With two permits issued and two more in review, the Duval Fish Co. is converting a former Fairfax neighborhood gas station near Avondale into a seafood restaurant.
Carlton Construction Co. of Fleming Island is the contractor for renovating and building-out the 1960s-era structure at 4323 Herschel St.
Plans indicate at least 80 seats inside plus bar seating for five patrons as well at least 12 patio seats, picnic table seating and more. The total seating appears to be more than 120.
Dasher Hurst Architects is the architect. Connelly & Wicker is the civil engineer.
The city issued a permit June 24 for a $1.75 million project to convert the existing building and service station into a restaurant. The trash enclosure, at $16,650, was permitted the same day.
The city is reviewing two more permits comprising additions at an estimated cost of $1.45 million and the estimated $59,000 selective demolition of portions of the building.
In addition to the restaurant, work includes space for storage, an office, a kitchen and an exterior canopy for outside seating.
The 3,800-square-foot project comprises a 2,622-square-foot renovation and additions of 1,178 square feet.
The building
Duval County property records show the structure was built in 1962 at northeast Herschel Street and San Juan Avenue.
The property is owned by San Juan Corner LLC, which is led by John and Margaret Williams.
The Jacksonville Planning Commission approved requests Sept. 5, 2024, for a set of zoning code deviations and a waiver of a requirement to allow alcohol sales at the proposed restaurant by the owners of the Eat Happy Jax food truck.
State corporate records show Rodulfo Quinones and Wyatt Griesemer are the managers of Eat Happy Jax LLC. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation show Quinones and Greisemer as the owners of Duval Fish Co.
Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow partner Cyndy Trimmer, a representative for the property developer, told the Jacksonville City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee that the restaurant operators had received “a lot of calls from people very excited to see something going into this site.”
Plans called for the long-vacant building to be repurposed as a seafood restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Online menus for the food truck show such items as fish and shrimp baskets, shrimp po’boys, chicken sandwiches and wings.
Zoning changes
On Aug. 27, Council took its final vote for the alcohol waiver, which eliminated a minimum distance requirement between an establishment serving alcohol and a church or school.
The Land Use and Zoning Committee voted Aug. 20 to recommend passage of the waiver on the condition that at least 51% of the restaurant’s revenue is from sales of food and nonalcoholic beverages and that there would be no amplified live music played outside the establishment.
The zoning code deviations did not need Council approval. They included reducing the minimum number of off-street parking spaces from 35 to seven, reducing the minimum number of loading spaces from one to none, eliminating a minimum setback for a trash container along the west side of the property and reducing a landscape buffer in the vehicle use area.
The property is bordered to the east by a parking lot owned by St. Johns Presbyterian Church. Trimmer said the church was supportive of the request to eliminate the minimum distance requirement, having given the restaurant approval to share 27 spaces in the parking lot.
A site plan provided with the application shows a one-way traffic-flow design in which cars will enter off of Herschel Street and exit onto San Juan Avenue.
The plan shows seven diagonal parking spaces north of the existing structure, with an outdoor seating area between the spaces and the building. Building additions are shown on either end of the building and a new sidewalk along the street-facing boundary of the property.
The website for the architect, DasherHurst.com, says that Duval Fish Co. “is a small seafood restaurant located in an existing 1960s mid-century gas station at a pivotal corner of San Juan Avenue and Hershel Street.”
“The adaptive reuse of the structure preserves its iconic architectural elements, such as the signature curved walls that reflect the elegance of the mid-century modern design. Inside, the atmosphere is inspired by vintage boats and nautical themes, incorporating deep blues and warm polished wood tones to create an inviting, relaxed environment,” the site says.
“The restaurant’s design evokes a sense of nostalgia and maritime charm, with details that reference the spirit of the sea and classic boating interiors. The space offers a perfect balance between honoring the history of the gas station and introducing a fresh, contemporary twist suited to a dynamic, coastal city.”
Managing Editor Ric Anderson contributed to this report.