Can this project even be built?

The proposed Jax sculpture

In their pitch, Perkins & Will’s stated the Jax sculpture would cost $11.5 million to $18 million, depending on whether it was made with brushed stainless steel or mirrored steel. That leaves $10.5 million to $11 million for the rest of the park. There’s very good reason to believe $29 million is a considerable underestimate of how much the sculpture and park will cost.

First, it beggars belief that a steel sculpture of this size with interactive elements can be built for so little. At 151 feet, the Jax sculpture will be slightly shorter than the Arc de Triomphe (162 feet) and Singapore’s Supertrees (160 feet), and a bit taller than Christ the Redeemer (125 feet) and New York’s Vessel (150 feet). In other words, its scope is in the company of some of the world’s largest monuments. Compare this to Chicago’s Cloud Gate sculpture, known as “the Bean.” Media reports have often compared the Jax sculpture to the Bean, which is also made of reflective metal. But at 33 feet tall, the Bean is substantially smaller than the proposed Jax sculpture. It was estimated to cost $6 million before construction started in 2004, but the figures ended up at $23 million by the time it was completed in 2006. Adjusted for inflation, that’s over $30 million today – more than Perkins & Will says its substantially larger and more complex sculpture will cost.

Chicago’s Cloud Gate sculpture, also known as “the Bean”.

The estimates for the rest of the park are also unconvincing. As we’ve pointed out before, real urban parks require real money. The city and park advocates have often invoked the St. Pete Pier as the type of “iconic” investment Jacksonville should make at the Landing. But at 26 acres and a pricetag of $92 million, it’s in a totally different league than the 6 acre Landing site and its $13.25 million budget.

The new St. Petersburg Pier.

Conclusion: Hope you like value engineering

An early rendering of Daily’s Place.

Given that the costs of the project as currently proposed are likely to exceed the estimates, let alone the money available, it’s likely the whole thing will be scaled back and reduced to fit the budget. In a city where major projects are often oversold and underdelivered, Jaxsons are well acquainted with value engineering. From the stripped down Daily’s Place amphitheater to the thoroughly underwhelming Lot J proposals that City Council wisely kiboshed a few months ago, Downtown is full of plans that start out as flashy renderings and end up with all the charm and appeal of 1970s Soviet public housing, if they happen at all.

Daily’s Place today.

As we warned when the city first floated the idea of demolishing the Landing, another likely conclusion is that the space will remain an empty lot for many more years. Given the fact that very little money is committed to the project until 2025-26, it’s probable that even a value engineered version of the project won’t happen until at least that time. Regardless of any plans out there, it seems Lenny’s Lawn is here to stay for years to come.

Editorial by Bill Delaney, Ennis Davis, AICP, and Mike Field, managing partners of The Jaxson. Contact Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com, Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com and Mike at mfield@moderncities.com.