The entrance to the Porter House Mansion at 510 N. Julia St.
JWB Real Estate Capital, through 510 N Julia LLC, paid $2.605 million for the Porter House Mansion and its property.
The almost 16,000-square-foot building comprises three stories of office space and a basement on 0.31 acres.
A future restaurant is planned for the basement of the Porter House Mansion with the grass lot to the south providing outdoor seating.
Grand staircases with mahogany trim are featured inside the Porter House. (NAI Hallmark)
The original architect of the Porter House Mansion was Henry John Klutho.
Grand staircases with mahogany trim are featured inside the Porter House Mansion. (NAI Hallmark)
KBJ Architects formerly occupied the Porter House Mansion. (NAI Hallmark)
The PorterHouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. (NAI Hallmark)
JWB Real Estate Capital President Alex Sifakis.
The Porter House Mansion site at 510 N. Julia St.
JWB Real Estate Capital bought another Downtown property Aug. 20, the three-story Porter House Mansion at 510 N. Julia St.
Built as a private residence after the Great Fire of 1901, the structure most recently was used by KBJ Architects until it moved and sold the property to a private investor in 2017.
JWB Real Estate Capital, through 510 N Julia LLC, paid $2.605 million for the 1.5-acre block. Property records and marketing materials show the almost 16,000-square-foot building comprises three stories of office space and a basement.
President Alex Sifakis said Aug. 20 the structure will be renovated for lease as office space to a single tenant on the top three floors. He estimates a $600,000 project.
He said the group will save the basement for restaurant use when the market is ready. The grass lot to the south will provide outdoor seating.
“We are committed to revitalizing Downtown,” Sifakis said. JWB already owns the historic Seminole and Federal Reserve Bank buildings at 400 and 424 N. Hogan St.
It bought the Seminole Building, anchored by Sweet Pete’s candy shop, Jan. 31 and the Federal Reserve Bank Building on Aug. 3.
NAI Hallmark is marketing the Porter House building for lease and will continue to do so, Sifakis said. NAI represented the seller in the sale.
"We are enthusiastic about JWB buying this property given their commitment to enhancing the building while maintaining its historic charm," said NAI Hallmark Managing Partner Keith Goldfaden in a news release.
The release said the property sits on 1.5 acres.
Sifakis said the Porter House was built in 1902. After falling into disrepair, KBJ bought and renovated it in the early 1980s.
Sifakis said the original architect was Henry John Klutho, an American architect who helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville after the Great Fire.
“We believe that this neighborhood will be a vibrant urban neighborhood,” Sifakis said.
He said the 11,000 square feet for office space could work for architects, CPAs, attorneys, tech companies and other firms.
“It’s gorgeous,” Sifakis said. “You have these grand staircases, the mahogany trim. It’s pretty incredible in there.”
The basement, first and second floors are 4,500 square feet each and the top floor is 2,000 square feet, he said.
The NAI Hallmark leasing information describes it as a classic Colonial “showcasing a grand two-story portico with six Corinthian columns, a serpentine balcony and a coffered ceiling.”
It said the mansion, restored in 1981, has original architectural features such as mahogany woodwork and solid mahogany pocket doors, stained glass and other features.
“The mansion’s original chandelier and a lighted sculpture from the Porter family remain and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984” it says.
Sifakis said it is nationally landmarked but not locally. JWB is considering local landmark status.
Sifakis said that with the purchase, the area has almost five contiguous city blocks "with redevelopment in the works."
The sale came a year after Landrum & Brown, a global aviation planning company based in Cincinnati, bought KBJ in November 2016.
KBJ has moved to the top floor of the 42-story Bank of America Tower.
The Daily Record reported in 2002 that the residence was built by lumber magnate Thomas Porter.
It was in jeopardy of condemnation by the city in the early 1980s when KBJ bought it to serve as its corporate office.
NAI Hallmark associates representing the property are Senior Associate Patrick Carney and Principal Patrick Thornton.
