Signs point to Chase at Barnett building

If JPMorgan Chase & Co. decides to put its name on top of the Barnett National Bank building Downtown, the sign manufacturer wants to be prepared.

A project manager with Philadelphia Sign sent renderings of potential signage to a city sign plans examiner to ask for advice about what would be allowed. 

The email was forwarded to Downtown Investment Authority Redevelopment Coordinator James Klement.

“What steps would Chase need to take in order to get this approved?” asked project manager Tom McKenna. Philadelphia Sign is based in Palmyra, New Jersey.

The building at 112 W. Adams St. is part of an estimated $90 million renovation by SouthEast Development Group and The Molasky Group of Cos. that includes the redevelopment of the Laura Street Trio and a new parking garage. 

Chase has been considered, but not confirmed, as a tenant.

The renderings, which were shared with Klement at DIA, show JPMorgan Chase & Co. as the ground-floor tenant and the Chase sign also is featured at the top of the 18-story structure.

Steve Atkins, principal and managing director of SouthEast Development Group, did not respond to calls for comment.

Chase spokesman Michael Fusco said the New York-based bank did not want to comment on lease negotiations or the signage, saying discussions were ongoing. 

Calls to Klement and McKenna were not returned. 

Typically, for any signage to be approved in the Downtown Community Redevelopment Area, the Downtown Development Review Board would need to sign off on both the conceptual and final designs.

Among other details, the DDRB staff would need to determine if the signs are compatible with the surrounding architecture; that the signs are properly proportioned for the building; that they appropriately reflect the business they represent; and that the signs are consistent with all design objectives of the DIA’s Business Investment and Development plan. 

The renderings show Chase Bank’s trademark white lettering and blue octagon logo spread across a dark gray, 7-foot-tall sign at the top of the building. 

Along with the rooftop identification, three variations of street-level signage are included in the packet of renderings. 

The first design is a 30-inch gold “Chase” letterset with white backlighting centered above both the Laura and Adams street entrances. 

Another vertical sign could hang from the corner of the building, featuring gold Chase lettering and the octagon logo on a black background. Additionally, a blue Chase octagon logo can be seen in the windows above both entrances.  

The second design is similar, but with what looks like a darker metal letterset above both entrances. The same corner signage and blue logos in the windows remain. 

The final variation is another dark Chase letterset with a blue octagon logo, both above the two entrances.

The design shows a blue Chase octagon logo on the corner as opposed to the black and gold Chase lettering sign featured in the other renderings.

In all three options, black wall plaques with gold Chase logos flank the sides of each entrance of the building. 

Another rendering shows a proposed floor plan of the Chase space, including a 5,987-square-foot ground-floor space with a layout similar to a bank branch office, and a 3,871-square-foot mezzanine floor. 

Renderings show that walking into the bank through the Laura Street entrance, customers would see three Chase banking terminals. 

The rest of the ground floor shows a customer lounge, a conference room, bathrooms, an employee lounge, a print and data center, a teller counter, a larger office and cash room. 

The open mezzanine floor, roughly 10 feet above the ground floor, shows four offices at the northeast corner of the building along with a customer lounge. 

Another office space along the southeast corner of the floor can be seen next to a ramp and staircase. 

The floor plan shows a separate entrance to the left of the main West Adams Street entry for the building’s other proposed tenants. 

Atkins announced in October that interior construction had begun. Danis Builders LLC is the general contractor. 

The project includes renovations of the Laura Street Trio and construction of a 550-space parking garage on West Forsyth Street. Work on both will begin in 2018. 

When completed, the former Barnett building will have about 100 market-rate apartments, office space, retail and educational space. 

The Laura Street Trio will be transformed into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel, restaurant, speakeasy and urban grocery store. 

This year, Atkins’ development group received approval for $9.8 million in financial incentives to complete the restoration in five years, according to the economic development agreement with the city.

In October, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other prospective tenants were featured in marketing materials inside the Barnett Bank building, including for the University of North Florida.

UNF has confirmed it is negotiating to lease space on the fourth and fifth floors for the school’s Entrepreneurial Development and Business Incubation Center and graduate-level classes. 

Atkins said previously those marketing materials, which contained a large schematic of the building with logos of proposed tenants, were old and therefore inaccurate. 

“As soon as we get those deals signed, we’ll announce it,” he said Oct. 18.