St. Johns Town Center

Client: Ben Carter Properties | Location: Jacksonville, Florida | Use: Mixed-Use / Retail / Urban Design

Client: Ben Carter Properties
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Use: Mixed-Use / Retail / Urban Design

Design Challenge

[Nourachi Studios’ Principal, Leo Nourachi, participated in this design competition during his employment with TVSA, Atlanta]. St. Johns Town Center is Jacksonville’s premier shopping destination. Residents live, shop, dine, and entertain in a beautifully designed life-style center. The project was intended as an open-air shopping experience, incorporating a traditional Main Street sidewalk environment, and Southeastern architectural themes and historical styles. In 1999, we worked closely with the client on the initial conceptual design for the master plan, then known as Deerwood Town center.

Design Solutions

We developed several concepts and themes during a one year period. We were involved from the general master planning stage to the architectural façade design of individual stores. We prepared studies on street facades, gate entrances, main boulevards, and towers. The main focus of our work was preparation of three architectural styles to be implemented in three different streets that would incorporate retail on the ground and residences and offices on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Restaurants, entertainment areas and hotels would face the lake boulevard on the south.

Size

This 1.5 million square foot upscale retail and mixed-use community featuring department stores, specialty anchors, boutiques, restaurants, hotels, offices and apartments, officially opened in 2005. A second phase opened in 2007 anchored by Dillard’s, Barnes & Noble and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Status

This project stopped after September 9-11. Awarded to another architect in 2002.

Nourachi Studios

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