Business Features
Mellen C. Greeley
THE DEAN OF FLORIDA ARCHITECTS By Wayne W. Wood Mellen Greeley walked with a cane, but his stride was brisk. He had a full head of snow-white hair, and, despite the warmth of the afternoon, he was wearing a tie. He had just set a bowl of dogfood in the grass twenty feet away, so he and I would be able to watch as the racoons emerged from the marsh grass. First one, then two, now four or five, enjoying their daily handout. Greeley joined me on the bench in his yard, overlooking the Arlington River. He was the last of the great architects who...
read moreA Riverfront for All (Part 2)
By Laura Riggs It’s been demonstrated in many other markets that well-designed, maintained, and programmed public spaces strengthen the real estate market while positively impacting the local economy. Understanding that any plans must also take into account various past visioning exercises, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund convened a diverse coalition of business leaders, change makers, planners, and visionaries in 2021 to steward plans for a riverfront that best serves the needs and wants of the community. The duPont Fund partnered with DVDL, an...
read moreLong-Awaited Collaboration between the Florida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville Culminates in Mame:
The Broadway Musical ~ In Concert! August 24 and 25 By Laura Jane Pittman It’s about time! A staged concert of the 1960s Broadway classic Mame—which originally starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur—is coming to the Florida Theatre this month in a first-ever collaboration between two of the oldest venues in the region. The chief executive officers of the Florida Theatre and Theatre Jacksonville first began kicking around the possibility more than a decade ago, shortly after Florida Theatre president Numa Saisselin had moved...
read moreThe Essential Role of Parks to Jacksonville’s Well-being
Parks are more than just green spaces in a city—they are crucial components of a healthy, vibrant community. For the Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, parks play a central role in promoting well-being and longevity. Ninety percent of Americans spend most of their lives within a 20-mile radius of their home, this is known as the Life Radius model. When parks exist within that radius, communities can have access to more spaces to make healthy choices easier. Parks are integral to this mission of longevity. Promoting Physical Activity One of the...
read moreJust Face It
Bu Chris Flagg It was the early days of the pandemic, back in 2020, when professionals the world over were confronted with the stark reality of working from home for the foreseeable future. In my home office, away from the defined parameters of a regulated schedule, my workdays had become long and borderless. The soft edges between day and night contrasted with my sharp, relentless focus on a computer screen from early morning well into the evening. Fielding a carousel of virtual conference calls to stay in touch with my team began to wear on...
read moreSarah Crooks: A Circular Way of Being in the World
By Hope McMath Photos by Toni Smailagic Sarah Crooks is one of our region’s most enduring and endearing creatives, combining her experiences as a maker, healer, educator, and environmentalist. She is a multidisciplinary, ecofeminist artist. “An ecofeminist is someone who supports all of life,” Crooks explains. “It’s really breaking down hierarchies and looking at a circular way of being in the world. That expresses itself through my work and in the materials I choose, the way that I live.” Her latest creations combine with long-evolving...
read moreFrank Stella Jacksonville Stacked Stars
Frank Stella has produced an extraordinary body of work over the past six decades and continues to explore the expressive possibilities of visual space. “Jacksonville Stacked Stars” is a brand-new work of art created by Stella for the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville’s Project Atrium and is a beautiful response to the museum’s 100th anniversary year. Throughout his career, Stella has returned to the star as motif, exploring its form, both abstract and figurative, in multiple variations of two-dimensional, free-standing, and...
read moreA River Runs Through It(Part 1)
For anyone traveling over the bridges of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, it can sometimes feel like we are separate from the river that weaves its way through the city. A 2021 Public Space survey found that only 19 percent of Jaxsons go to the riverfront often to enjoy greenspace and the outdoors. Limited areas for residents to access the riverfront or interact with nature have restricted opportunities for the city to have the bustling waterfront vibe that so many other metro areas offer. Since 2014, Jacksonville has enjoyed some of the...
read moreFord Motor Company assembly plant
Jacksonville, Florida was honored for nearly a hundred years to be home to one of industrial architect Albert Kahn’s “automotive cathedrals” before it was demolished in June 2023 by its owner, Amkin Hill Street, LLC, just one year before the building would have reached its century mark in 2024. The Jacksonville Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, on the bank of the St. Johns River just north of the Mathews Bridge, was constructed over a three-year period from January 1924 to November 1926, faithful to Kahn’s trademark “daylight factory” design...
read moreARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & BUILD PROJECTS 2024
Since architecture and design are both an art and a business, this annual issue feels like a seamless fit. Arbus takes great pride in serving as the platform for so many of the region’s best architects, designers, and builders to promote their work. Take a look and discover this year’s most exciting changes to our built environment. Be inspired.
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