"Riverpointe" now "St. John"

[Captain Obvious]

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._20402483.shtml

Key points from the article ...

- Now named the "St. John"

- 43 story

- all glass, wrap-around balconies

- 7 floors of parking, but condos start on third floor

- construction begins middle of 2006, finishes in 2008

- 261 units

- $380,000 - $1.3 million

------------------------------------------------

There are actually several things about this proposal that I dislike compared to the old designs. (It's definitely exactly what I expected out of Arqutectonica.) But I don't think I have much cause to complain ... I'm just glad to see that it's going to happen. Everything seems rather solid overall, and I'm sure it will be a great addition to downtown.

[up+down=midtown]

(It's definitely exactly what I expected out of Arqutectonica.) ..

whats with all the hate towards arquitectonica,although i dislike this building most of there designs are A+,and we shouldn't judge just yet we should wait to see atleast a few renderings more..

and the first thing you jax guys are going to say is, oh well its not our style of buildings its way to miami for us.........sorry but what is your style of buildings,I'm sorry but i've never heard of the jax style of architecture..when you guys show me it then i will shut up....until now be happy it wasn't designed by someone else...who would of made it look like a commieblock.

[Captain Obvious]

What hate towards Arquitectonica? I just said it looks exactly like something they would design. And I'm 100% correct. The St. John is very clearly and distictively a typical Arquitectonica design.

[up+down=midtown]

nope not actually,i've never seen an arquitectonica design similar to this....its a bit more cylindrical then they're usual work.and they prefer using blue or green glass...not ultra clear glass.

[Captain Obvious]

I almost forgot, there's a website. However, there's only an info request form right now. www.thestjohnjax.com

updownmidtown ...

The St John will not have ultra-clear glass. The article says it will be tinted, like their other designs. Also, Arquitectonica does do cylindrical designs. Check their webpage.

[Dale]

500' maybe ?

[rav4guy]

The article also mentions that the developer is willing to tack on an extra 5 to 6 stories to this design if demand exceeds 43 floors. This gives St. John the possibility of tallest building in jax.

Also, you have to appreciate the fact that the buildings going up are getting progressively better with each new project. I mean, Berkman and San Marco are both hideous, architectural black holes. The Strand and Penninsula have slightly better design cues, but are still subpar at best. But the St. John is the first project to look like it actually belongs in a downtown area, as opposed to a beachside condo (insert Haydon Burns replacement here). Most importantly, Architectonica is a company that has international name recognition, which is more than can be said for anything else being slapped together downtown (with the exception of AM Stern and Jaume Plensa).

I mean, ask someone in a major market (like Chicago or New York) who Rink, Reynolds, Diamond, Fisher and Wilson are. Or, for that matter, ask about Klutho.

Blank stares.

[vicupstate]

To me the rendering looks blurry. The building also appears to 'lean'. I want to see more renderings before passing judgement, but I'm definitely not 'blown away" so far. I disagree that this doesn't look it belongs at the beach. A Jacksonville high rise should look different than a Miami high rise, and this one doesn't.

I would like to see a rendering with the Aetna building included.

[bobliocatt]

The building looks fine to me. Its not the best out there, but its definately not the worst. Plus having an all glass condo building is relatively a new concept for Jacksonville. While its not the "signature" design I was hoping for, its tall, its urban, and they're not asking for incentives, so I'll take it.

[cheeriokid61]

Personally, I like it a lot. It's a very nice looking building, whether or not it looks like other Arquitectonica buildings.

[DavePaulk]

What happened to the "iconic" top it was supposed to have? My main concern is not with the tower portion, but the lower block. That part makes my stomach turn.

[Dale]

I much prefer it to the original, which had only its height going for it.

[simms3]

IMO this is A+ architecture and totally fits in, the only problem is its proximity to the railroad tracks...who wants to live literally right above the horn of a train? However, this is awesome!! I like it much better than the originals (which totally fit in with the whole Dubai boom), and I agree with updownmidtown in that it seems uncommon for Architectonica to design a cylindrical building.

[Dale]

Well, the folks on the 43rd floor won't hear the train.

[Viper]

You wanted the Aetna building with it? You got it.

PS: The Aetna is 300'.

[vladittude0583]

I checked out some of Miami's residential projects along the same lines as this hovering around 43 - 50 floors. The Miami projects @ 43 floors are listed somewhere around the neighborhood of about 515 - 530 feet. The Modis is approximately 535 ft. I believe give or take a few feet from that figure. The Miami projects listing around 50 floors (assuming the builder will add the additional 5 or 6 floors if demand is high enough), will put the project around 570 - 590 ft. If so, this should put The St. John close to the height of the BoA tower which should make it the 2nd tallest tower in DT Jax.

