A Brief History of the Laura Street Trio

At the intersection of Laura and Forsyth streets in downtown Jacksonville, three distinctive historic buildings have sat, vacant and crumbling, for decades now.

These grand buildings, collectively dubbed the Laura Street Trio, were once critical pillars to downtown Jax’s burgeoning financial district. Today, however, they’ve been largely left to rot away, leaving some without historic context to wonder, “What’s so great about those old buildings?”

As we await the beginning of SouthEast Group’s planned overhaul of the three buildings, let’s take a look back at each of their histories.

OLD FLORIDA NATIONAL BANK BUILDING

The Trio’s history begins with the Old Florida National Bank Building, also known as the Marble Bank. The building was the first of the three to be constructed; it went up in 1902, opening as Merchantile Exchange Bank. Its Neoclassical Revival design, highlighted by its large windows and marble columns, was helmed by Baltimore-based architect Edward H. Glidden.

The bank didn’t last long in its new building; by 1905, it had been purchased by what would soon become Florida National Bank. Its new owners set about expanding the building, while retaining its original design elements.

Another round of renovations in 1916, this time focused around the building’s interior, involved adding a skylight as well as building out the grand central banking lobby, for which the building would become known. The redesign was led by Mowbray & Uffinger, the same firm that would later design the Barnett National Bank headquarters building.

Florida National Bank soon grew beyond its relatively small space within the building and would later expand into the adjacent Bisbee Building – a fellow Laura Street Trio member. By the 1960s, the bank had left the building altogether and a new bank, Jacksonville National Bank, took over its space.

Its new tenant enacted a new round of renovations in the late ‘70s, restoring many original design elements that had been removed or modified over the years. It soon gradually expanded its operations to the other two Trio buildings.

But the bank would soon be consumed by a flurry of mergers, eventually becoming a wing of NationsBank of Florida by the 1990s. NationsBank sold the Trio just a few years prior to its merger with BankAmerica, creating Bank of America.

The Trio was acquired by German investor Angela Schneider in 1999. When she began threatening to demolish the historic structures, the city of Jacksonville instead agreed to purchase them for $3.025 million in 2002.

The building has sat vacant since the mid-‘90s. It’s currently owned by SouthEast Group, which plans to convert it into an upscale restaurant.

BISBEE BUILDING

The Bisbee Building was constructed next door to the Marble Bank building at 47 W. Forsyth Street. The 10-story building was designed by noted architect Henry J. Klutho with heavy Chicago style influence. Construction began in 1908, but midway through the project, building owner William Bisbee asked Klutho to design a duplicate section to double the future building’s capacity.

When completed in 1909, the Bisbee Building was one of the first “skyscrapers” in Jacksonville, as well as the first high-rise office building in the South to be built with a reinforced concrete frame.

When the Marble Bank building no longer provided enough space for Florida National Bank, the bank gradually expanded its operations into the Bisbee Building. The office building housed various tenants over the years, but by the 1940s, Florida National Bank was the building’s main tenant.

In 1961, a new headquarters building for FNB opened at 214 N. Hogan Street. The bank vacated the Bisbee Building, but was soon replaced by Jacksonville National Bank’s expanding operations. Charter Mortgage Co. also held office space within the building.

Like the Marble Bank building, the Bisbee Building came under the ownership of NationsBank as a result of mergers. It was sold, along with the other two properties, to German investor Angela Schneider in 1999.

The city of Jax purchased the property in 2002, and it’s now owned by SouthEast Group, which plans to restore it for use as office space as well as a ground-floor restaurant.

FLORIDA LIFE BUILDING

The last of the three Trio buildings to be built, the Florida Life Building, was completed in 1912. Another Klutho design using reinforced concrete, the new building leaned more toward Prairie School influence, with elements including ornamental terra cotta cornices at the top of the building. The narrow 11-story structure at 117 N. Laura Street very briefly held the title of tallest building in Jax upon its completion.

The building was supposed to house operations for Florida Life Insurance Co., but the company went bankrupt just three years after opening its new headquarters building. The building instead served as an office building to various tenants, including both Florida National Bank and Jacksonville National Bank at different points.

Its tenure with Jacksonville National Bank led to it becoming lumped in with the other two Trio structures as property of NationsBank. Not long before NationsBank sold the Trio properties, it removed the ornamental cornices due to fear of damage from storms.

As with the other two, the Florida Life Building was sold to Angela Schneider, who then sold the building to the city. It’s now owned by SouthEast Group, which plans to convert it into a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.