J Magazine Spring 2018
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CORE EYESORE<br />
FORMER JEA<br />
HEADQUARTERS<br />
At some point, a white elephant<br />
becomes an eyesore. This is the case<br />
with a former JEA headquarters<br />
building. No, not the current one at the<br />
corner of Main and Church streets, the<br />
former Universal Marion Building.<br />
JEA is preparing to move from that<br />
current location.<br />
The eyesore is a former JEA building<br />
at 233 W. Duval St., across the street<br />
from the federal courthouse. This<br />
building has been largely empty now<br />
for about 20 years. Most of us just<br />
walk by, not thinking of all the wasted<br />
space Downtown.<br />
The building once housed Independent<br />
Life Insurance headquarters, which<br />
later moved to the building now<br />
known as Wells Fargo.<br />
JEA bought the building for $2.9<br />
million in 1975. In 1989, most JEA<br />
officials moved out of the building.<br />
A search of Times-Union archives<br />
reveals a few stories from 1998 to<br />
2003. In 2000, JEA reportedly was<br />
interested in selling the 19-story<br />
building for a minimum of $4 million.<br />
In 2003, there was talk of South Florida<br />
developers buying the building and<br />
converting it into apartments. Since<br />
then, the building has been out of sight,<br />
out of mind, one of several vacant<br />
structures that are pockmarks on<br />
Downtown.<br />
Aundra Wallace, CEO of the<br />
Downtown Investment Authority,<br />
confirms there is no news on the site.<br />
There ought to be.<br />
BY MIKE CLARK<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF DAVIS<br />
J MAGAZINE<br />
Spot a downtown eyesore and want<br />
to know why it’s there or when it will<br />
be improved? Submit suggestions to<br />
frank.denton@jacksonville.com.<br />
62<br />
J MAGAZINE | SPRING <strong>2018</strong>
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