EverBank now faces north Downtown.
The name of the Jacksonville-based financial services company now tops the north side of the 30-floor building known as EverBank Center at 301 W. Bay St.
Next up is the south face. Work is expected to start at the end of next week and could take a month, depending on factors such as the weather.
EverBank leased 270,000 square feet of office space in the tower to accommodate 1,600 employees. In doing so, it landed signage rights.
The EverBank name now dots the riverfront Downtown, from its headquarters at 501 Riverside Ave. near Downtown on the west to EverBank Field on the east. EverBank Center is in the middle.
To attach the name to the tower, contractors first put on the background panels and then hoist the letters piece by piece from a staging area near the ground.
The building formerly was the AT&T Tower.
Brown Enterprises is the contractor for the signs. The building permit showed a job cost of $586,000.
The Daily Record reported in January that construction for EverBank was beginning in the tower.
The City had approved seven building permits for Auld & White Constructors LLC to start cosmetic renovations to restrooms and other areas on seven floors of the building.
Auld & White Constructors LLC formally announced in January that it was selected by building owner El Ad Florida LLC for the $8.5 million build-out of nine floors at the AT&T Tower for EverBank.
It said the project was on a five-month, fast-track schedule.
Jacksonville-based Auld & White also handled a second project at the same time — the building improvements to common areas, including elevator lobbies and restrooms.
EverBank announced in December that it would relocate 1,500 employees from the Southside into the Downtown tower. It also intended to add more employees.
EverBank will maintain its headquarters along Riverside Avenue.
The City and state agreed to offer EverBank $5.15 million in incentives to move jobs from the suburbs into Downtown and create 200 more jobs.
The employees began moving to the center in June and completed the move earlier this month.
In June, City Council approved two incentives deals. One of those gives EverBank $2.75 million to offset the moving costs. EverBank said it would spend $26.5 million to move and improve the space.
More dining notes
• We reported that KFC will remodel its Oldfield Crossing Drive location. It also intends to remodel its Westside restaurant at 1007 Lane Ave. S. That job also is shown as a $100,000 project.
• The King Wok Chinese restaurant is shown as the tenant for remodeled space in Dames Pointe Plaza. The Arlington center is a Publix-anchored property at 7001 Merrill Road. Diversified Design Construction is the contractor for the $85,000 King Wok project.
Council approves Deutsche Bank deal
City Council voted 14-1, with Council member Clay Yarborough in opposition, to authorize incentives for Deutsche Bank to create 260 jobs and expand at its Southside office operation.
Deutsche Bank created its Jacksonville operations center in 2008 at the Meridian Office Park. It employs 1,000 people and occupies 125,000 square feet.
Jerry Mallot, president of the JAXUSA Partnership economic development division of the JAX Chamber, said in July that Jacksonville is in competition with North Carolina and New York for the expansion and jobs and that City approval of the incentives by the end of August would be ideal.
The agreement was made between the City and DB Services New Jersey Inc., DB Services Americas Inc. and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., which are American subsidiaries of Deutsche Bank of Germany.
The legislation involves a $145,000 grant, based on new ad valorem taxes on leasehold improvements and tangible personal property from the expansion.
It also commits to $260,000 from the City for its part of a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund. The City pays 20 percent and the state pays the remaining 80 percent, or $1.04 million.
Deutsche Bank also would make a $10 million capital investment to accommodate the new jobs in technology, front-office and finance functions, according to a news release. The jobs would need to be created by Dec. 31, 2016.
The legislation was amended to say that for the purposes of calculating new job creation, the hiring of a current employee of Deutsche Bank or an affiliate company in Jacksonville does not count toward the job-creation target.
The Daily Record reported in July that Deutsche Bank also is negotiating with the state for a $364,000 state workforce development grant and $140,000 from the state Quick Action Closing Fund.
The total City and state incentives package totals $1.95 million.
Meanwhile, the City is reviewing renovation plans for the financial services company’s proposed expansion.
Those plans call for interior renovations of 29,565 square feet of office space in Building 500 at 5022 Gate Parkway, where Deutsche Bank operates among several buildings.
The plan-review application shows renovations of office space and minor exterior improvements for the building.
Turner Construction Co. is listed as the contractor. The construction project cost is shown as almost $3 million.
In June 2008, Council approved more than $880,000 in incentives for the bank to choose Jacksonville for the center.
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