On the 22nd of November I and a colleague of mine gave a presentation to the Mayor of Jacksonville of a proposal for a new Maritime Museum on a plot of land named the Acosta Site. The presentation itself went well. The Mayor was receptive and attentive to all that was said, as well as the visuals provided by us.
However, it seems that the Mayor and city council have had their eyes on that particular piece of land for quite some time and have no intention of letting it go to a museum. A mixed-use development is their vision. This is, as you can imagine, not what we had hoped for, but not entirely discouraging. You see, EA is still committed to helping further the architectural attitudes of Jacksonville, to re-educating the public on good and responsible design.
So, while we won't be building the latest and greatest Museum on the water, we may be engaging in some master planning of the entire site. This would include relocating an existing museum, a restaurant and a boat slip. The master plan would incorporate Friendship fountain, a landmark on the Southbank. All is not lost, and we will push forward.
The Maritime plan is not dead either. We, EA, will continue to work with them to try and find another suitable site for new construction, and possibly to get federal and state funding so that the financial burden does not solely rest on their shoulders. This is but a small hurdle in a much longer and more complicated process.
As it stands, the City of Jacksonville seems to be in what could be called a "holding pattern". By that I mean, there are projects on the boards that will go a long way to furthering the architectural beautification of the city, but the interest is lacking. There doesn't seem to be a firm foundation of people who would be willing to give up their McMansions 30 miles (and 1 hour) away for a new condo in a gleaming high-rise on the St. Johns River. This, to me, is strange. What exactly is it that drives us into the Suburbs? Is it the quiet peacefulness of the surrounding planted forests? Is it the memory of days long passed when "the city" was a haven for "undesirables"? I think mostly the latter.
Most people of an age and financial situation in the market for new property are not going to want to live in the middle of a downtown like ours. Not to mention the fact, like a previous post, there isn't enough of an infrastructure to keep people here. All of the grocery stores, shopping districts, and activities are outside of the city core. The problem is, the city officials know this, know how to change this, but quite clearly have no intention of pushing the issue towards effective change.
11.27.2006
11.17.2006
A Thriving Downtown Metropolis
The question is: What does it take to sustain a thriving downtown metropolis?
Today I went to get a trim. This is quite possibly the most unlikely place to find an answer to such a unique political/architectural/socioeconomic question, but i found one. So, the obvious answer to the questions can be found in several parts as follows:
Commerce - first and foremost, I think, is the need for "downtown" to be a destination. There has to be a reason for people to spend time downtown. This includes, among other things, restaurants, shops, groceries, bars, nightclubs, etc.
Housing - second, adequate and affordable housing is needed to sustain those who would live/work/play downtown. Currently Jacksonville has plenty of housing downtown, but few units are affordable.
Transportation - this is the most crucial for a successful downtown metropolis. Those living and working downtown need a reliable way in and around the downtown area. Reliable public transportation should be the ultimate goal of any city that wishes to grow into a functioning metropolis.
Our city is a prime example of what NOT to do with public transportation. Though Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the US due to it's land mass. Everything is spread so far out that effective public transportation becomes a colossal undertaking. And, currently, the city is totally unwilling to spend the time and money required to investigate such a thing.
Jacksonville, even with it's geographic short comings, has a downtown that is rapidly on the rise. But it is limited by the shortsightedness of it's governing bodies. If Jacksonville is going to realize it's potential as a thriving metropolis than change has to be affected. And it needs to be affected by the Architecture community. It is falling to our responsibility to re-educate the public, the clients, the developers and the city officials on good and responsible design for the future of Jacksonville.
I've been preaching about this for months it seems, but it holds true. There are projects on the boards that can go a long way to beginning this process, but they are too few and too far between. There have been others, like the Maritime Museum, that could springboard real change in areas that need something to help sustain them. It's time to show people what can really be done no matter how small the budget. I put it to all Architects and Designers, re-educate your clients. Show them the value of good design; show them what is possible when you use just a little bit of budget and a lot of imagination.
Today I went to get a trim. This is quite possibly the most unlikely place to find an answer to such a unique political/architectural/socioeconomic question, but i found one. So, the obvious answer to the questions can be found in several parts as follows:
Commerce - first and foremost, I think, is the need for "downtown" to be a destination. There has to be a reason for people to spend time downtown. This includes, among other things, restaurants, shops, groceries, bars, nightclubs, etc.
