The Downtown Investment Authority is working to assemble $4.5 million in funding to help resurrect the historic Snyder Memorial Church.
On May 27, the DIA is scheduled to request a $1 million budget transfer that would be added to $3.5 million in funding already budgeted for the church.
That request, which will go before the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee, would transfer the $1 million from a contingency account for a proposed restaurant in Riverfront Plaza, the site of the former Jacksonville Landing.
The 12,337-square-foot Gothic-style church, which is owned by the city and is no longer used for religious services, is at 226 N. Laura St. near James Weldon Johnson Park.
According to a document for the request, the DIA plans to place the Snyder building up for disposition, a process in which publicly owned property is offered for private development. The DIA says it plans to seek proposals that would “include a plan for full restoration and active use of the property” that will return it to the tax rolls.
The document says the disposition will include “an understanding that further rehabilitation of the building will require DIA funding participation.”
The DIA says the building has already undergone $430,000 of structural repair work and a $600,000 project to install a fire suppression system.
In November 2024, the DIA board voted to spend $30,000 to bring the monthly Downtown Art Walk to the church for five months. The money was designated for renting portable restrooms, paying personnel to monitor for fires and providing live entertainment in the building.
In April 2025, the DIA board voted 8-0 in favor of the $1 million budget transfer, which was contained in DIA Resolution 2025-04-05.
The budget transfer would allow the DIA to provide the incentive without requesting it be drawn from the city general fund, which provides for a range of services citywide.
In recent months, some Jacksonville City Council members have raised concerns about DIA incentives that use general fund dollars, such as completion grants. Those members say the city’s commitments for those grants have placed a strain on the city budget.
The church was part of the first development wave Downtown after the Great Fire of 1901. It was acquired by the city in the 1970s, then later sold but bought back by the city in 2004.
In the 1960s, the church was used as a meeting place for Black and white religious and civic leaders for discussions about desegregating Jacksonville.
The DIA says construction on the Snyder Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church began in October 1902, with the first service held in December 1903. The building was enlarged in the 1910s.
It was not immediately clear what effect the $1 million transfer would have on the proposed riverfront restaurant.
In February 2024, the DIA board voted 7-1 to continue planning the restaurant, with the no vote coming from then-chair Jim Citrano.
Citrano said he believed the restaurant would block river views and therefore the site was inappropriate.
Some Council members criticized the restaurant concept, which would involve the city leasing the building to an operator.
In addition, some members of the Council Special Committee on the Future of Downtown called for the DIA to prioritize development in the city’s historic core.