Downtown Jacksonville’s highest high-rise is trading some of its old-school bank energy for something a bit more lively on the sidewalk. The city’s tallest building is getting a multimillion-dollar overhaul that will open its lobby to street-facing restaurants, new tenant amenities and a name-brand coffee presence at street level.
Owner Group RMC is repositioning the 42-story Bank of America Tower so it feels less like a sealed corporate fortress and more like a neighborhood hub. The plan calls for two ground-floor restaurant concepts from a Miami hospitality team, along with a licensed Starbucks build-out at the base of the tower.
Inside the makeover plan
According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, Group RMC is moving ahead with a multimillion-dollar renovation focused on reworking the tower’s base. The design calls for new storefronts, outdoor seating and expanded tenant amenities that open directly onto Laura Street.
Developers have described the overhaul as an effort to turn the skyscraper into a “lifestyle building” that serves both office tenants and the wider downtown crowd, rather than functioning as a stand-alone office block that empties out after business hours.
Earlier upgrades set the stage
This is not the first time the building has been tweaked for modern tastes. CBRE and Group RMC previously rolled out an amenities program and, in 2023, moved to reconfigure the ninth floor into a fitness center, conference suites and a community hub in a roughly 4.1 million dollar project, according to a CBRE release.
The same CBRE release notes that the 42-story tower on Laura Street is the tallest building between Atlanta and Miami, a regional bragging right that developers say adds weight to their push to reactivate the corridor around it.
Restaurants and coffee for Laura Street
A licensed Starbucks franchise secured a city permit for a 2,225-square-foot interior build-out at the tower’s southeast corner, with both lobby and street-facing entrances planned, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. The idea is that office workers and passersby alike can grab coffee without feeling like they are sneaking through a bank lobby.
Leasing teams and local filings indicate that a Miami hospitality operator is designing two custom restaurant concepts for the building’s lobby. The Downtown Investment Authority lists Ariete Hospitality Group among the parties exploring ground-floor space at the tower. If the concepts are built as described, former bank branch space would be converted into full-service dining with bars and sidewalk access.
Why it matters for downtown
Leasing brokers say visible storefronts and sidewalk seating are not just cosmetic changes. The strategy is to pull more pedestrians onto Laura Street, give downtown workers a reason to linger and make the Central Business District feel less like a 9-to-5 ghost town.
Colliers has promoted the Starbucks addition as a key piece of that street-level puzzle, arguing that recognizable retail on the corner will help draw foot traffic into the downtown core.
Timeline and what to watch for
Permits for the Starbucks build-out were issued in late 2025, and leasing sources had previously pointed to an opening window in the following year, although the exact timing still depends on contractor schedules and city approvals, per the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Owner Group RMC, which acquired the tower in 2020, is coordinating with leasing brokers and property managers as the various build-outs move ahead. The company has said it will announce specific tenant openings as leases are finalized, so expect more names to surface as downtown’s tallest tower leans further into its new role on Laura Street.
