Some of Downtown's secrets remain hidden until progress takes hold, like the staircase uncovered in a historic building along Forsyth Street.
Located inside 121 Atlantic Place, the staircase was hidden for decades until a new tenant in the building, Workscapes Inc., began building out space on the ground floor for an office furnishings showroom.
"We don't know the original use of the staircase," said Bob Retherford, Cushman & Wakefield senior director of business brokerage.
He said the stairs could have been an outside entry to the former Atlantic National Bank and may have been hidden behind the wall when the building was expanded in the 1930s.
"It's an oddity," he said.
Gary Sass, president of Adlib Luxury Tours and one of the guides for the weekly "Downtown Top to Bottom" walking tour, said it's likely the stairs were a main entrance to the bank.
Since the staircase is part of a construction site and will be covered up again before the showroom opens, the "stairway to nowhere" won't become part of the tour, he said.
The architectural artifact will add to his collection of stories about Downtown's history, however.
"When new historic aspects of Downtown are discovered, it adds to the value of heritage tourism Downtown. Finds like this can generate a lot of interest," said Sass.
(904) 356-2466
Facebook.com: Jax Daily Record