Housing - second, adequate and affordable housing is needed to sustain those who would live/work/play downtown. Currently Jacksonville has plenty of housing downtown, but few units are affordable.
Transportation - this is the most crucial for a successful downtown metropolis. Those living and working downtown need a reliable way in and around the downtown area. Reliable public transportation should be the ultimate goal of any city that wishes to grow into a functioning metropolis.
Our city is a prime example of what NOT to do with public transportation. Though Jacksonville is one of the largest cities in the US due to it's land mass. Everything is spread so far out that effective public transportation becomes a colossal undertaking. And, currently, the city is totally unwilling to spend the time and money required to investigate such a thing.
Jacksonville, even with it's geographic short comings, has a downtown that is rapidly on the rise. But it is limited by the shortsightedness of it's governing bodies. If Jacksonville is going to realize it's potential as a thriving metropolis than change has to be affected. And it needs to be affected by the Architecture community. It is falling to our responsibility to re-educate the public, the clients, the developers and the city officials on good and responsible design for the future of Jacksonville.
I've been preaching about this for months it seems, but it holds true. There are projects on the boards that can go a long way to beginning this process, but they are too few and too far between. There have been others, like the Maritime Museum, that could springboard real change in areas that need something to help sustain them. It's time to show people what can really be done no matter how small the budget. I put it to all Architects and Designers, re-educate your clients. Show them the value of good design; show them what is possible when you use just a little bit of budget and a lot of imagination.
Maritime Museum Part II
This blog has been a little overdue, and I apologize for that.
The presentation to the Maritime Board was a complete success. Our sketch model and presentation were widely accepted by the board members and they are very excited to move forward with the design. By moving forward I mean, we will be presenting the design and the Maritime Museum Boards' proposal to the mayor on the 22nd of November.
This will be an exciting opportunity for both Jacksonville and the Maritime Museum. The museum is in dire need of a new structure to house their vast collection of works and the city of Jacksonville is in dire need of a true piece of modern architecture, a signature piece that will serve as a landmark for the Southbank.
As you can see from the image, the New Maritime Museum rests along the edge of the Acosta Bridge facing the Northbank of Jacksonville and it's landmarks like the Bank of America tower, the Modis building and The Landing. The only real landmarks for the Southbank of the river are Ruth's Chris and the St. John condo. There is also MOSH and Friendship fountain, although the fountain is scheduled to be demolished in the future, but these elements have no real anchor with the Southbank. There is little continuity between each piece of architecture. This new museum, we hope, will act as a springboard for further development on the Southbank. We hope that building a singular landmark such as this will give rise to renewed interest in civic as well as retail development in the downtown skyline of the caliber that we see in other cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York City.
The City of Jacksonville has an opportunity here to affect serious change in the tone and pace of the downtown environment. It's our job to make them see that.
I'll be posting one more blog for this project in the coming weeks to give a final conclusion on the continued development and possibly construction of The New Maritime Museum.
The presentation to the Maritime Board was a complete success. Our sketch model and presentation were widely accepted by the board members and they are very excited to move forward with the design. By moving forward I mean, we will be presenting the design and the Maritime Museum Boards' proposal to the mayor on the 22nd of November.
This will be an exciting opportunity for both Jacksonville and the Maritime Museum. The museum is in dire need of a new structure to house their vast collection of works and the city of Jacksonville is in dire need of a true piece of modern architecture, a signature piece that will serve as a landmark for the Southbank.
As you can see from the image, the New Maritime Museum rests along the edge of the Acosta Bridge facing the Northbank of Jacksonville and it's landmarks like the Bank of America tower, the Modis building and The Landing. The only real landmarks for the Southbank of the river are Ruth's Chris and the St. John condo. There is also MOSH and Friendship fountain, although the fountain is scheduled to be demolished in the future, but these elements have no real anchor with the Southbank. There is little continuity between each piece of architecture. This new museum, we hope, will act as a springboard for further development on the Southbank. We hope that building a singular landmark such as this will give rise to renewed interest in civic as well as retail development in the downtown skyline of the caliber that we see in other cities like Chicago, L.A. and New York City.
The City of Jacksonville has an opportunity here to affect serious change in the tone and pace of the downtown environment. It's our job to make them see that.
I'll be posting one more blog for this project in the coming weeks to give a final conclusion on the continued development and possibly construction of The New Maritime Museum.
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