Wide View of New Duval County Courthouse
Here is a wide view of the courthouse as the exterior construction comes to a close.
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Workers install new columns of the New Duval County Courthouse
Our Epicurean Street Corner Chef, Brian Baldwin, reports that the last of the concrete pours is being completed. “I’ve had customers talking to each other.” They asked each other questions like, “Have you seen, Bill or David?” The other guy will respond, “He’s gone home … his work is done.” “That has been happening a lot lately.”
It seems that as the major construction is coming to a close more of the skilled workers are being sent home. “I’m sure they new this day would come,” Brian said.
Today, Reinhardt captured photographs of new columns being installed on the front east side of the new courthouse. He said that it is obvious that the cleanup is beginning. Also, forty sheets of glass were delivered. They should be installed Thursday and Friday of this week.
Brian finished his report saying, “Twenty-eight days from now, all of the concrete will be dried and cured. Then the courthouse will look like a flurry of activity.”
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Our photographer, Reinhardt, took a photograph of a hole in top floor of the New Duval County Courthouse. The hole is centered perfectly and will probably provide light into a Rotunda below.
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Our stealth photographer, Reinhardt, was busy photographing the final steel beam on top of the New Duval County Courthouse when he noticed something strange. “All of the workers were heading to the eastern side of the courthouse. I could see tables and lots of workers.”
Reinhardt had stumbled onto the Turner Company celebration for the completion of the major portion of the courthouse construction. As Brian had mentioned the day before, there were several prizes awarded to lucky raffle ticket holders.
“I saw someone win a boat,” Reinhardt said. “I took a picture of it.”
Reinhardt also brought to our attention a large circular hole in the center at the top of the courthouse. “It looks like a large skylight. I guess sun will shine the the glass at the top of the building and down through this hole to the next floor.”
Since we do not have the building plans, we can only guess that the light might travel all the way to a ground floor rotunda.
Congratulations to the winner of the Turner Co. prizes. Job well done men – and women.
AND THE WINNER OF THE BOAT IS . . .
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After just over one year, the New Duval County Courthouse is ready to turn over to the finishing crew. The hole drillers, hole fillers, rebar men and concrete men have completed their designated jobs and are leaving the site. Thursday, June 3, 2010, there will a special party for those construction workers who have been a part of this moment in history.
The Turner Company is so proud of their work and safety record that it is providing lunch and a special raffle. Two lucky workers will go home with a bass boat or a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Our street-corner reporter, Brian, said that even though he wasn’t invited to the party he too was proud of their work. “They built that building in record time and except for a few bloody thumbs there were no critical injuries.”
As we’ve stated before, Turner Company could not have been luckier with the favorable weather. “The building would have been delayed for weeks if we’d had a hurricane,” Brian said.
From the Jacksonville Observer – Congratulations Turner Crew!
New Duval County Courthouse Topped Off
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NEW DUVAL COUNTY COURTHOUSE (C)2010 REINHARDT JAXOBSERVER.COM
“Well they’re down to two final floors on the eastern section of the courthouse,” dogged reporter, Brian Baldwin shouted. Brian was holding court of his own at his hotdog stand on the eastern corner of the Old Federal Courthouse on Monroe Street. Men and women gather around him daily to hear his take on the local, national and world outlook. What he was mentioning concerns the poured concrete floors. In fact every floor of the building has been constructed of poured concrete and rebar. “Once those final two floors are complete, the concrete job will be done. And, with no lives lost I might mention.”
“You saw the steel?” he asked. Nodding, I acknowledged that I had seen it along with our Kodak savvy photographer, Reinhardt. Reinhardt is one of those true naturalists that still believes that there is nothing better than film photography. Reinhardt has posted two of his “Steel on the Top” photos displaying half of the crown jewel of the New Duval County Courthouse. It doesn’t look like much now but when complete, the steel structure will have windows installed and become the beauty mark of the structure. “It looks like a party hat, doesn’t it?” asked Brian. Everyone laughed.
In addition, pictured on the the ground below the structure, is a grouping of twelve three-story columns. These columns will result in the grand foyer or as they say in French “hall d’accueil magnifique,” the magnificent foyer.
It has been exactly one year since the courthouse groundbreaking and construction started. But, even though the structure is almost finished, the build-out inside will take at least one to two more years. When completed, this courthouse will become a showplace that Jacksonville can be proud of and will rival the largest “magnifique” courthouses in the nation.
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It is always a treat to see something different occur at the New Duval County Courthouse. This past week the workers were caught installing the windows on the Southwest corner of the courthouse. Our staff photographer, Reinhardt, captured the moment just prior to installation and immediately following the completion of this task.
Things are taking shape.
When asked for the latest report, our crack reporter, Brian Baldwin said, “They say they are down to eight weeks.” When asked just what he meant by that he explained that a hardhat working for the concrete company had mentioned to him (over a delicious hotdog) that in eight weeks or less the building will be completely poured. “The east side of the building has been catching up with the other two sections.” If you visit the site in the next couple of months, you’ll be a witness to the final concrete pouring and completion of the physical building of the New Duval County Courthouse.
