by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
A Denver architecture firm has the inside track to buy and develop one of the last City-owned parcels of LaVilla land.
The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission will enter into negotiations with Bertram Bruton, principal of BAB Associates. The City selected Bruton over three competing proposals for developing a two-story building at 324 N. Monroe Street.
Al Battle, the managing director of the Downtown Development Authority, said Bruton offered a competitive price for the building and an adjacent parking lot and planned to develop in line with the City’s master plan for the area. The old United Optical building sits across Broad Street from the new Duval County Courthouse site.
Bruton has offered $158,000 for the building and 9,425 square feet of land. The final price will be negotiated, but Battle said Bruton’s offer already exceeds the land’s appraised value.
Bruton said he won’t seek City help for development estimated to cost more than $900,000. Bruton expects to spend about $250,000 to renovate the building and another $500,000 to add on a third floor.
Those numbers could change once Bruton gets a closer look. He said he saw the property for the first time last month. Depending on the condition of the building, Bruton said he could ask for money from the Downtown Historical Preservation Trust Fund or scale back his development plans. He said plans for the third story would depend on cost.
“If it’s cost effective, we’ll do it,” he said. “But it’s still something we’re thinking about. It will depend on the condition of the building and the availability of funds.”
If development follows the current design, Bruton would build more than 8,000 square feet of office space. He would expand the first two floors by about 1,300 square feet each. The new third floor would hold about 3,000 square feet of leasable space. The building would feature a landscaped deck on the roof. The historical facade would be maintained.
The project would represent a homecoming of sorts for Bruton. The Jacksonville native has designed and developed several high-profile projects in Denver, since establishing his firm there in 1961. BAB Associates has worked on the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building in Denver and designed parts of the city’s international airport.
Since opening a Jacksonville office two years ago, Bruton has designed additions to several area churches, but the Broad Street project would be his first foray into downtown development.
Although the recent trend downtown has been to build residential, Bruton said the building’s proximity to the courthouse made office development a natural.
“It’s a very desirable location that lends itself to an office application. With the new courthouse there’s going to be a definite need for office space to accommodate attorneys and other professionals who do business with the courts,” said Bruton.
Bruton said he’s keeping an eye on the continuing debate over the courthouse’s budget, but said he’s confident it will open in time to keep his project viable. The most recent projection had the courthouse scheduled for a late 2007 opening.