Reva Development Corporation, a Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit, is planning to bring new life to Jacksonville’s Armory building.
The Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to sell the historic building to the nonprofit at its Jan. 13 council meeting for $3.04 million.
Reva is acquiring the property at 851 N. Market St. with plans to invest $30 million in rehabbing the building, transforming it into a multi-use space with 20 restaurants, 25 art studios, 100 offices, a microbrewery and a performance stage. According to Reva, the project will generate more than 200 jobs.
According to Don Patterson, managing member for Armory Redevelopment Associates LLC, a Reva subsidiary, art will be a significant focus of the revamped space. The first floor will feature a listening room, which Patterson described as an intimate performance venue to host 50 to 80 patrons. Meanwhile, the second floor will center around the existing performance hall and its large stage.
“We intend to reactivate that for larger events, whether it’s performance art or music,” said Patterson.
Several food and drink vendors will be part of the revamped armory.
According to Patterson, Reva has until now worked in the affordable housing space and focused on South Florida. This acquisition represents the organization’s first foray into North Florida and a project of this caliber. However, Patterson is confident Reva is up to the task, which will include removing asbestos from the building.
“We’ve got the benefit of a strong local contractor who’s actually gone through the property as well, all with the idea that we’re trying to determine if there are any surprises. And to this point, we think we’ve identified everything,” said Patterson.
Although the Armory experienced more than a foot of flooding during Hurricane Irma in 2017, Patterson also noted that he was not concerned about flooding, calling Irma an “unusual event.”
The bill regarding the sale of the Armory was initially introduced to the City Council last November by District 14 Councilman Rahman Johnson. In a statement, Johnson called the Armory a “crown jewel”. He reflected on his time spent in the building as a youth volunteer, when it housed the Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor’s Teen Volunteer program.
“This project represents opportunity,” said Johnson. “Opportunity to reactivate a long-dormant asset.”
History
The Jacksonville Armory
According to historian and author Dr. Wayne Wood, Jacksonville has a history of private military organizations dating back to the 1830s. These groups included the Jacksonville Light Infantry, the St. Johns Grays, Jacksonville Rifles, and Duval County Cowboys. These groups became more government-sanctioned at the turn of the century, and the Gothic revival-style Jacksonville Armory was built in 1916 to house them.
“The brickwork in this building is fantastic – the arch over the main door is some of the finest brickwork of that era, and the whole façade is a very cohesive symmetrical composition,” noted Wood.
In 1936, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave a speech at the Armory. In later years, the building’s sizable auditorium served as a music hall, hosting performances by Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Janis Joplin, and The Allman Brothers Band’s debut concert.
Perhaps most notable was Marian Anderson’s 1952 performance at the Armory. Anderson was a world-renowned opera singer. Anderson refused to sing in front of a segregated crowd, forcing the venue to integrate for the night. It was one of the few integrated shows to take place during the Jim Crow era.
The Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Department occupied the Armory from the 1970s through 2010, but the building has now been vacant for more than 15 years.
Jacksonville History Center CEO Dr. Alan Bliss said renovating the Armory will highlight the way adaptive reuse of historically significant buildings contributes to Jacksonville’s identity and future economic development.
“This ambitious project will help accelerate the renaissance of Downtown Jacksonville and the Springfield community,” said Bliss.