11 East Forsyth, formerly known as the Lynch Building and the American Heritage Life Building, is a historic structure in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

. Originally developed by

Stephen Andrew Lynch Stephen Andrew Lynch (September 3, 1882October 4, 1969), known more commonly as S.A. Lynch, was an early motion picture industry pioneer. Personal life Lynch grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, the son of Stephen Scott Lynch, a Civil War veter ...

, as its current name suggests, it is located at 11 East Forsyth Street in

Downtown Jacksonville Downtown Jacksonville is the historic core and central business district (CBD) of Jacksonville, Florida USA. It comprises the earliest area of the city to be developed and is located in its geographic center along the narrowing point of the St. ...

.Witkowski, Rachel
"Costly renovation of historic buildings pays off for city"
''Jacksonville Business Journal'', April 7, 2006 On December 23, 2003, it was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Vestcor invested more than $24 million to restore the building's exterior and transform the former offices into loft apartments, which tenants began to occupy during 2003.

Construction

The 17-story, building originally contained commercial offices and was opened by entrepreneur and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

pioneer

. It was designed by architects Pringle & Smith in 1926 in the Chicago School style. It was constructed with limestone, marble and a facade of brick; the top of the structure contained a capital of terra-cotta."Lynch Building"
National Trust for Historic Preservation When it opened in 1926, it was Jacksonville's second tallest building, one floor less than the

Barnett National Bank Building The Barnett (originally known as the Barnett National Bank Building) is a skyscraper in Downtown Jacksonville, the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, at the southwest corner of Adams and Laura Street, Laura streets. His ...

.Marbut, Max
"The story behind one of Downtown’s historic buildings: The Carling"
''Jacksonville Daily Record'', December 10, 2009. The building was renovated in 1962 and renamed the American Heritage Life Building when it was utilized as home office of the '' American Heritage Life Insurance Company''. When the company built a new headquarters and left the downtown during the late 1980s, the structure was unoccupied for many years.

Current use

Jacksonville developer Vestcor began a historic preservation of the building in 2002 after obtaining a $17.8 million, 1.5% interest, 20-year loan from the city of Jacksonville.Hunt, David
"Downtown housing developer asks Jacksonville for help"
Florida Times-Union, December 30, 2009 The company restored many architectural features including

polychromatic Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

terra-cotta panels, decorative ceilings and steel panels."11 East Forsyth Apartments"
Vestcor Companies Elevators, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and other infrastructure was modernized and a six-story parking garage was constructed adjacent to the building. The second floor was converted into a large community club room, a fitness center and a media room. Modern amenities were added while respecting the historic integrity of the structure. The building was renamed to "11 East Forsyth" and 127 apartments were opened in 2003 after $24 million and a year of construction. A

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...

coffee bistro opened, but subsequently closed, leaving no tenants in the of first-floor commercial space. Lynch Building - Jacksonville

In late December 2009, Vestcor requested a modification to their loan terms, citing three years of operating losses at 11 East and their other renovated building,

The Carling The Carling, formerly known as the Carling Hotel and Hotel Roosevelt, is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, United States built in 1925. It is located at 31 West Adams Street in Downtown Jacksonville. As its former names indicates it wa ...

. The company asked for three years of interest-only payments plus low interest loans to potential tenants for the empty commercial space at 11 East. Three months later, the city approved the plan for principal deferral but took no action on tenant loans.Bauerlein, David (March 11, 2010
"Jacksonville finds it too costly to pay business’s employee parking as incentive"
''The Florida Times-Union''. Retrieved September 27, 2011

References

External links

Duval County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

Downtown Jacksonville - Development
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida History of Jacksonville, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Jacksonville, Florida Residential skyscrapers in Jacksonville, Florida Chicago school architecture in Florida Northbank, Jacksonville Architecture in Jacksonville, Florida Residential buildings completed in 1926 1926 establishments in Florida

Construction

Current use

See also

References

External links