Jacksonville Landing

Construction and grand opening

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the project on October 17, 1985, involving then-mayor of Jacksonville Jake Godbold. Columbia-based The Rouse Company selected Benjamin C. Thompson and Hans Strauch to design the marketplace, and then founded the subsidiary Rouse-Jacksonville, Inc.[7] for the project. Construction on the Jacksonville Landing began in May 1986.

Strauch, who designed the mall's iconic red (later orange) roof, called for a complete open-air design, but Rouse insisted on an enclosed design for the facility.[1]

The Jacksonville Landing opened its doors on June 25, 1987, hosting a week-long celebration featuring drum-and-bugle corps,[6] a balloon release, community choirs, and national acts. The Rouse Company partnered with the City of Jacksonville, which gave $20 million to the construction of a festival marketplace to revitalize the city's core.[6]

The first floor of the Landing featured tenants that were common to other shopping malls when it first opened, including Foot Locker, The Gap, and Victoria's Secret.[8]

The second floor of the main building was devoted to the Founders Food Hall, a food court, with 18 restaurants. The décor featured silhouettes of 17 persons instrumental in the settlement of North Florida. Outside seating included a view of the center courtyard fountain and stage and of the river. The Landing's first bar was Fat Tuesdays, which sold frozen alcoholic beverages. The business attracted mostly young customers; the Landing management decided not to renew the 10-year lease, citing a desire for an "older crowd".[6]

The Jacksonville Landing celebrated its one-year anniversary in June 1988, topped off with a fireworks display.

Early struggles

Around the late 1980s, The Rouse Company reported that the Jacksonville Landing was not profitable despite a successful opening day. However, city officials were optimistic that the mall would become profitable.[9]

Store closures

Beginning in the early 1990s, foot traffic never reached projected numbers, and within four years, a third of the food court tenants had closed. Specifically, on January 7, 1991, The Sharper Image closed its doors after just four years in operation. The Florida Times-Union also reported the Brookstone store as closed. Competition from the Avenues Mall, which opened in September 1990—and the perception of the Landing as a "tourist-trap"—played a role in low traffic.[10]

In response to the Landing's initial struggles, The Rouse Co. announced that the west side of the food court would become a video arcade known as Ostrich Landing, which had its grand opening on September 1, 1991 with over 200 games.[10] However, the Landing's struggles continued, and the arcade also later closed.[6]

On November 30, 1993, participants of the Jacksonville Jaguars Boosters Club celebrated at the Hooters restaurant at the Jacksonville Landing after the NFL's announcement that Jacksonville would be an expansion city.[10]

• On December 31, 1992, Everything Yogurt, one of the Landing's original food vendors, closed permanently.[10]

• Ciao Gianni Ristorante and Bar shuttered in early September 1994.[10]

Sleiman Enterprises acquires the Landing in 2003

The Rouse Company announced in 2003 that it would sell the Jacksonville Landing to a local developer, Toney Sleiman, for $5.1 million.[11] The Florida Times-Union reported that Sleiman, who bought the buildings but not the city-owned land, would not have to pay the $100,000 rent required by the City of Jacksonville for the land until the city provided the 800 parking spaces that it had promised the previous owners.[12]

Twisted Martini opened at the Landing in late 2004.[10]

Named after socialite and reality TV star Paris Hilton, Club Paris opens at the Jacksonville Landing in the summer of 2006, but it closed within a year.[10]

The 23-year obligation was finally resolved in 2010. The Jacksonville City Council passed a bill to give $3.5 million for Sleiman's purchase of a parking lot near the Landing. That money included a 20-year parking-validation program at a cost of $2.5 million to the city. Mayor John Peyton vetoed the bill, and the council voted unanimously to override the veto.[13] Twisted Martini closed the same year.[10]

On September 6, 2011, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Wally Banks played "Taps" at the end of a ceremony commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.[10]

In May 2018, the City of Jacksonville informed Jacksonville Landing Investments, LLC, a subsidiary of Sleiman Enterprises, that the Jacksonville Landing had defaulted on the lease by not curing a breach of contract within the 30 days of notification. The City of Jacksonville demanded immediate access and possession of the property.[14]

Meanwhile, on Friday, June 29, 2018, Hooters reopened its renovated restaurant space in the Jacksonville Landing.[15]

2018 shooting

A mass shooting occurred at the video-game tournament that was held on August 26, 2018, at the GLHF Game Bar;[16] three people, including the perpetrator, were killed, and others injured.[17][18]

Founders Food Hall 2018 closure

On November 9, 2018, after more food court tenants began leaving, the second-floor food court closed completely, and management blocked and disabled the escalators. The city was also reported to be neglecting the Landing, despite the agreement to efficiently maintain the property.[19]

Patronage

The Landing had a local patronage base of over 65,000 downtown office workers and over 1,000,000 residents in the surrounding metropolitan area of North Florida. According to various Florida travel sources, it had been "an icon" for Jacksonville and "one of the most recognized attractions in Northeast Florida" since it opened in June 1987.[23][3][24] Downtown Improvement District (DID) for Jacksonville claims it was a popular tourist destination.[25]

Events

The Landing hosted more than 300 events each year including Florida/Georgia Weekend Celebrations, the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, New Year’s Eve and Gator Bowl Celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and July 4 fireworks.[6]

Weekly events included year-round live entertainment in the center courtyard every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The bands offered a variety of music including classic rock, oldies, contemporary, jazz, and top 40. The Landing also hosted national country concerts and classic rock concerts in the spring, summer and fall each year.

In September 2010, Sleiman Enterprises announced a partnership with Downtown Vision to host an every Friday Farmer's Market from 10 a.m. EDT to 2 p.m. EDT. The market was relocated from Hemming Plaza. Since relocating to The Landing the market averaged over 40 vendors each week.

The Landing also hosted events for the community, such as charity walks and runs and the Earth Day Ecology Fair.

Museum

The Landing allowed the Jacksonville Maritime Museum to use unoccupied retail space to display their collection of large-scale model ships for seven years, beginning in 1990. It was a positive for both parties; the museum increased their exposure with a free venue and the Landing filled an otherwise empty storefront and offered a free attraction to increase foot traffic. Jacksonville Maritime Museum Society President John Lockhart explained, "Every time they would get a new tenant, they would move us to another empty space." That situation occurred five times in seven years, but in mid-November, 1997, the museum was given seven days to vacate in preparation for a new tenant. "This time, they just ran out of empty space," commented Lockhart. Many exhibits were put into storage.[26]

In October 2011, the museum was invited to return to the landing, and was given a large space to use. Their former home on the Southbank of the Riverwalk was demolished as part of a larger renovation that included Friendship Fountain.[27]