The Jacksonville Downtown Development Review Board approved plans to install two illuminated signs at the top of Haskell’s new headquarters on the Downtown Southbank.
The DDRB voted 7-0 on Aug. 14 to grant a special sign exception for signs on the northwest and southeast exterior walls of the 19-story building at 701 San Marco Blvd. Board member Fred Jones, a Haskell employee, abstained.
Haskell, a global architecture, engineering, construction and consulting company, is moving from 111 and 245 Riverside Ave. on the Northbank to its Southbank location with a target completion in early 2026.
According to an application filed with the board, Haskell plans to remove two signs for the previous main tenant of the building, The Prudential Insurance Co. of America, from near the top of the tower and put its signs in the same places.
Prudential sold the 14.5-acre property in September 2022 to Bradford Allen San Marco LLC for $70 million. Bradford Allen Investment Advisors is based in Chicago.
A DDRB staff report stated that each sign is 730 square feet, nearly double the maximum 400 square feet allowed in the Downtown Sign Overlay of customized signage regulations that apply to the eight districts that make up Downtown.
Staff recommended approval of the exception, saying the signs are “compatible with the overall mass, design and scale of the building and are “consistent in scale to other multi-story office buildings in the area.”
Several board members praised the sign’s design and appearance, and said its size conformed with others on the Downtown skyline. Some members called for a discussion on revising the signage regulations or giving staff broader authority to approve exceptions.
Bill Delaney, Mayor Donna Deegan’s liaison to the board, agreed.
“I’d almost go so far to say that these regulations seem a little restrictive and perhaps it’s time to give them another look,” he said.
The new signs will be internally illuminated and feature Haskell’s logo and the company’s name spelled in capital block letters. They will face Museum Circle and Mary Street.
Plans say the signs will be visible for three-fourths of a mile facing northwest to Downtown and one-quarter mile facing southeast and San Marco. Both fascias will be refurbished to avoid blemishes or holes on the building.
The signs, sitting at the top of the 308-foot tower, will be 18-by-9 feet in height and 74-by-8 in width. When illuminated, the logo and letters will glow blue and white. When not lit, the logo will remain blue and white and the letters will be black.
Jacksonville-based Harbinger Sign will provide and install the signs, according to the application. Haskell worked with Murdoch Engineering on the design.
Haskell said the project is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 16.
In 2024, the Jacksonville City Council approved $4.25 million in city incentives toward Haskell’s relocation. The incentives, contained in an ordinance in which Haskell was identified by the code name Project Blue Sky, comprised:
• A $2.3 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant for 75% of the increased real and personal property taxes generated by the project site over 15 years. A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement.
• A Local Training Grant of up to $1.2 million, or $2,000 for each of 600 jobs the company will retain through its relocation.
• A Local Targeted Industry Employment Grant of up to $750,000, based on $5,000 per job for 150 positions the company has pledged to add over up to five years.
City staff reported that the company had negotiated a 12-year lease with options for two five-year extensions for a new location where, according to the city, it plans to invest $20 million on improvements for new offices.