by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The black dust screen is gone and now passersby have a better idea of what the Haverty’s Building will look like when it’s done in October.
The almost 100-year-old building was acquired by the Police and Fire Pension Fund in September of 2006 from the City through a complicated deal that included previous owner Phillip Browning, the principal owner of Atlanta-based Striton Properties, and the Kuhn Cos. The legal battle over the building was ultimately decided at the district court of appeals level. When all of the dust settled, the Pension Fund got the building in exchange for a $3 million reduction on the unfunded liability the City owes the Pension Fund.
Today, the dust isn’t quite settled on the project, but it’s getting close. Danis project manager Morris Adkins said the project is on track to be done by October, the original completion date. Adkins said the building is being finished from the top down and there is very little major construction left. Each of the building’s six floors has about 60,000 square feet of usable space. Who will use it is the question.
Originally, the City — which will lease the building for several years before buying it — planned to house the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and the Planning & Development Department in the former furniture store that is undergoing its third renovation since the 1930s. However, a firm decision has not been made.
“Public Works is currently doing an overall space evaluation,” said mayoral spokesperson Misty Skipper, explaining the City has offices spread out all over Downtown including the Florida Theatre and the old Armory on State Street. “They will figure out what departments to group together for the building.”
Adkins said he has about 40 people working on the building each day and the number peaked at 70 earlier this year.
“We have been here as early as 7 a.m. to pour concrete,” said Adkins, who works out of a small office on the second floor which is also the only air-conditioned room in the building.
Adkins said there haven’t been any major surprises, just some of the typical things that come with an older building.
“The biggest challenge is the site is so tight it created logistics problems,” said Adkins, explaining the surrounding streets had to be closed for a while at times to allow for major deliveries.
Danis isn’t finishing the building completely, either. That will be up to the occupant. Skipper said the build-out factor will play a role in which City departments move into the building.
“It appears with the construction figured into the process, it will take more time,” she said. “We will have a concrete answer in a couple of months.”
Pension Fund Administrator John Keane said he’s happy with the progress to date.
“As with any old building, there are a lot of surprises in it,” he said. “We found out many of the old drawings from the renovations from the ‘30s and ‘40s are not exactly accurate. We worked our way through that and we are very happy with the way the building looks. We are very happy with the project and we think things will work out just fine.”
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