Now called Duval Fish Co., a former Fairfax neighborhood gas station near Avondale is in review for build-out to convert the 1960s-era structure into a seafood restaurant.
Carlton Construction Co. of Fleming Island is the contractor for the estimated $1.75 million renovation of the 3,800-square-foot building at 4323 Herschel St. The city is reviewing the building-permit application.
Plans indicate at least 80 seats inside plus bar seating for five patrons as well at least 12 patio seats.
Dasher Hurst Architects is the architect. Connelly & Wicker is the civil engineer.
Duval County property records show the structure was built in 1962 at northeast Herschel Street and San Juan Avenue.
The property is owned by San Juan Corner LLC, which is led by John and Margaret Williams.
The Jacksonville Planning Commission approved requests Sept. 5, 2024, for a set of zoning code deviations and a waiver of a requirement to allow alcohol sales at the proposed restaurant by the owners of the Eat Happy Jax food truck.
State corporate records show Rodulfo Quinones and Wyatt Griesemer are the managers of Eat Happy Jax LLC. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation show Quinones and Greisemer as the owners of Duval Fish Co.
Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow partner Cyndy Trimmer, a representative for the property developer, told the City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee that the restaurant operators had received “a lot of calls from people very excited to see something going into this site.”
Plans called for the long-vacant building to be repurposed as a seafood restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. Online menus for the food truck show such items as fish and shrimp baskets, shrimp po’boys, chicken sandwiches and wings.
On Aug. 27, the Council took its final vote on legislation for the alcohol waiver, which eliminated a minimum distance requirement between an establishment serving alcohol and a church or school.
The Land Use and Zoning Committee had voted Aug. 20 to recommend passage of the waiver on the condition that at least 51% of the restaurant’s revenue come from sales of food and nonalcoholic beverages and that there would be no amplified live music played outside the establishment.
The zoning code deviations did not need City Council approval. They included reducing the minimum number of off-street parking spaces from 35 to seven, reducing the minimum number of loading spaces from one to none, eliminating a minimum setback for a trash container along the west side of the property and reducing a landscape buffer in the vehicle use area.
The other corners of the intersection are home to a Watson Realty Corp. office, a Wells Fargo bank branch and an office building that recently was renovated to become an EverBank branch.
The property is bordered to the east by a parking lot owned by St. Johns Presbyterian Church. Trimmer said the church was supportive of the request to eliminate the minimum distance requirement, having given the restaurant approval to share 27 spaces in the parking lot.
A site plan provided with the application shows a one-way traffic-flow design in which cars will enter off of Herschel Street and exit onto San Juan Avenue.
The plan shows seven diagonal parking spaces north of the existing structure, with an outdoor seating area between the spaces and the building. Building additions are shown on either end of the building and a new sidewalk along the street-facing boundary of the property.
The website for the architect, DasherHurst.com, says that Duval Fish Co. “is a small seafood restaurant located in an existing 1960s mid-century gas station at a pivotal corner of San Juan Avenue and Hershel Street.”
“The adaptive reuse of the structure preserves its iconic architectural elements, such as the signature curved walls that reflect the elegance of the mid-century modern design. Inside, the atmosphere is inspired by vintage boats and nautical themes, incorporating deep blues and warm polished wood tones to create an inviting, relaxed environment,” the site says.
“The restaurant’s design evokes a sense of nostalgia and maritime charm, with details that reference the spirit of the sea and classic boating interiors. The space offers a perfect balance between honoring the history of the gas station and introducing a fresh, contemporary twist suited to a dynamic, coastal city.”
Associate Editor Ric Anderson contributed to this report.
