but to pay Dodge not to build his skyscraper.

Dodge agreed and went back to practicing. Unfortunately it was all for naught, as Heard would go bankrupt less than 5 years in to his business. The building remained the city's tallest until 1926. It remained part of the Northbank skyline until 1981, when it was demolished to make room for a parking lot.



5. Barnett National Bank Building



Year completed: 1926

Height: 224 feet/18 stories

Height: 224 feet/ 18 stories

Barnett National Bank was originally founded in 1877 by William B. Barnett and his son, Bion. It changed it name to the National bank of Jacksonville in 1888, and would eventually become Barnett National Bank in 1908. Barnett National Bank became so successful over its first 50 years or so that it became necessary to build a bigger banking and office center. With this, Barnett hired Louis Mowbray and Justin Uffinger to design the 18-story Barnett National Bank Building. Completed in 1926, the structure of the building is characterized with a limestone, street-level façade and double-arched windows.

Success continued all the way through the 90s, when Barnett National Bank became Florida’s largest commercial bank and Fortune 500 Company. The building eventually fell in to despair, but, in recent years, was part of a proposal for renovation along with the Laura Trio. However, in May of this year, a complaint was filed to foreclose the building, as they apparently owned Stache Investments over $3 million.



6. Aetna Building



Year completed: 1955

Height: 309 feet/ 22 stories


Originally known as the Prudential Building, it was constructed in 1955 to serve as Prudentials Southeastern Headquarters. This building was the tallest in city until the Riverplace Tower was built. It was also the tallest in the state until NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building was completed in 1965.

Construction materials included Alabama limestone, North Carolina pink granite and Georgia marble. Originally, it contained a 2-ton piece of the Rock of Gibraltar in its lobby. The building’s structure was impressive, so much so that it was used in some scenes of the famous movie Creature From the Black Lagoon. In 1999, Aetna acquired the Prudential Heath Care Business, changing the name of the structure.



7. Riverplace Tower



Year completed: 1967
Height: 417 feet /28 Stories

Gulf Life Insurance moved to downtown Jacksonville in 1916. During its formative years in town, the company's offices were located on West Adams Street, until they bought up First Baptist Church’s Sunday School during the Great Depression.  

In 1967, the Gulf Life Tower was completed on the Southbank to serve as the company's new corporate headquarters. It was the tallest precast, post-tensioned concrete structure in the world until 2002, when it was surpassed by the 425-ft.-tall Paramount Apartment Tower in San Francisco. The Gulf Life Tower was Florida's tallest until Miami's One Biscayne Tower was completed in 1972. It remained was Jacksonville's tallest until being passed by, what is now the Wells Fargo Center, in 1974.

Gulf Life Company was merged into Houston-based American General Life in 1991. In 1993, the tower was acquired by Gate Petroleum and renamed Riverplace Tower. Gate bought the building when it was at a mere 40% occupancy. They managed to crank it up to 95% in just two years.



8. Independent Life Building (now Wells Fargo Center)



Year completed: 1974

Height: 535 feet/ 37 stories

This skyscraper was built by the Independent Life and Accident Insurance Company. The design of the building actually won an award for “Outstanding Achievement in Design” by the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The design features a sloping base with large corner frames that gave it a distinct image, and caused it to become an identifying landmark for the city.

Other notable features include a four story atrium of tropical vegetation where the public enters, a 360-seat auditorium, and a first floor with a bank, restaurants and several retail stores.

The Independent Life Building held the title of tallest in Florida until One Tampa City Center was completed in 1981. In 1995, Independent Life was acquired by the American General Life Insurance Company, who moved the operations to Tennessee. As a result, the Independent Life Building was sold to AccuStaff, who changed the name to the AccuStaff Building. It was renamed the Modis building in 2002, before finally being rebranded as the Wells Fargo Center.



9. Bank of America Tower



Year completed: 1993

Height: 617 feet/ 42 stories

Barnett Bank managed to grow into one of the area's largest banks under Bion Barnett’s leadership. In need of more space, Barnett built a new, $110 million corporate headquarters tower in 1993. The 42-floor structure was designed by German-American architect Helmut Jahn, and constructed of reinforced concrete. Barnett filled about 50% of Barnett Center's tenant space, while leasing the rest out to other buyers.

By 1995, Barnett Bank had grown to become a Fortune 500 company and the nation’s 17th largest bank. Despite this, the Barnett Bank, was bought out by Nations bank the following year. A year after that, Nations also acquired BankAmerica and the building became the Bank of America Tower. 22 years after its completion, the 617-foot tall structure remains the tallest building in Jacksonville, and tallest between Atlanta and Miami.


Article by Kristen Pickrell