Based on what we have heard from previous reports, the exterior skin will take another year to install. While that is completed the interior will be drywalled and all of the electrical and mechanical devices will be put into place. The building is still a good two years from the move-in date. “Heck, they’ve got to do the carpet, drapes, courtroom paneling, cabinets, potties, water fountains, artwork and all that other kind of stuff.” called out Brian from behind the grill. “Eight hundred thousand square feet – need I say more.”
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“Stop your car!” Hot dog man and mild-mannered reporter, Brian Baldwin shouted while waving me down. Screeching to a halt and pulling into the nearest parking space, I raced back to hear what he had to say. “The Mayor made a visit yesterday. He and his bodyguard along with an entourage jaywalked from there to here.” Brian pointed from the west corner of the U.S. District Court building to his hotdog stand location on the southeast corner of 311 West Monroe Street (soon to be Angela’s House).
When I asked whether he had seen him inspect the New Duval County Courthouse site before, Brian responded, “Never. The men describing the progress and location of everything to the Mayor where pointing and talking loudly enough so that I could hear everything.” The comment Brian made about not seeing him onsite before does not mean that the Mayor had not visited the site. But, who could blame him for avoiding this political hot potato. “He should be proud for just getting the thing done.”
Back to the story. Brian added, “The Mayor asked his group of guys just where Monroe Street would be relocated. When the team hesitated, I just jumped in and shouted, “It will start at the west end of the building and curve out in front of the new courthouse, meeting back with Monroe Street where we are standing.”
Startled and amused, the Mayor made a quick glance (including a Mayoral smile) toward Brian and his customers and exclaimed, “Hi Guys!” According to Brian, three or four customers heard the whole story. “The Mayor and his compadres stood there another five or ten minutes then walked around toward the construction site. I heard them talking about another parking garage.”
To my amazement, Brian said that a new parking garage would be constructed on the location where all of the construction managers and supervisors of the new courthouse are currently housed. This is directly in front of the Old District Courthouse and Post Office. “I can’t believe they would even consider blocking the view of this beautiful old District Courthouse!” I mentioned to Brian that there was insufficient parking nearby to accommodate the influx of courthouse employees. In reply he said, “I’m concerned. Just how will Angela park her car and get safely inside her building?” That is a good question to ask someone. Maybe a Maxwell Smart secret agent tunnel could be added.
One of the hardhats commented that the concrete pouring portion of the courthouse will be complete in not months but weeks. This means that it could less than six weeks before all of the concrete structure will be poured. Once that is done the exterior skin will be applied one piece at a time. By September, the courthouse will have the exterior appearance of completion.
Lastly, Brian mentioned a Brouhaha involving the Gate company’s request to utilize the existing giant cranes to apply its exterior skin rapidly which it needs to install. “I heard they wanted to use the giant cranes but were told NO!” he exclaimed. He added, “That is why there are so many cranes onsite right now. Gate had to rent cranes for their own work.” Brian gave me an evil smile and waved goodbye.
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While the New Duval County Courthouse is being built, it is hard to imagine its size. Constructed on three large city blocks and far away from larger buildings, one can only guess that it is big but not THAT big of a building. Guess again! Years ago when the Barnett Tower Building was built, it was touted as the tallest building in Florida. Sadly, Barnett Bank is gone but Bank of America now owns its building.
The Bank of America building is an amazing 600,000 square feet of office space or 300 (2000 sq. ft.) houses. The purpose of the New Duval County Courthouse was to consolidate all the different leased court commercial property into one city-owned location. In order to meet its goal, the building had to be enormous. To make the task of design just that more interesting, the building had to have growth potential (room for more people and courtrooms) to last another 50 years past its completion date in 2012.
Now for the number. The New Duval County Courthouse completed size is going to be 800,000 square feet. This could hold 400 (2000 sq. ft.) houses and makes it larger, though it is only 7 stories tall, than the Bank of America building.
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Our man, Brian Baldwin, reports an ‘Angela Sighting.’
“She just drove up in a big Cadillac Escalade or similar Giant SUV. The windows were smoked so you couldn’t see inside. Suddenly, the window rolled down and THERE SHE WAS!” exclaimed Brian. He said she appeared to be evaluating her new digs at 311 West Monroe. “Just as quickly as she appeared – SHE WAS GONE! I guess she was satisfied with what she saw. She gave me a glance and slight grin and away she flew – faster than Santa.”
“The word on the street is that State Attorney Angela Corey will not be getting wet walking into the New Duval County Courthouse from the State Attorney’s Office next door,” he added.
Chief Judge Donald Moran had publicly opposed the idea of a walkway and the discussions were widely reported by The Florida Times-Union. Corey argued on the side of security for her staff and, adding to her win loss ratio, she won.
Complete drawings and renderings for the project are on the city website and available for download and viewing with Adobe Acrobat Viewer. Work on the walkway will not begin until 2011 but structural changes to the New Courthouse must be made immediately.
The document contains wording explaining that the funding for this walkway was in the original new courthouse budget.
To view these documents, click here: Pedestrian Bridge
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