11 East Forsyth
11 East Forsyth | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Location | Jacksonville, Florida, USA |
---|---|
Coordinates | 30°19′37″N 81°39′27″W / 30.32694°N 81.65750°WCoordinates: 30°19′37″N 81°39′27″W / 30.32694°N 81.65750°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1926 |
Architect | Pringle & Smith |
Architectural style | Chicago school |
MPS | Downtown Jacksonville MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 03001310[1] |
Added to NRHP | December 23, 2003 |
11 East Forsyth, formerly known as the Lynch Building and the American Heritage Life Building, is a historic structure in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally developed by Stephen Andrew Lynch, as its current name suggests, it is located at 11 East Forsyth Street in Downtown Jacksonville.[2] On December 23, 2003, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Vestcor invested more than $24 million to restore the building's exterior and transform the former offices into loft apartments, which tenants began to occupy during 2003.[2]
Construction[]
The 17-story, 153,000 sq ft (14,200 m2) building originally contained commercial offices and was opened by entrepreneur and film pioneer Stephen Andrew Lynch.[3] It was designed by architects Pringle & Smith in 1926 in the Chicago School style. It was constructed with limestone, marble and a facade of brick; the top of the structure contained a capital of terra-cotta.[4] When it opened in 1926, it was Jacksonville's second tallest building, one floor less than the Barnett National Bank Building.[5][6]
The building was renovated in 1962 and renamed the American Heritage Life Building when it was utilized as home office of the . When the company built a new headquarters and left the downtown during the late 1980s, the structure was unoccupied for many years.[4]
Current use[]
Jacksonville developer Vestcor began a historic preservation of the building in 2002 after obtaining a $17.8 million, 1.5% interest, 20-year loan from the city of Jacksonville.[5][6] The company restored many architectural features including polychromatic terra-cotta panels, decorative ceilings and steel panels.[7] Elevators, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other infrastructure was modernized and a six-story parking garage was constructed adjacent to the building. The second floor was converted into a large community club room, a fitness center and a media room. Modern amenities were added while respecting the historic integrity of the structure. The building was renamed to "11 East Forsyth" and 127 apartments were opened in 2003[6] after $24 million and a year of construction.[2] A Starbucks coffee bistro opened, but subsequently closed, leaving no tenants in the 4,500 sq ft (420 m2) of first-floor commercial space.[5]
In late December 2009, Vestcor requested a modification to their loan terms, citing three years of operating losses at 11 East and their other renovated building, The Carling. The company asked for three years of interest-only payments plus low interest loans to potential tenants for the empty commercial space at 11 East.[5] Three months later, the city approved the plan for principal deferral but took no action on tenant loans.[8]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c Witkowski, Rachel: "Costly renovation of historic buildings pays off for city" Jacksonville Business Journal, April 7, 2006
- ^ Wood, Wayne (1992). Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage. University Press of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-0953-7. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ a b "Lynch Building" National Trust for Historic Preservation
- ^ a b c d Hunt, David: "Downtown housing developer asks Jacksonville for help" Florida Times-Union, December 30, 2009
- ^ a b c Marbut, Max: "The story behind one of Downtown’s historic buildings: The Carling" Jacksonville Daily Record, December 10, 2009.
- ^ "11 East Forsyth Apartments" Archived 2009-05-06 at the Wayback Machine Vestcor Companies
- ^ Bauerlein, David (March 11, 2010) "Jacksonville finds it too costly to pay business’s employee parking as incentive". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved September 27, 2011
External links[]
- History of Jacksonville, Florida
- National Register of Historic Places in Jacksonville, Florida
- Residential skyscrapers in Jacksonville, Florida
- Chicago school architecture in Florida
- Northbank, Jacksonville
- Architecture in Jacksonville, Florida
- Residential buildings completed in 1926
- 1926 establishments in Florida