At its completion, it was a state-of-the-art industrial building, lauded at its time as "one of the most valuable municipal assets enjoyed by any city in the entire South" that would "mark a new era in the business development and commercial welfare of Jacksonville." In addition to housing 28 nationally known businesses and 100 additional manufacturing concerns, with rail service on either side and barge services from Hogans Creek, the building also included a mix of other supporting uses: a post office, telegraph services, and a lunchroom.
The operating company for the building was named Union Terminal Warehouse Co. as the railroad tracks on the sides of the building led back to the 30-track Union Terminal, the largest railyard in the state at that time. The 330,000 square foot building was a dry goods warehouse and distribution center, providing 5,500 square foot bays to tenants with vertical access through stairwells and old freight elevators. The building would go on to serve Jacksonville for more than 60 years in this capacity, hustling and bustling with activity and commerce.
The 1913 industrial building architecture and its use for commerce during a period of significance from 1913 to 1934 and beyond (up until 1972) supported the individual listing of this building on the National Register of Historic Places. The property also sits within the Historic Eastside District.
As shipping transportation shifted toward the use of interstates and tractor trailers, and industrial buildings evolved with the advent of the modern folk-lift, Union Terminal Warehouse lost its relevance and ultimately fell into foreclosure and disrepair in the late 1970s, stripped of its earlier utility and glory.
The current owner acquired the property in late 2018 and there were certainly some active uses, like the art studios run by the late Tammy McKinnley and the boxing gym that many local community members experienced…you’ll see a guitar inside that was made out of wood from the building by Mike Anderberg, one of its long-time tenants…but the majority of the building was low-cost storage, and an average day might boast a handful of cars outside the 330,000 square foot building.
The redevelopment team set out with the following vision:
"The redeveloped Union Terminal Warehouse will be a foreshadowing of Downtown Jacksonville’s future as a vibrant, mixed use, urban environment. It will be an ode to the industrial transit-oriented roots that sprang up along the North Bank in the wake of the Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901. It will be a tendon that connects the financial muscle of the Urban Core with the youthful athleticism of the Stadium District. It will be a steady workforce housing carriage attached to an entrepreneurial and cultural economic engine. It will be a unique and authentic node along the Emerald Trail and Hogan's Creek. It will be a place that locals are proud to name amongst their City’s growing catalog of features. It is an opportunity to light a development spark on the East side of Downtown Jacksonville."
Today, Union Terminal Warehouse includes 228 apartments, 43 small business spaces for entrepreneurs, 11 light industrial basement spaces, a coffee shop, restaurant space, and best-in-class amenities. More importantly, it is home to entrepreneurs in Workhouse exchanging ideas and innovation over a cup of coffee. It is home to couples coming home from work to a place of respite and inspiration, to debrief about their day and get some rest. It is home to roommates hosting dinner with friends who walk down the corridors with wonder in their eyes, discovering old freight stamps and creative design touches as they go. It is home to eCommerce companies living upstairs and running their business downstairs. It invites guests at non-profit celebrations on the rooftop to enjoy unencumbered views of the city backlit by a beautiful sunset. The people make Union Terminal Warehouse the special place in the City that it is.
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