JEA is reviewing a service availability request for a 192-seat brewery and restaurant in the historic Central Fire Station building at 39 E. Adams St. Downtown.
The two-story, 4,860-square-foot property is on 0.12 acre at northwest Adams and Ocean streets. It was built in 1903, according to Duval County Property Appraiser records.
Civil engineer Connelly & Wicker Inc. is the applicant.
Iconic Real Estate Investments, led by Farley Grainger and Paul Grainger, bought the property in 2019 for $700,000. The Graingers declined comment.
A JEA availability request indicates that a company is exploring a project but does not mean a deal is in negotiation.
In December 2020, Brooke Robbins of Robbins Design Studio applied for conceptual approval from the Downtown Development Review Board for adaptive reuse.
At that time, plans called for a first-floor restaurant and second-floor office space.
That request explained the scope of work and included complete core and shell exterior building repairs and code compliance upgrades, including a new roof, exterior facade repairs, door and window replacement, ADA compliance, egress upgrades, utility connections and a new streetscape to meet existing city standards.
Developers wanted to replace the roll-up and personnel doors. The city Planning and Development Department and the Jacksonville Historical Society voiced concerns about preserving doors and windows.
The fire station was one of the first structures built after the 1901 fire that destroyed Downtown.
The structure served as Downtown’s main firefighting center for almost 90 years until it was closed in the 1980s and the functions moved to North Liberty Street.
In 1998, the upstairs was converted into a residence with plans for commercial and office space on the ground floor.