Laura Street Trio Facts for Kids

The Laura Street Trio: the Florida Life Building (left), the Marble Bank (foreground), and the Bisbee Building (right)

The Laura Street Trio is a special group of three old buildings in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. These buildings are found on and near Laura Street. The Trio includes two tall buildings, called the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building. There's also a third building, the Old Florida National Bank, which many people call the Marble Bank. These three buildings were built after the big Great Fire of 1901 that destroyed much of Jacksonville. They are very important because of their unique designs, but they have been in danger of falling apart.

Meet the Laura Street Trio Buildings
Plans to Save the Trio
Images for kids
See also

Meet the Laura Street Trio Buildings

The Marble Bank: A Classic Beauty

The Old Florida National Bank, also known as the Marble Bank

The Old Florida National Bank, often called the Marble Bank, is the oldest of the three buildings. It sits on the corner of Forsyth and Laura Streets. It was first built in 1902 as the Mercantile Exchange Bank. This was right after the Great Fire of 1901 had burned down almost all of downtown Jacksonville.

An architect named Edward H. Glidden designed it in a style called Classical Revival. This style uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. In 1905, Florida Bank & Trust bought the building. They were the early version of today's Florida National Bank. They updated and made the building bigger.

It was renovated again in 1916. This update added a large banking room with a skylight, fancy plaster details, and a special ceiling. Later, in the 1950s, some changes covered up the skylight and details. But in 1976, the Jacksonville National Bank owned it. They worked hard to bring back its original look.

However, by the 1990s, the building was sold. Its new owners did not take good care of it, and it started to get very run down.

The Bisbee Building: A Skyscraper Race Winner

The Bisbee Building

The Bisbee Building was the second building of the Trio to be constructed. It was built between 1908 and 1909, right next to the Marble Bank on Forsyth Street. A famous Jacksonville architect, Henry J. Klutho, designed it. He used a style influenced by the Chicago School and Prairie Style.

Building the Bisbee was part of a race! It was competing with two other projects to become Jacksonville's first skyscraper. The Bisbee Building won this race. It was the first tall building made of reinforced concrete in the Southern United States. It was first planned to be only about half its current width. But many people wanted office space in the new building. So, the owner asked Klutho to make it bigger.

Just like the other buildings, the Bisbee Building eventually became empty. It quickly started to fall apart.

The Florida Life Building: Jacksonville's Purest Skyscraper

The Florida Life Building (background)

The Florida Life Building was also designed by Henry J. Klutho. It was built between 1911 and 1912. This building stands next to the back wall of the Marble Bank. It is the only one of the Trio that actually faces Laura Street. It was built at the same time as Klutho's St. James Building, which is now Jacksonville City Hall.

Standing 45 meters (about 148 feet) tall with 11 floors, it was the tallest building in Jacksonville and Florida when it was finished. However, another building became taller less than a year later. Still, many people, like Wayne Wood from the Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission, think it's a perfect example of a skyscraper. Like the Bisbee Building, it shows Klutho's Chicago-influenced Prairie Style. In 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter put the Florida Life Building on its list of "Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places."

The building was built for the Florida Life Insurance Company. But the company closed in 1915. Over the years, the building had many different owners. In 1994, its owners removed the original decorative tops from the columns on the top floor. This caused some damage to the building. Like the other buildings, the Florida Life building also fell into disrepair.

Plans to Save the Trio

In the 2000s, people realized the Laura Street Trio were some of Jacksonville's most important old buildings. They were also in great danger. In 2002, the City of Jacksonville bought all three buildings. The goal was to give them to a developer who could fix them up.

A developer from Orlando bought the Laura Street Trio. They also bought the nearby Barnett National Bank Building. But this developer went bankrupt during the housing market crash around 2008. So, the project stopped.

In 2010, a new plan came forward. An investment group from Jacksonville and a company from Tallahassee proposed a $70 million plan. They wanted to restore the Laura Street Trio and the Barnett National Bank Building. They also planned to build a fifth new building. In 2011, the group asked for $5 million in special tax credits to start the first part of the project. The Trio was supposed to become a Courtyard Marriot Hotel. However, this plan did not work out. The city is now taking legal action to get the property back.