[up+down=midtown]

I almost forgot, there's a website. However, there's only an info request form right now. www.thestjohnjax.com

updownmidtown ...

The St John will not have ultra-clear glass. The article says it will be tinted, like their other designs. Also, Arquitectonica does do cylindrical designs. Check their webpage.

trust me i know arquitectonica,if anyone can notice an arquitectonica design its me,and yes they have done cylindrical before(opus, and american airlines arena) but about 90%of there buildings are boxy and have the tropical miami look to them.......although i must say after closer inspection this building looks like a pina colada.

like i said before I want to wait to see the building from another angle before passing judgement and hopefully they clean up the facade a bit and make it less busy and avoid have a visual mess with all the balconies....and maybe fix the massing a bit,and the top could use some work and that garage needs some better landscaping and they need rework it because the garage just looks plain ugly.

[RiversideGator]

(It's definitely exactly what I expected out of Arqutectonica.) ..

whats with all the hate towards arquitectonica,although i dislike this building most of there designs are A+,and we shouldn't judge just yet we should wait to see atleast a few renderings more..

and the first thing you jax guys are going to say is, oh well its not our style of buildings its way to miami for us.........sorry but what is your style of buildings,I'm sorry but i've never heard of the jax style of architecture..when you guys show me it then i will shut up....until now be happy it wasn't designed by someone else...who would of made it look like a commieblock.

There is no unique "Jacksonville style of architecture", but our style is certainly not the same as Miami's. We are not tropical and we are more traditional. This structure looks out of place among the more conservative structures in downtown Jacksonville, in my opinion. It is also not the iconic design which was stated before by the developer. The building is ok, but I dont like the color or the crown, which reminds me of a certain part of the female, canine anatomy. Anyway, I do like the height and the fact that it appears likely to be built. I can live with it, but it could be so much better.

[Urban_Legend]

I agree, it looks very "Miami". I wasn't expecting stark white, and it doesn't seem to blend well with the Aetna tower. But, like others, I'm holding my judgement and opinions until I see some more. Hey, it's a tower, and hopefull it will have a twin!

I wonder what the base will be like, along the river. A waterfront restaurant would be nice...

[Captain Obvious]

Remember, the article did say there would be tinted glass ... so the rendering is probably much more "clear" than the real thing.

Also, I don't think they will have anything at the base, and I sort of understand. This structure is wedged next to railroad tracks and an existing private office building, with the only major public access an unconfirmed riverwalk extension under the tracks. Nevermind that it's in the shadow of the Acosta bridge. So I can forgive the developer for not trying retail.

[wolfdawg54]

The St. John will be a decent building on the Southbank. It is something that we need to grow and develop in the downtown area. I am excited to see the new renderings and that they are making progress and not simply giving up on the idea.

[bobliocatt]

I don't think the building looks "Miami". Instead, it looks like a typical example of a contemporary residential highrise, normally reserved for larger cosmopolitan cities, like NYC, Chicago, San Diego and San Fransico. Maybe some of you are associating it, as a Miami style, because the firm is based out of that city and its the closet metro to Jax, that could be considered cosmopolitan.

Now that its had a couple of days to marinate in my head, I actually like it. I'm happy to see that we're finally getting diverse styles of architecture on many of our newer projects. This shows that we're finally progressing into a diverse metro that is more accepting of new things and ideas.

As for retail, I agree with Captain O. Given the site and location, retail would shrivel up and die, if built as a part of this initial phase I project. Instead, maybe the developer will place some community amenities on the first floor, such as the fitness center or lounge, to provide an interesting backdrop to the riverwalk.

[bobliocatt]

After re-reading the article, it looks like a winner and could possibly be "Iconic"

Key points from article:

1. Could possibly be increased to 49 stories, which would put it close to being the tallest in town.

2. All residential units have floor-to-ceiling tinted glass exterior walls and clear glass balconies.

3. glass balconies will be staggered around the cylinderical tower. (I believe this will be downtown's first cylinderical tower).

4. Although there's no retail, the first floor will house a "top flight" health club.

5. Construction starts Spring 2006.

6. No incentives will be necessary.

7. Riverwalk will be extended by developer. (this is a part of the development agreement with the city).

I don't think the rendering does the building justice. But a riverfront 500-600ft "all-glass" cylinderical residential tower, is certainly unique to the entire south, outside of Miami, especially in the Jax region. This definately fits the bill as "Iconic".

[Dale]

I agree, Lake. I think it could be spectacular...especially at 49 stories...which would likely put it at 550' or more.

[bobliocatt]

If anyone is near a radio, this project is the main topic of Andy Johnson's radio show today. Many callers don't think Jax is a place for highrise condo projects and don't think this tower will be built without incentives from the city.

Here's a link:

http://www.wymm1530.com/listen.html