| Eight Forty One | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Central Jacksonville Show map of Central Jacksonville Eight Forty One (Florida) Show map of Florida | |
| Former names | Aetna Building One Prudential Plaza, Prudential Life Insurance Building |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | International Style Moderne |
| Location | 841 Prudential DriveJacksonville,Florida, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 30°18′59″N81°39′49″W / 30.316376°N 81.663712°W /30.316376; -81.663712 |
| Construction started | 1953 |
| Completed | 1955 |
| Opening | 1955 |
| Owner | South Shore Group |
| Height | |
| Roof | 309 ft (94 m)[1] |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | KBJ Architects |
Eight Forty One is a 309 feet (94 metres), 22-floor office building on thesouth bank ofSt. Johns River inJacksonville, Florida. Completed in 1955, it was the tallest building in the city for 13 years until surpassed by theRiverplace Tower.[2] It was "The Tallest Office Building in the South" and the tallest in Florida untilNASA'sVehicle Assembly Building was completed in 1965.[3] The building's former names include theAetna Building,Prudential Plaza I orOne Prudential Plaza, and thePrudential Building.[4]
Originally known as the Prudential Building, it was constructed in 1955 forPrudential Insurance, which had selected Jacksonville as its Southeastern headquarters.[5][6] Construction materials included Alabama limestone, North Carolina pink granite and Georgia marble. The 13-acre (53,000 m2) property is situated on the south/east bank of theSt. Johns River and includes 1,100 feet (340 m) of riverfrontage. A 2-ton piece of theRock of Gibraltar, once in the lobby, is now found in the courtyard on the riverfront.[1] The building was used as background in scenes from the filmCreature From the Black Lagoon.[1]
A sister building,Two Prudential Plaza, was constructed next door in 1985. The Prudential Building underwent a major renovation in 1988.[7]
Ocwen Financial Corp. completed the $36 million purchase of the Prudential Plaza One building in August, 1998.
In 1999,Aetna acquired thePrudential HealthCare business for $1 billion, and the signage was changed to "Aetna". The building is officially known asPrudential Plaza I. Another major renovation was completed in 2002 after 153,000 sq ft (14,200 m2) was vacated by Aetna. The makeover also included construction of a 1,100-space parking garage byElkins Constructors.[7] On February 21, 2002 the Prudential Plaza I building was renamed841 Prudential Drive.[8]
On January 23, 2004, Ocwen sold 841 Prudential Drive to South Shore Group for $39 million.[9] The building's name reverted to Aetna Building.
At the January 31, 2008 meeting of the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC), plans were tentatively approved for a 128-slip dockage facility to be named The South Shore Marina & Riverwalk at the Aetna Building. The project will use a design similar to that used bySouth Beach marinas. Landscape and lighting improvements will be made to the existingJacksonville Riverwalk.[10] Permits from theFlorida Department of Environmental Protection and theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers had already been obtained.
The building was the original home of what is now theRiver Club of Jacksonville, a private business club that relocated to building now known as theWells Fargo Center in 1976.[6]
The 12th floor is occupied by theRegus Aetna Center, which provides executive office suites to businesses needing temporary office space.[11]
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| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Tallest Building in Jacksonville 1954—1967 94m | Succeeded by |
