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Historical Renovation
Western Union Building

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Renovated Galleria 1974
Jacksonville, Florid
50,000 Square Feet
1974

The Galleria was Tom Perdue's first renovation project in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The former Western Union Building was designed by the firm of March & Saxelbye and built 1930-1931. For decades the six-story art deco-style building was a landmark in the Hemming Plaza area, the heart of downtown Jacksonville at 333 North Laura Street at the corner of Laura and Duval.

In 1973 Tom Perdue purchased the property. He renovated the 50,000 square foot building, one of the few terracotta facade buildings in Jacksonville, into one of the first mixed-use office buildings in downtown Jacksonville.,The first floor became a retail arcade, and the second floor was renovated into 40,000 square feet of commercial office space. Renamed The Galleria, the project was completed in 1974.

The building remains a landmark of Jacksonville's downtown. It was purchased by the city of Jacksonville in 2001 and leased to the Museum of Modern Art (MOCA) following another renovation by KBJ Architects.


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A Hemming Plaza landmark, the building has been one to survive urban renewal.
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The building became the new home of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in 2003 and remains a landmark at Hemming Plaza. The exterior of the adjacent public library was designed to blend with the former Galleria exterior.
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