1 Independent Square (Jacksonville)

History

The tower was completed in 1974 by the Independent Life and Accident Insurance Company, and was known as the Independent Life Building. Built by The Auchter Company. It was designed by KBJ Architects, who received the Honor Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design by the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for the design. The design concept included a sloping base and large corner frames to provide a distinctive image not only for the company, but also as an identifying landmark for the city of Jacksonville.

Beginning in 1995, Independent Life was acquired by the American General Life Insurance Company, and operations were gradually moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The building was sold to Associated Capital Properties, and the Jacksonville staffing company AccuStaff moved in and acquired the naming rights, and it became the AccuStaff Building. In 2002, AccuStaff changed its name to MPS Group. It renamed the building the Modis Building, after one of the company's main brands, and added Modis signage.

In May 2011, Wells Fargo, which had acquired the Wachovia financial services company, announced it would relocate local employees to the building. Signage went up on the Wells Fargo Center on September 26 and the relocation completed by April 2012.

After downsizing their space in the building, Wells Fargo lost naming rights for the building and it subsequently was renamed to 1 Independent Square. The Wells Fargo signage was removed from the exterior of the building on July 14, 2024.

Description and tenants

1 Independent Square has 37 floors and held the title of the tallest building in Florida until 1981, when One Tampa City Center was completed. The building takes up an entire city block in Jacksonville's downtown. It remained the tallest building in Jacksonville until 1990, when the Bank of America Tower surpassed it in height. A notable feature of the structure is a four-story atrium of tropical vegetation where the public enters. The first floor also contained an auditorium with seating for 360 patrons, a bank, restaurants, and several retail stores.

Parkway Properties is a third-party service provider for the building.

The River Club

One major tenant in 1 Independent Square is the River Club of Jacksonville, a private business club that occupies the top two floors of the building. Originally known as the Jacksonville Businessmen's Club, it was established in 1954 after the fashion of similar organizations in New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. It was formerly located on the 16th floor of the Prudential Building (now known as the Aetna Building), the city's tallest building when it opened in 1955. It relocated to its current space in 1976, but did not offer memberships to women until 1985.

In September 2017, Hurricane Irma's storm surge caused major flooding in Jacksonville's downtown area. These events impacted the parking garage of 1 Independent Square, which was briefly closed. The building reopened on September 29.

Gallery

File:ModisBldg-Jul2009-a.JPG|Modis signage, 2000 File:ModisBldg-Feb2010-f.JPG|Aerial view, 2010 File:NightJXFL112.jpg|Go Jaguars lights, 2011 File:Wells Fargo Center JAX.JPG|Interior File:Wells Fargo Center, Jacksonville, FL, US.jpg|Side

References

References

1. "Modis Tower". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
2. "Wells Fargo Center".
3. (May 20, 2011). "Life After Modis: Tower To Get New Name". [[WJXT]].
4. (August 25, 201). "Naming rights for Modis building up for grabs in 2011". Jacksonville Business Journal.
5. Bull, Roger. (May 20, 2011). "Wells Fargo name to replace Modis atop landmark building".
6. (September 25, 2011). "Wells Fargo joins Jacksonville skyline".
7. (2024-04-29). "Wells Fargo Center now called 1 Independent".
8. Record, Karen Brune Mathis-Jacksonville Daily. (2024-04-30). "Wells Fargo Center is now called 1 Independent".
9. [http://dept.ju.edu/geography/tour/modis.htm Jacksonville University: Geography department-Modis Building]
10. [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/022403/bus_11830164.shtml "History of some major insurance companies"] (February 24, 2003). ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]''. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
11. [http://www.aig.com/American-General-Life-Accident_20_21374.html "The History of American General Life and Accident Insurance Company"] American International Group website, company history
12. Brune-Mathis, Karen: [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/062097/1c8accus.html "AccuStaff pointing to Independent"] Florida Times-Union, June 20, 1997
13. Karen Brune Mathis. (August 25, 201). "Wells Fargo to move into former Modis Building". [[Financial News and Daily Record]].
14. Will, Chris (July 14, 2024) [https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/07/14/wells-fargo-letters-successfully-removed-from-jacksonville-building-13-years-after-they-were-mounted/ "Wells Fargo letters successfully removed from Jacksonville building 13 years after they were mounted"]. ''[[News4Jax]]''. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
15. [http://www.kbj.com/awards/corporate/modis.htm KBJ Architects website: Awards-Modis Building]
16. [http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/999/120/] Metro Jacksonville, February 4, 2009-Unique Jacksonville: Independent Square
17. "Wells Fargo Center". Parkway Properties.
18. [http://www.jaxriverclub.com/history.htm Jacksonville River Club website: history]
19. Mathis, Karen (February 15, 2006) [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/021506/bum_21101430.shtml "River Club's first woman president the end of an era"]. ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]''. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
20. [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/033005/met_18338256.shtml Florida Times-Union: March 30, 2005-Essay contest celebrates high rise's 50th birthday]
21. The club has been owned and managed by a subsidiary of [[Gate Petroleum]] since 2003.Mathis, Karen (June 30, 2004) [http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/063004/bum_15983427.shtml "Gate doing overhaul of River Club"]. ''[[The Florida Times-Union]]''. Retrieved September 12, 2011.