RiversEdge along the Downtown Southbank is preparing to add an aluminum and stainless steel sculpture called The Pearl.
The city issued a permit Aug. 1 for the sculpture at 1915 RiversEdge Blvd. along St. Johns River frontage at the 34-acre residential, retail, office, hotel, park and marina development.
UCC Group Inc. of Orlando is the contractor for the $2.827 million project. Codes-ABC Inc. of Orange Park is the private plan review provider.
The artwork will be anchored to a concrete foundation.
Craft Engineering Studio of New York City is the structural engineer.
The architect is Marc Fornes, who leads TheVeryMany, a New York City-based studio that says it specializes in large-scale, site-specific structures “that unify skin, support, form, and experience into a single system.”
The studio’s website says that over the past 10 years, Fornes has designed and built a number of “organic, thin-shell constructions that push the limits of form, structure, and space.”
“This body of work is situated between the fields of art and architecture, with particular focus in the realm of public art. Each public artwork aims to provide a unique spatial experience for its visitors, while also contributing to the visual identity of a place and catalyzing community engagement.”
The site shows similarly specific sculptures and facades at Google’s headquarters in California with “The Orb”; “Moonrise” in Chattanooga, Tennessee; “Piloti” in Bellevue, Washington; and at businesses, airports, developments and parks worldwide.
The RiversEdge development includes four parks, Central, Fitness, Marshfront and Northwest.
The Pearl appears to be part of the development’s Central Park, a “riverside gathering place for artistic flair.”
“Central Park is home to stunning sculptures and open spaces that bring the community together,” says RiversEdgeJax.com.
Preston Hollow Community Capital of Dallas is the owner and developer of RiversEdge.
The city issued a site-clearing and horizontal development permit July 17, 2024, for the RiversEdge parks and recreation area, for installation of hardscape and landscape, on 4.1 acres at a project cost of $35 million.
It operates within a community redevelopment area. The property owner for the sculpture site is shown as the city of Jacksonville District Community Development District.
RiversEdgeJax.com says the property is “where four public parks filled with interactive sculptures and landmark works of art seamlessly blend with luxury apartments, townhomes, condominiums, retail and office space, and one of the largest marinas on the St. Johns.”
The $693 million RiversEdge mixed-use project is on the former site of the JEA Southside Generating Plant, which operated from 1947 to 2001. The city utility spent more than $28 million decommissioning the facility and doing environmental cleanup.
According to the Downtown Investment Authority, the Southside Community Redevelopment Area entered into an agreement for the RiversEdge Community Redevelopment Area to fund construction of several destination riverfront parks as well as supporting bulkheads and roadways.
The parks comprise:
• Central Park, a riverfront park that will face the St. Johns River and feature a pavilion, amphitheater, adjacent plaza area, trees and an art installation. Central Park will be flanked by Northwest and Northeast parks.
• Northwest Park, which will have a combination of durable synthetic turf, swings, game table area, benches and bike racks.
• Fitness Park, or Northeast Park, will include two playgrounds and a yoga lawn.
• Marshfront Park, on the east side of the development, will include a winding path through native plants, an herb garden and a synthetic lawn.
According to an amended redevelopment agreement approved by Jacksonville City Council in 2023, the RiversEdge development would include 1,170 residential units, 200 hotel rooms and 121,400 square feet of retail space.
That agreement increased a Recapture Enhanced Value Grant from the city for the project to $97,986,000 from $41,961,000. The grant is a 75% rebate on property taxes that will be generated by the development through 2045.
DIA said the amendment was spurred by an increase in construction costs since the original agreement in 2018.
DIA staff calculated in 2023 that RiversEdge would generate at least $130.7 million in ad valorem property taxes during the term of the agreement, of which nearly $98 million would be refunded.
The RiversEdge website says that more than 200,000 square feet of office space also is part of the development.
Former DIA CEO Lori Boyer said April 28, 2025, that the parks are substantially completed and are expected to open pending the finalization of agreements for maintenance and programming between the city and Preston Hollow.
Boyer confirmed then that RiversEdge had reached a milestone with move-ins of the first residents into town homes on the site, which had been the subject of redevelopment proposals dating to a decade ago.
Pennsylvania-based Toll Brothers completed a set of town homes along Prudential Drive and is building more.