{"id":281391,"date":"2026-05-22T22:13:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281391\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T22:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T22:13:11","slug":"gateway-jax-installing-fountain-at-porter-house-garden-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281391\/","title":{"rendered":"Gateway Jax installing fountain at Porter House Garden Downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gateway Jax is preparing to install an entryway fountain at the Porter House in its Pearl Square district Downtown.<\/p>\n

The city is reviewing a permit for Aquatica Pools & Spas LLC of North Charleston, South Carolina, to construct the fountain at an estimated project cost of $332,500.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville-based Gateway Jax says the fountain is within Porter House Garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The permit specifies the Porter House Mansion is at 515 N. Pearl St., within Gateway\u2019s Block N11 that is bounded clockwise by Ashley, Julia, Church and Pearl streets.<\/p>\n

Porter House Mansion is on the east side of the block, with Gateway Jax\u2019s 205-unit Vandeveer apartment building under construction on the west side.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A rendering of the Pearl Square development in Downtown Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

Gateway Jax<\/p>\n

Eric Shullman, Gateway Jax senior vice president, said May 22 by email that the Porter House Garden, which includes the fountain, is under construction as part of the Vandeveer project.<\/p>\n

He said Vandeveer will open in late summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fountain is designed to be a welcoming gateway into the Pearl Square neighborhood and an iconic piece of daily life in the district \u2014 a meeting point to gather with friends before dinner, a place for parents to sit and linger beneath the sounds of the water while children play in the adjacent park, or just a serene, shaded moment on a morning stroll for coffee,\u201d Shullman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPorter House Garden and the fountain are just some of the many details big and small that we have woven into Pearl Square to create a walkable, amenitized neighborhood in downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n

That name refers to Thomas Vandeveer Porter, whose historic Porter House Mansion east of the building is part of Gateway Jax\u2019s $750 million-plus Pearl Square district.<\/p>\n

\"Part<\/p>\n

Part of the Block N project is behind the Porter House Mansion.<\/p>\n

Photo by Monty Zickuhr<\/p>\n

The Porter House Mansion, built in 1902, is owned by JWB Real Estate Capital, an ownership partner in Gateway Jax.<\/p>\n

JWB Real Estate Capital, led by President Alex Sifakis, paid $2.6 million in August 2020 for the three-story, almost 16,000-square-foot historic structure.<\/p>\n

Vandeveer was Gateway Jax\u2019s first project to start construction, with groundbreaking in October 2024. Jacksonville-based FaverGray is the general contractor, with civil engineering provided by Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city issued a construction permit in October 2024 for Block N11 to include a seven-story building comprising 205 apartment units and 24,086 square feet of retail, commercial and storage space.<\/p>\n

Retail leasing is led by Colliers\u2019 Urban Division, and the new proposed parks are designed by Hoerr Schaudt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

DLP Capital and JWB\u2019s Downtown Fund are the primary investors.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The $45 million Block N11 building at 515 N. Pearl St. was the first Gateway Jax project to break ground. The seven-story building, shown Sept. 15, will comprise 205 apartment units with retail, commercial and storage space.<\/p>\n

Photo by Ric Anderson<\/p>\n

Jacksonville City Council approved a $9.06 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and a $4.63 million completion grant for Block N11 in 2024. A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement.<\/p>\n

The city of Jacksonville issued a permit Sept. 30, 2025, for modifications for parks north and south of the Porter House Mansion. FaverGray is the contractor for the $2.43 million parks project at 510 N. Julia St.<\/p>\n

The work involves exterior site work, renovations to the north parking lot and to the south lawn, and the fountain addition.<\/p>\n

There also are exterior egress modifications to the building facade along with exterior building lighting.<\/p>\n

Plans show the South Porter Park at Julia and Church streets and the North Porter Park at Julia and Ashley streets.<\/p>\n

Robbins Design Studio of Jacksonville is the architect.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A schematic of modifications for parks north and south of the Porter Mansion in Pearl Square, the Gateway Jax redevelopment district Downtown.<\/p>\n

In February 2022, Council awarded $669,581 in taxpayer forgivable and deferred loans to JWB Real Estate Capital to renovate the Porter House Mansion.<\/p>\n

Sifakis said the original architect was Henry John Klutho, who helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville after the Great Fire of 1901 destroyed Downtown.<\/p>\n

Council designated the Porter House Mansion, known as the Thomas V. Porter Residence, as a local landmark. A Jacksonville Planning and Development Department report called it \u201cthe last grand home in Jacksonville\u2019s Downtown\u201d that is a \u201csignificant visual reminder of the city\u2019s historical and architectural heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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