St. James Building, building in Florida, United States
The St. James Building is a Chicago School commercial structure in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, designed by architect Henry John Klutho and completed in 1912. Rising across a full city block with four stories, it originally included a 75-foot-high octagonal glass dome that served as a skylight and was the largest building in Jacksonville when finished.
The original St. James Hotel was replaced after the 1901 fire that devastated Jacksonville, with the current commercial building opening in 1912 as the Cohen Brothers department store. In 1997, Jacksonville repurposed the building as City Hall, giving this key Klutho design a second civic life.
The St. James Building was originally a major department store where shoppers could find a wide variety of merchandise across four floors. Today, visitors can see how the building serves as City Hall while its strong architectural lines reflect Jacksonville's development during the early 20th century.
The City Hall is accessible to visitors and located in downtown Jacksonville near West Duval Street. The building's exterior and glass dome are best appreciated from the streets surrounding it and from ground level.
The building's octagonal glass dome was removed decades after its construction but was reconstructed and restored to the roofline during the 1990s renovation when the building became City Hall. This historical reconstruction returned one of Klutho's most striking original features.
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