by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
At 45,000 square feet it’s the second-largest residential restoration project in Jacksonville and with more than a century of previous use, it’s certainly the most historic.
The conversion of the Churchwell Building at the corner of Bay and Market streets into luxury condominiums is far enough along to begin to imagine what the finished product will look like, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Disney could not build anything just like this. Every unit is unique,” said developer Robert Pavelka, whose grandfather built the structure for his dry goods business in 1904.
There are more than 100 windows in the building and most are the same fixtures that were going up and down the day the building opened for business.
”We rebuilt all the windows and preserved as much of the original glass as we could. We want it to be historical but functional,” said Pavelka.
There is also plenty of brick that will be left exposed along with the four-story-tall support beams, many showing the marks left behind by freight and merchandise moving in and out of the building for decades.
Pavelka said while everything that can be restored will be, everything that’s new will be what he described as, “An edgy urban design with very clean lines. We’ll be installing granite counter tops and there will be lots of stainless steel and brushed nickel.”
If you’ve gone down Bay Street lately, you probably noticed some new construction on the roof. Pavelka said that’s for the master bedrooms and private terraces for the penthouse units as well as a terrace and summer kitchen for use by all the new residents.
The project has been a labor of love, said Pavelka, who added walking through the project has brought back many memories. He said it’s very rewarding to be able to give the building where he played as a child a new lease on life.
“It wasn’t so long ago people just wanted to tear down old buildings like this one, but now they’re able to appreciate the historic value,” he said. “If you want all brand-new, this is not for you.”