Edward Ball Building (original) (raw)

141 feet (43 metres), 11-floor low-rise building in downtown Jacksonville

Edward Ball Building
Edward Ball Building is located in Central JacksonvilleEdward Ball BuildingLocation within Central JacksonvilleShow map of Central JacksonvilleEdward Ball Building is located in FloridaEdward Ball BuildingEdward Ball Building (Florida)Show map of Florida
Former names Florida National Bank building
General information
Type Government offices
Architectural style Modernism
Location 214 North Hogan Street Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Coordinates 30°19′48″N 81°39′34″W / 30.33000°N 81.65944°W / 30.33000; -81.65944
Construction started 1960[1]
Completed 1961
Opening 1961
Owner City of Jacksonville
Height
Roof 141 ft (43 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count 11[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Saxelbye & Powell[2]
Developer George A. Fuller Company[2]

Edward Ball Building is a 141 feet (43 metres), 11-floor office building at 214 North Hogan Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.[1] It presently serves as the Jacksonville City Hall Annex, housing several departments that were displaced in 1997 when city government moved to the St. James Building.

Construction began in 1960 and was completed the following year. It was intended as the new location for Florida National Bank which had outgrown its old facility (known as the Marble Bank) on the corner of Forsyth and Laura Streets. Edward Ball managed the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust, which controlled the bank. The architects were Saxelbye & Powell; it was built by George A. Fuller Company of New York City.[2]Ball dictated the building's specifications. The structure contains over 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2)[3] and was constructed using materials which would appreciate in value, such as marble floors and granite exteriors, but excluded items that Ball considered frills.[4] There were no executive washrooms and no hot water faucets in the entire eleven story edifice.[4] The corporate offices of the group were housed in the upper floors and the bank's principal location was on the ground floor. Ed Ball also kept his personal office there for managing the du Pont Trust.

A six-story parking garage with 339 parking spaces[3] was constructed in 1986, adjacent to the office building and accessed from Monroe Street.[5]

After Ball's death, the building and garage were renamed the Edward Ball Building and Ed Ball Parking Garage.[6]

Wachovia sold the Florida National Bank building at 214 North Hogan Street to First States Investors in September, 2004 for $23,234,071.[7]

The St. James Building became Jacksonville's City Hall in 1997, but it was too small to accommodate all departments. Needing more room, the City of Jacksonville purchased the building from First States Investors in February, 2006 for $23 million.[8]Less than two blocks from city hall, it was designated the City Hall Annex. The Building & Planning Department relocated there.

A $1.3 million, 2012 renovation affected 208,000-square-foot (19,300 m2). The Municipal Code Compliance Division occupied the basement and first floors; Environmental and Compliance went to the 5th floor; Teach For America moved to the 6th floor.[9]

Ground floor building tenants included a VyStar Credit Union, Quiznos and a coffee shop.[6]

  1. ^ a b c d "Edward Ball Building". Emporis.com. Emporis. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Marbut, Max (17 May 2013). "What's in a name: The Ed Ball Building". Jax Daily Record. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Ed Ball Building". Commercialcafe.com. Commercial Cafe. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b Mason, Raymond K. (1976). Confusion to the Enemy. University Press of Florida. pp. 236–238. ISBN 0-396-07274-7.
  5. ^ "JAX EVOLVED: Edward Ball Building". Jax Evolved. November 20, 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b "JAX EVOLVED: Edward Ball Building". Thecoastal.com. The Coastal. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Special Warranty Deed". OR.Duvalclerk.com. Duval County Clerk of the Court. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Special Warranty Deed". OR.Duvalclerk.com. Duval County Clerk of the Court. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  9. ^ Bull, Roger (February 6, 2012). "Ed Ball Building in downtown Jacksonville to be renovated". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 12 March 2022.