Decca Live, a live music and dance space in Downtown Jacksonville, will open on Jan. 31.
The venue is at 323 E. Bay St., between North Market and North Liberty streets.
The first performer will be Kaskade, an American deejay and electronic dance music performer.
Decca is owned by Eric Fuller, Evanc “Evan” Rajita, Aleksander Lukaj and Shawn Rouf.
“We all met while Evan and I were attending the University of North Florida, so Jacksonville is a huge part of our story,” Fuller said in a Dec. 10 news release.
“As young college kids, we loved going to Freebird Live (in Jacksonville Beach), listening to music, and throwing parties and events in and around the city.”
Decca Live is in a brick building constructed in 1904. It was granted Jacksonville landmark status in 2021.
The main stage will be on the first floor and the second will serve as a mezzanine. Its expected capacity will be about 1,000.
The covered rooftop bar will be a separate space with its own entrance.
JAA Architecture is the architect. Moyano Productions is the interior designer. Collyns Stenzel of Collyns Design Inc. is the production and stage designer.
The city issued a permit Feb. 28 for First Impression Contractors of Jacksonville to renovate the building at a project cost of almost $3.31 million.
The work includes a new roof and supporting structure; a third-floor addition for a rooftop bar; interior alterations of stairs, restrooms and bars; structural modifications to increase the size of the opening between the first and second floors and reconfiguring the stage; and a new exterior storefront, ramp and steps.
The permit called for 17,706 square feet of enclosed area to be renovated.
Jacksonville City Council voted in July 2022 to approve a $1.53 million incentives package to help finance a Miami-based developer’s plans to renovate the building.
Council approved a forgivable and deferred loan deal brokered by the Downtown Investment Authority with 323 E Bay Street RE LLC for its $4.8 million plan for the vacant two-story building.
The package included:
• A $624,158 Historic Preservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation Forgivable Loan.
• A $414,050 Code Compliance Forgivable Loan.
• A $498,142 Deferred Principal Loan.
Tickets for the Jan. 31 opening are $40 for general admission early entry (before 10:30 pm) and $50 for general admission Tier 1. Doors open at 10 p.m. It is an 18 and older show. To buy tickets, visit:
www.eventbrite.com/e/decca-grand-opening-w-kaskade-fri-013125-tickets-1109813685609.
