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Fave JAX skyscraper


ironchapman

  

32 members have voted

  1. 1. Fave JAX skyscraper

    • Bank of America Tower
      9
    • Modis Tower
      10
    • BellSouth Tower
      0
    • Riverplace Tower
      5
    • Jax Center
      1
    • One Prud. Plaza
      1
    • Two Prud. Plaza
      0
    • Wachovia Bank Tower
      0
    • Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building
      0
    • SunTrust Bank Building
      1
    • United States Courthouse
      2
    • Barnett National Bank Building
      1
    • 11 East Forsyth
      2


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Just curious.

I have tried this before elsewhere, so why not here?

What is you favorite Jax skyscraper?

Jacksonville has a very nice and unique skyline.

My vote goes for the Modis Tower.

Sorry, I forgot to include an "Other" option.

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This is a tough call for two divergent reasons. On one hand, I think most of Jax's skyscrapers are very asthetically pleasing, so it's hard to pick a favorite. On the other hand, most of them also have terrible interaction with the street, so they all tend to lose points there.

In the end, height matters. I'm going with BofA. I was tempted to vote for Modis, but I HATE what they did to the sidewalks fronting the building. It's nitpicking, but it matters to me. :)

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I wish there was two polls: one for buildings built before 1970 and one for buildings built after. I voted for the Barnett Building, because I think the look of it is great, and once redeveloped, its street presence will be great.

If I had to pick a favorite from the current generation, it would be the BOA tower, again for it's street presence. It seems that Independent Life just had to get two levels of parking under the building, so they rose the first floor off the ground, and destroyed the street interaction.

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The BOA is my favorite, because its the tallest, its a unique design for Jax, its lit well at night, and it has decent interaction with the street, surrounding its base.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you aware that that building was originally designed for a different city?

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All buildings in Jax are very nice,except some older ones showing too much brick ,I don't get look of old brick on any building.Compared to other cities in USA,Jax got very nice looking downtown,even small it is still looking very "futuristic"...Now if we get some life in downtown to experience that on pedestrian level would be nice...

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My pick is MODIS, ex-Independent Life. I remember when it was the tallest building in Florida with no equal; it appeared that it was the Empire State Building of Florida. You can say or argue that MODIS was Florida's first true skyscraper. Lakelander will correct me on this if I am wrong, but I believe when built, MODIS, along with Riverplace Tower were the number one and number two skyscrapers, "tall-wise," in the state. MODIS gives a foreboding and aggressive appearance though appealing when viewed from all angles away from downtown. Also, I love the way it looks at night with the spotlights shining on it, and when fog rolls in and enshrouds the top portion with a unique mystery.

FLORIDA SKYRISE ORDER

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Going from a slightly more sappy view... the Modis (former Independent Life) is the one for me. I can remember growing up in Jacksonville and watching the fireworks being shot from the top of the tower was a great sight to see from a boat in the river. Like ti or not, it is also an icon for the skyline and has been fro quite some time. If you walk around downtown enough, you will notice that all of the JEA metal cabinets are modeled after the shape of the building.

Second for me would be CSX - pre new crappy skin. Not nearly a favorite among people, hwever, it's design is quite nice. approach, drop-off and river front. Definitely a period piece.

The Riverplace tower is a nice tower with exposed structure and such. Forefront for it's time.

The BOA is a dime a dozen, as evidence by it being designed for another city. Not sure which.

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This is a tough call for two divergent reasons. On one hand, I think most of Jax's skyscrapers are very asthetically pleasing, so it's hard to pick a favorite. On the other hand, most of them also have terrible interaction with the street, so they all tend to lose points there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

^^ I agree. Tough call between BOA and Modis. Both of them, along with Riverplace Tower all are very striking at night. Bonus points to Modis, for being one of the best of it's era, IMO. But BOA is my pick because it's taller, more attractive interior, well lit and appears to be made of more expensive and attractive material on the exterior.

Jacksonville has one of the nicest skylines in the country IMO, it just needs more buildings.

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Riverplace Tower (Gulf Life dang it) is my vote. Very ahead of its time structurally. It's design had a lot of 'firsts" with respect to precast prestressed/post-tensioned concrete in buildings. Its a little goofy looking but that just adds to its charm...

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Merlin, what do you mean csx's new crappy skin, i like the new facade unless there is a quality issue that goes along with it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IMO the new skin does nothing for the building., it makes it stick out like a sore thumb on the skyline. Not to mention the fact that they only "upgraded" (covered up) the existing glass on the tower and didn't change out the glass elsewhere, so now there is this weird mix of green and dark glass. I don't know, I just don't like it - it makes the tower scaleless. The original facade at least had a definite order and understanding to it. The new facade verticals are too pronounced IMO opinion.

I also have a bias for this building like the Modis (i still keep wanting to call that the Independent Life). My family is a railroad family, all the way back to the days when it was seaboard coastline and atlantic coastline. My grandfather worked his whole life in the train yards as a yardmaster. He got my father his job with CSX 35 years ago. He also was able to get my mother job with CSX in that very building. I used to meet my mom for lunch downtown and go eat lunch in Woolworth's, among other places. So that building's original facade has a lot of character to me. Like I said in my post earlier, it is definitely a period piece.

Sorry for the little rant down memory lane. I just feel a lot of people in this city think newer is better, and IMO that is definitely not the case here and elsewhere in the city.

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Without a doubt my favorite building is the Independent Life building. I've photographed it so many times, from so many angles. It's the photo on my business card. B)

Beyond my bias, though, I think IL/Modis is a photogenic building. It's great for shooting pictures of fireworks. Plus, its design is unique and whenever you see a sketch of a skyline, you'll always know Jax by the IL building.

scary-Modis-web.jpg

Jan. 1, 2005

My second favorite is Southern Bell, especially when you look at it straight on from Bay Street, right under the Skyway rail. It's the prettiest building at night.

Photo show plug mixed with biggest compliment ever: At a recent ArtWalk, I met the daughter of one of the designers of the IL and SB buildings. She told me I photographed the buildings the way her father wanted them to be seen. :D (If you're interested, look in the windows at 229 N. Hogan St.)

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Awesome photo newzgrrl! I like the way the Modis glass seems to change its tint with the sunlight (or lack thereof). Most glass towers don't seem to do that as much. I guess it's the tinting the glass was manufactured with or something.

Any more photos to share newsgrrl?

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i think that the Modis Building is a great skyscraper (30 stories, is that really a skyscraper?)... but i would also like to include another building>> the FDLE building ... 1000 Riverside Ave... one of the few buildings on Taylor Hardwicks website that doesn't say "mutilated" or "gone forever". with its dramatic concrete overhang and the patterning or the windows>> i think it is a great example of Jax's Modern past! or how about the old Charter Building (now JEA) which used to have the rotating restaurant at the top? BOA... um, no. Maybe the best is yet come (in the words of the great Tony Bennet!)???

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Generally, any building over 12/13 stories is considered a skyscraper. Some buildings maybe tossed in even if they fall a story or two short, though. The Flatiron in NYC is 11 or 12 stories, but it is considered the first famous skyscraper.

The Modis is a nice looking building, even if it isn't as tall as some cities best ones.

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