Haskell Chairman, President and CEO Jim O’Leary announced to his staff March 4 that the Jacksonville-based global building services company is moving from its longtime headquarters on the Northbank into the 701 San Marco office tower on the Southbank – remaining in Downtown’s boundary while crossing the St Johns River.
“... we are moving our headquarters to a new building!” O’Leary wrote to Jacksonville headquarters office-based team members at 111 and 245 Riverside Ave. in the Brooklyn area.
The full move to 701 San Marco is expected in early 2026. The tower was previously called the Prudential Building.
The full move to 701 San Marco, as the building is marketed, is expected in early 2026.
“Following last fall’s Team Talks in Jacksonville and questions about the future of Haskell’s HQ location, we shared that two options were being explored,” he wrote.
“Our lease at 111 Riverside was under renewal negotiations and with the size of the expanding team in Jacksonville, we were also considering opportunities within the downtown core to allow us to build toward the future.”
O’Leary wrote that with the team’s growth in Jacksonville, the space at 111 Riverside Ave. was maximized, which required leasing additional office space at 245 Riverside Ave.
“Having two separate offices is not ideal and we are pleased to announce that a new consolidated location has been selected to serve as Haskell-HQ for the future: 701 San Marco Boulevard (the Prudential Building),” he wrote.
“This space will be reimagined to represent an international company leading in innovation, creativity, and community. The Haskell brand will be more visible and prominent than ever.”
A photo rendering with the email shows Haskell directional signage upon entry to the building and a signage option on the top of the building. That option typically is subject to a lease arrangement with the landlord.
“Haskell has always prioritized a presence close to downtown and the new office provides a tremendous opportunity to rethink workspace collaboration,” O’Leary wrote.
He said Haskell is partnering with Gensler, a design leader in transformative workplace planning, on the “magnitude of design work around the adaptive reuse” of the 701 San Marco building.
O’Leary said the 111 Riverside lease has not been extended, so Haskell will vacate that building by the end of May 2025 and relocate to temporary space in the 701 San Marco Blvd. building.
“Team members will move to the interim space until the final move to our new workspace, scheduled for early 2026,” he wrote.
He said a project team dedicated to the move is identifying workspace assignments in the temporary space, with more information shared as soon as it is available.
O’Leary wrote that with 2025 representing Haskell’s 60th anniversary, a new HQ will allow “ideas to flourish, camaraderie to thrive, and serve as a hub for engagement.”
The email did not indicate the size of the new headquarters space.
Project Blue Sky
Code-named Project Blue Sky, Haskell will receive $4.25 million in city incentives to relocate within Downtown under final action Dec. 10, 2024, by the Jacksonville City Council.
Council voted 17-1 in favor of the incentive package, which comprises:
• A $2.3 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant for 75% of the increased real and personal property taxes generated by the project site over 15 years. A REV grant is a refund on ad valorem tax revenue generated by a new development or property enhancement.
• A Local Training Grant of up to $1.2 million, or $2,000 for each of 600 jobs the company will retail through its relocation.
• A Local Targeted Industry Employment grant of up to $750,000, based on $5,000 per job for 150 positions the company has pledged to add over up to five years.
Council member Rory Diamond voted against the incentives, and member Jimmy Peluso was not present for the vote.
There was no discussion on the incentives legislation, Ordinance 2024-0946, which had previously been debated and approved by Council committees.
As reported Oct. 9 in the Daily Record, descriptions of Project Blue Sky in city documents matched Haskell.
City staff reported that the company had negotiated a 12-year lease with options for two five-year extensions for a new location where, according to the city, it plans to invest $20 million on improvements for new offices.
The incentive request did not identify the new site, but a marketing brochure for 701 San Marco showed it could accommodate those needs.
Under terms of the incentive deal, if the company decides against extending the lease, the REV grant would end after the 12-year term expires.
On Nov. 20, the Downtown Investment Authority board voted 9-0 to recommend a previous version of the package that included a $1.3 million City Training Grant. That incentive was subsequently reduced to reflect a reduction in job retention by Project Blue Sky, from 650 to 600.
After advancing to Council, the package was further negotiated to extend the payment period for the City Training Grant and Local Training Grant.
Those changes reflect concerns among some Council members that the city needs to curb its commitments for incentives.
Haskell’s current sites
Haskell built the three-story, almost 120,000-square-foot building on 3.15 acres in 1986. That size increases to more than 230,000 square feet including garage, base and balconies areas.
Haskell sold the property in 2008 and leases it back. It also has been leasing at least 16,520 square feet of space on the 12th floor of the Gates of Riverside building at 245 Riverside Ave., according to a property site brochure.
Vice President Dave Auchter said Haskell has 650 employees in its Downtown space.
The largest tenants in place at 701 San Marco are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Prudential. Signage is available.
When it was sold, commercial real estate firm JLL Capital Markets announced that the building comprised a 19-story east wing and a seven-story west wing connected by a pedestrian walkway over San Marco Boulevard.
The property, comprising almost 750,000 square feet of space, and a three-level parking garage were built in 1985.
The leasing agents are Preston Phillips, Jesse Shimp and Michael Loftin with JLL.
Action News Jax: Army Corps of Engineers vacating
ActionNewsJax.com reported March 3 that the Army Corps of Engineers informed employees they will be moving out of the 701 San Marco building at the end of August.
The news site said the move appears to be connected to the Department of Government Efficiency’s nationwide push to downsize federal office space leases.
Action News Jax said it obtained an internal email that announced the cancellation of the Army Corps lease at 701 San Marco Blvd.
“Currently, we do not have a new cancellation location as GSA has not yet identified another building for us to occupy. Finding a new location is a top priority, and the team is working diligently to meet the 31 August 2025 deadline,” wrote Lt. Col. Brandon Bowman in the email.
Action News Jax said it confirmed with the Army Corps of Engineers that it was informed the Government Services Administration intended to cancel its lease.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, 800 of its employees work at 701 San Marco, the site reported.