Jacksonville Architecture

In the decade before World War I, the concepts of high-rise architecture from Chicago played a role in re-shaping our city's skyline. An example of this influence is seen in this seven-story office building, which is straightforward in its design and unpretentious in its ornamentation. The uninterrupted vertical piers define the construction plan of the building as well as emphasize its height. The spandrels between the windows establish an interplay of the more decorative horizontal lines against the strong verticals. The cornice at the top of the building also carries out this theme, as did the white masonry horizontal lines on the first floor and the suspended canopy over the main entrance, both of which have now been removed. This building forms an interesting comparison of high-rise facades with the successively taller Atlantic Bank Annex and Barnett Bank Building next to it.