Downtown Jacksonville
Avant Construction Group has worked on eleven projects in Downtown Jacksonville and the urban core around it, as general contractor and as owner’s representative. The work is mostly historic restoration, adaptive reuse and renovation: the Federal Reserve Bank building near City Hall, the former First Baptist Downtown Auditorium that became the NoCo Center, and the Jones Bros. Furniture Co. building, now being converted into apartments.
This page reaches a little past the downtown grid, to LaVilla Place on W Beaver St and to Springfield, where Avant built The Raven Jax and Emerald Station. For the rest of our work as a commercial general contractor in Jacksonville, see the full portfolio.
Current Downtown Projects
Under construction now, from a seven-story office renovation to two historic buildings being turned into apartments.
Completed Downtown and Urban Core Projects
Restorations, conversions and renovations across downtown and Springfield.
Downtown Jacksonville FAQ
Which contractors are working in downtown Jacksonville?
Avant Construction Group is one of the contractors working in Downtown Jacksonville right now. As general contractor, Avant is converting the historic Jones Bros. Furniture Co. building into apartments with ground-floor retail, renovating the former Pratt Funeral Home at 525 W Beaver St into LaVilla Place, and renovating seven stories of the Greenleaf & Crosby Building for JWB Real Estate’s offices.
Completed downtown work includes the Federal Reserve Bank building and 218 Church Street, where Avant served as the owner’s representative, along with the NoCo Center, Hardwicks Bar and the Candy Apple Café in the Historic Seminole Building.
What kind of construction does Avant do downtown?
Most of Avant’s downtown work gives older buildings a new use. The projects on this page include historic restoration, the conversion of a church auditorium into an event venue, apartment conversions, offices, restaurants and a bar.
Avant works as general contractor and, on projects like the Federal Reserve Bank and 218 Church Street, as the owner’s representative, overseeing budget, coordination and quality for the building owner.
Does Avant work with downtown historic preservation programs?
Yes. At 218 Church Street, a National Historic Landmark building, Avant led the process of obtaining the Downtown Investment Authority’s DPRP grant, and the project received historic approvals from the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service and a local City of Jacksonville Certificate of Appropriateness.
The Jones Bros. Furniture Co. project received a DIA loan package for historic preservation, and part of Avant’s role is helping make sure public incentive requirements and City and DIA approvals are met. At LaVilla Place, Avant is working with the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission.
Does Avant build outside the downtown grid?
Yes. This page covers Downtown Jacksonville and the urban core around it, including Springfield, where Avant converted the historic Lawton-Pratt Funeral Home into The Raven Jax and completed Emerald Station in North Springfield.
Beyond the urban core, Avant’s projects reach across Jacksonville and Florida, including Atlantic Beach, Fernandina Beach, Palm Coast, Stuart and Tampa. The full list is on the Portfolio page.