Illyria Properties 8 LLC purchased the property at 315 E. Bay St. on Jan. 9 for $2.5 million.
The four-story, 20,000-square-foot building is the home of the recently opened Keane’s Tavern, formerly Justice Pub.
Known as the Hutchinson-Suddath Building, it had been owned by the Suddath family for 95 years.
It was sold by Julia Suddath of Jacksonville and her daughters, Jessica Lee-Miller of Jacksonville and Joy Lee, of Decatur, Georgia, through Bay Street Warehousing LLC.
In recent years, the upper stories had been leased as office space, Lee-Miller said.
“Commercial space Downtown and the market has changed so much. It presented a lot of challenges,” she said.
“I planned on keeping it in the family, but fulfilling my passions are more important than holding on to it.”
Illyria Properties 8 is the team of Eric Fuller, Aleksander “Alex” Lukaj, and Evanc “Evan” Rajta.
They also own Decca Live and SIP Cocktail Bar at 323 E. Bay St.
Plans are to open Besa Bakery & Tea Room Speakeasy at 301 E. Bay St. later this year. The group also owns Dua Restaurant & Lounge at 8532 Baymeadows Road.
“The Suddath Building is a true piece of Jacksonville history, and that’s something we don’t take lightly,” Rajta, Illyria Properties co-owner, said in a news release.
“Our plan is to integrate the building’s historic elements with modern upgrades, retaining the integrity and cultural value of the property.”
The purchase of the Hutchinson-Suddath Building will allow the group to repurpose the upper floors. The second floor will either be a country-themed club or a vinyl listening room, Rajta said via phone.
Plans call for the top two floors to be converted into apartments.
The Hutchinson-Suddath Building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRIS #07001029) on Oct. 3, 2007.
Property records show it was built in 1907, but the release says it was constructed in 1910 as part of the Great Jacksonville Renaissance following the Great Fire of 1901.
It represents one of the earliest examples of reinforced concrete construction in the nation.