{"id":159762,"date":"2026-02-18T13:10:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159762\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:10:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:10:17","slug":"future-of-historic-snyder-church-everbank-waterfront-restaurant-among-key-projects-to-be-discussed-at-dia-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/159762\/","title":{"rendered":"Future of historic Snyder Church, EverBank, waterfront restaurant among key projects to be discussed at DIA meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Downtown Jacksonville is at a crossroads, with historic buildings, corporate offices, and new dining spots all under discussion for potential redevelopment. <\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the Downtown Investment Authority (DIA) <\/a>is expected to explore the future of Snyder Memorial Church, EverBank\u2019s downtown operations, and a proposed waterfront restaurant \u2014 all projects that could shape the city\u2019s urban core for years to come.<\/p>\n

Historic Snyder Memorial Church could find new life<\/p>\n

Downtown Jacksonville may soon see a piece of its history restored and repurposed. <\/p>\n

Snyder Memorial Church, a Gothic-style building constructed in 1902 after the Great Fire of 1901, has been mostly vacant for decades. <\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the DIA is expected to review how the historic structure could be repurposed for modern use\u2014such as offices, restaurants, or event space\u2014while preserving its architectural character. No formal vote on selling or leasing the property is expected at this meeting. Instead, board members are exploring options and preparing for possible future actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Snyder Memorial Church is on the national register of historic places, and it\u2019s a locally landmarked structure of Jacksonville,\u201d said Dr. Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville History Center. \u201cIt fully deserves that recognition because it\u2019s one of the first significant buildings that was built after the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

The church sits on a prime corner near James Weldon Johnson Park and the Jacksonville Public Library. Its future could play a key role in downtown\u2019s ongoing revitalization. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a real significant capital investment by private capital and the adaptation of old buildings and structures in downtown Jacksonville,\u201d Bliss said. \u201cRedevelopment of the Snyder Memorial Church will help with reaccelerating the activation and animation of downtown\u2019s urban core.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED | Jacksonville takes a step toward reviving historic Snyder Memorial Church with extra $1 million in restoration funds<\/a><\/p>\n

The city has committed $4.5 million toward critical repairs, including the roof and foundation, making the building safe and attractive to developers. Possible uses include offices, restaurants, or event venues, aiming to blend Jacksonville\u2019s historic character with 21st-century growth.<\/p>\n

EverBank looks to stay downtown<\/p>\n

In other discussions, the DIA is considering a $9.8 million conditional office retention grant to keep EverBank\u2019s downtown operations. <\/p>\n

The incentive would preserve more than 800 full-time jobs and ensure the company maintains a presence in the Northbank office corridor. EverBank has also pledged at least $35 per rentable square foot in tenant improvements, while the building owner plans to invest $10 million in upgrades over the next three years.<\/p>\n

Exploring waterfront dining<\/p>\n

Downtown developers are also exploring new dining options along the riverfront. A proposed restaurant could bring fresh culinary offerings to the area, complementing the growing number of venues, parks, and attractions emerging in Jacksonville\u2019s urban core. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I have heard, they really want waterfront dining,\u201d said Collin Tarbert, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority. \u201cRight now, I think it\u2019s very limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balancing history and growth<\/p>\n

Bliss emphasized that adapting the historic church will require significant investment but could yield major economic benefits. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a historic church, it takes a significant amount of capital to adapt it and deploy some kind of use that will be sustainable,\u201d Dr. Bliss said. \u201cRehabilitating this building, putting it back in service, will yield economic value and enhance property value for blocks around.\u201d<\/p>\n

City officials say the discussion marks an early step in the ongoing effort to bring new life to downtown, with any future decisions on redevelopment or approvals expected in the coming months. <\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to watch the meeting at 1:30 pm.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Downtown Jacksonville is at a crossroads, with historic buildings, corporate offices, and new dining spots…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159763,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2318,5073,33223,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-159762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-downtown","tag-downtown-development","tag-downtown-investment-authority","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}