by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Putting together the final pieces for a rehabilitated Dyal-Upchurch building is so close that Gary Husk can almost taste it. Especially the part about the new restaurant.
“It’s going to be pretty upscale,” said Husk, whose company bought the building about five years ago. “It won’t be a low-end sandwich shop, I’ll tell you.
“We could have done that a thousand times by now.”
A letter of intent for a restaurant had been signed last year when one of the major financial investors died. Husk feels he is “very close” to another letter of intent through another group of investors.
“I’m close to having a commitment on that,” he said. “But if people want to call me in case that doesn’t go through, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings.
“I’ve turned so many things away, and here it is, the bottom of the ninth, and I’m back to the plate again.”
The right side of the entrance to the building at 6 E. Bay St. will be the lobby and reception area for Husk, Jennings, Galloway & Robinson. It will also have a large board room and conference area that the other tenants can use. Two overlapping poured concrete walls will frame the conference area.
On the left side will be 4,200 square feet for the restaurant.
“I’ve never been part of the build-out of a restaurant before,” said Husk. “What I understand, that can be a rather lengthy process.
“There is kind of a sense of urgency now because we don’t think it’s going to be open by the (Christmas) holidays. If we’re going to do it now, we at least need to get it open early January so we can work the kinks out for Super Bowl week.”
For all practical purposes, three of the six floors are complete.
The sixth floor, the top one, houses the offices of Husk, Jennings, Galloway and Robinson.
The law firm of Edwards & Cohen moved into the fifth floor last November.
The third floor is the only one that will have multiple tenants, and the final touches may be applied by the end of the week. Those tenants are Securities Research, Southeast Legal Copying and expansion space for Husk, Jennings.
An all-service art gallery is planned for the second floor, which has been totally demolished.
“It’s a really cool art gallery,” said Husk. “They’re going through the process with the DDA and the JEDC to get some financial assistance through the Bay Street Town Center funding.
“If they’re successful with that, they’ve already signed a letter of intent to build out the second floor.”
There will be more than fine arts on display at the gallery, to be called Push 2.
A museum-quality store will sell “affordable fine art items,” said Husk. “Instead of going to the mall, people can come to the art gallery and get really cool gifts.”
A third aspect, Bay Street Fine Art Marketing, will show and sell artists’ work in the gallery. It also will put together a total marketing package for the artists who are represented, “from advertising to planning and producing limited edition prints to Internet distribution,” Husk said.
The gallery will be operated by local artist Steve Williams and local photographer Gary McElwee.
That leaves only the fourth floor, which has been totally gutted. For now, only the restrooms will be completed before the 7,200 square feet are marketed to a single tenant.
“When I get the lobby done, then I can bring potential tenants to the fourth floor,” said Husk. “We’ll build to suit. When the lobby’s finished and looks impressive, that’s when I’ll start aggressively marketing that space.”
Husk appreciates the City understanding the importance of preserving downtown’s older buildings.
“The easiest and cheapest thing to do is move to the suburbs and build a new building,” he said. “I think the City and City Council have been very forward thinking in providing funding mechanisms for potential tenants as well as establishing the Historic Trust Fund to rehabilitate old buildings.
“Rehabilitating an old building is not an easy task. Any assistance you can get along the way is desperately needed.”
Husk also appreciates that a lot of downtown improvements, including his own, are being spurred to completion by the Super Bowl. But the benefits should roll on into the future.
“For 10 years, we’ve been anticipating the Super Bowl,” he said. “But, like a friend of mine pointed out, the Super Bowl is 60 minutes.
“I’m more excited about Jacksonville having a chance to participate in the BCS. That’s is something that’ll be here every year, and that is a really big deal.”