by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
One Jacksonville law firm has digs so new you can still smell the paint.
Milam Howard relocated from the Bank of America tower into the historic Knight Building at 14 E. Bay St. in August. Though they’ve been there for a few months, some finishing touches are still being made and the building has taken on a completely new look.
The firm’s lead attorney G. Alan Howard said the move was well worth the time and expense because the new location and design better reflects the firm’s attitude.
“We’re a relatively young firm,” said Howard, pointing out the oldest working attorney on the nine-person staff is 45 years old. “We wanted to create an atmosphere that reflected the firm’s personality and one where we feel comfortable working and serving our clients.”
Milam Howard is a business law firm established in 2000 by Howard and longtime Jacksonville attorney Arthur Milam. Their clients include Bank of America, Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville and CSX Transportation.
The Knight Building sits against the Dyal Upchurch Building which houses the Push 2 Gallery and On Ideas, an advertising and public relations agency. Built in 1903, it’s one of the oldest buildings in the city and, according to Howard, was first used as a knight crockery (housewares). Howard said the firm saw potential in the Knight Building, even though it looked much different before the renovations began.
Prior to the Howard Milam occupancy, numerous other law firms worked out of the Knight Building over the years. Its 1970s interior design was never updated. Pictures Howard had of the building prior to reconstruction resembled a tri-level suburban high school.
“We loved the building itself and the location,” said Howard. “Plus we believe in Downtown and we thought this (location) provided an attractive real estate opportunity.”
Howard said interior designer Maryanne Hewitt of Hewitt Interior Design Group brought the renovations together. She developed and refined the current contemporary look of the building.
“They told me that they were a young up-and-coming firm – not your typical cigar bar type law firm – and that they wanted a space to reflect that,” said Hewitt. “A lot of the features of the building from before were outdated and so there was a lot that had to be updated with the infrastructure.”
Some of the more noticeable changes are in the first-floor conference room. Also, the entrance hall was stripped of drywall to show a preserved brick-lined wall and the stairwell was repositioned to create more space.
“We wanted an open feel,” said Howard. “The old building had so much clutter with things like filing cabinets in walkways and poor lighting.”
New rooms were added to the building to accommodate file cabinets and skylights were installed. The old dingy pine, which trimmed everything from the door frames to the staircase banisters, has been replaced with polished oak. Virtually every appliance, as well as the elevators and doors, are now stainless steel, and the brown formica counter tops in the kitchen have been replaced with slick, speckled granite. As an added touch, the walls on all three floors are a mix of flat and glossy marble tile.
“The interesting thing is that you have this historic building which has strong roots in the community and then you bring in a firm like Milam Howard that wanted to contemporize it, but still keep its strong roots,” said Hewitt. “I believe Milam Howard has strong roots in Jacksonville, but is also very fresh and so the building’s design (now) reflects that.”
Construction began in November of 2005 and total time for remodeling took about 10 months. Although he’s not sure of the total expenses for the project because changes are sill being made, Howard said he’s pleased with the price they paid for the property and thinks the financial expenses will payoff.
“This was an opportunity to have a more attractive space on better financial terms for us as a firm,” said Howard.