The Barnett (originally known as the Barnett National Bank Building) is a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

in the downtown area of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, at the southwest corner of Adams and Laura streets.

History

The building was erected in 1926 and was Jacksonville's tallest building at the time, surpassing the Heard National Bank Building. It was designed by architecture firm Mowbray & Uffinger for

Barnett Bank Barnett Bank was an American bank based in Florida. Founded in 1877, it eventually became the largest commercial bank in Florida with over 600 offices and $41.2 billion in deposits. Barnett was purchased by NationsBank in 1997.Ginzl, David: "T ...

. It remained Jacksonville's tallest building until the construction of the building now known as the Aetna Building in 1954. By the late 1990s it had fallen to disrepair; plans to restore and redevelop the building were proposed throughout the 2000s, but ultimately fell through. A local group led by developer Steve Atkins purchased the property, along with the Laura Street Trio, with the help of a loan from Stache Investments. On May 22, 2015, Stache Investments filed a complaint to foreclose on the building, claiming it is owed almost $3.77 million as of December 5, 2014. Atkins' group, SouthEast Group, was able to reacquire the building with the help of Las Vegas-based The Molasky Group. The group has restored the building, aided by KBJ Architects. It is now home to the

University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sch ...

Center for Entrepreneurship, commercial offices, 107 apartment units, Vagabond Coffee, and a Chase Bank branch location. File:BNBBJAX.jpg, View from a nearby building in 1947 File:Jax FL Barnett Natl Bank Bldg01.jpg, Side view in 2011

References

Office buildings completed in 1926 Skyscraper office buildings in Jacksonville, Florida Chicago school architecture in Florida Northbank, Jacksonville Architecture in Jacksonville, Florida Laura Street 1926 establishments in Florida {{Florida-struct-stub

History

See also

References