Porter Mansion parks green-lighted Downtown

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Mathis Report

The city of Jacksonville issued a permit Sept. 30 for modifications for parks north and south of the Porter Mansion in Pearl Square, the Gateway Jax redevelopment district Downtown.

FaverGray Residential LLC is the contractor for the $2.43 million parks project at 510 N. Julia St.

The work involves exterior site work, renovations to the north parking lot and to the south lawn, and a fountain addition.

A schematic of modifications for parks north and south of the Porter Mansion in Pearl Square, the Gateway Jax redevelopment district Downtown.

There also are exterior egress modifications to the building facade along with exterior building lighting.

The Porter Mansion is on Block N11 within the Gateway Jax property.

Plans show the South Porter Park at Julia and Church streets and the North Porter Park at Julia and Ashley streets.

Robbins Design Studio of Jacksonville is the architect.

The Porter Mansion, built in 1902, is owned by JWB Real Estate Capital, an ownership partner in Gateway Jax.

JWB Real Estate Capital, led by President Alex Sifakis, paid $2.6 million in August 2020 for the three-story, almost 16,000-square-foot historic structure.

Part of the Block N project is behind the Porter House Mansion.

In February 2022, the Jacksonville City Council awarded $669,581 in taxpayer forgivable and deferred loans to JWB Real Estate Capital to renovate the building.

Sifakis said the original architect was Henry John Klutho, who helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville after the Great Fire of 1901 destroyed Downtown.

Council designated the Porter Mansion, known as the Thomas V. Porter Residence, as a local landmark. A Jacksonville Planning and Development Department report calls it “the last grand home in Jacksonville’s Downtown” that is a “significant visual reminder of the city’s historical and architectural heritage.”

The property is on part of Gateway’s Block N11, for which Council approved a $9.06 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and a $4.63 million completion grant. A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement.

The $45 million Block N11 building at 515 N. Pearl St. was the first Gateway Jax project to break ground. The seven-story building, shown Sept. 15, will comprise 205 apartment units with retail, commercial and storage space.

The block is bounded by Ashley, Pearl and Church streets and the Porter Mansion property.

The city issued a construction permit Oct. 15 for Block N11 to include a seven-story building comprising 205 apartment units and 24,086 square feet of retail, commercial and storage space.

Completion of the $45 million building at 515 N. Pearl St. is expected in mid-2026.