JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to sell one of downtown’s long-idled landmarks — the National Guard Armory Building at 851 N. Market Street.
It’s a step supporters say would clear the way for long-planned redevelopment near Springfield and the Historic Eastside.
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The vote centers on Ordinance 2025-876, which would declare an approximately 2.49-acre portion of the City-owned property surplus and authorize the Mayor to execute a purchase and sale agreement with Armory Redevelopment Associates, LLC.
After some back-and-forth in the committee process, the agreed sale price is right around $3 million.
“This is a project that’s been many years in the making,” Ed Randolph, executive director of the City’s Office of Economic Development, said. “We’re excited to finally see this old Armory building get redeveloped into a really great project.”
Randolph said the planned reuse is intended to be a mix of community-facing destinations, including a brewery, an artist maker space, and a food hall.
“The building’s been sitting vacant for about 15 years now,” Randolph said. “So there’s a lot of restoration and environmental things that need to be addressed in the building.”
The Armory Building was built in 1916 and has been used by both the city and the State over the decades.
“The property really does have a storied past hosting artists such as Duke Ellington, Janis Joplin, The Allman Brothers,” Randolph said. “We’re hoping to bring it back to its former glory.”
Don Patterson, managing director of Armory Redevelopment Associates, is a part of the team looking to buy the property. He said the team’s goal is to make the Armory a recognizable hub for local creatives and visitors.
“We’ve got a variety of uses that we’re proposing to bring to life within the Armory,” Patterson said.
Patterson stressed that it’s not meant to be dominated by national fast-food chains.
“You will not find a Kentucky Fried Chicken or a Burger King in the place,” he said.
Patterson described the site as an overlooked connector point between neighborhoods.
“That’s sort of the hole in the donut,” he said. “We are north of downtown Jacksonville, south of Springfield, west of east side.”
If Council approves the ordinance on Tuesday, the agreement will go to the mayor for approval.