Piles of metal, concrete and wood were all that remained at 221 N. First St. in Jacksonville Beach on March 11 as demolition crews cleared the land for a mixed-use development.
Demolition is scheduled to be completed by March 20 and construction will begin this summer.
The building previously housed the Perkins Hotel and Bathhouse and Bukkets Grill & Bar. 221 Surfside Holdings will redevelop the property into a boutique hotel with restaurant, retail and office space.
More plans for the hotel, including the name, will be announced in the spring. The redeveloped site is slated to open in late 2021.
The property is north of the Seawalk Pavilion and along the former boardwalk. A news release said the property “aims to anchor Jacksonville Beach’s central business district and be a destination for tourists, as well as an exciting community hub for locals.”
The ground floor of the 221 Surfside building will include 3,000 square feet of restaurant space, two retail spaces totaling 3,000 square feet, 8,000 square feet of office space and 6,000 square feet of coworking space. The hotel will be on the second floor.
221 Surfside Holdings is owned by SkyEnterprises, a Neptune Beach-based trading and investment company. Gainesville-based Level Architecture + Interiors is the architect. The Color Black Group, the proprietor of Atlantic Beach’s Hotel Palms, will be responsible for the design of the hotel.
The hotel will host community, corporate and social events, including retreats, family reunions, birthday parties and weddings.
“This location has so much to offer and we look forward to incorporating Jacksonville Beach’s history into our concept, while catering to the interests of today’s traveler, who seeks to be inspired,” said Greg Schwartzenberger, partner at The Color Black Group, in the release.
