One Downtown advocacy group wants to see the city in a new light – lots of new lights, to be exact.
Illuminate Jax, a grassroots group of business professionals, is spearheading an effort to add LED lighting to Downtown’s skyline. This marketing maneuver takes after the likes of Las Vegas and New York City landmarks to use colorful lighting to attract attention and, ultimately, business. Miami also has a project in the works, “Light Up Miami.”
Margie Seaman, a member of Illuminate Jax and director of commercial real estate services for Sellers Realty Group, was quoted about the project by WJCT News: “We always accuse ourselves of having an inferiority complex,” she said. “This could be a way to inject true pride.”
Aimed to complement the lighting that already exists on the Main Street and Acosta bridges, the proposed lighting would line major office towers Downtown in LED lights, able to glow in an array of colors. Just as the Empire State Building shines red, white and blue for the Fourth of July and Chicago’s Willis (Sears) Tower gleams green and red during the holiday season, Illuminate Jax is looking for the same effect: green for St. Patrick’s Day, teal and gold for Jaguars game days and a signature “River City Blue.”
The project is expected to cost between $30,000 and $300,000 per Downtown building, with the hope that property owners will foot the bill as a marketing investment. DVI supports this new grassroots initiative aimed to encourage more businesses and more people to our city’s center and looks forward to its progress.
Following a recent presentation to the JAX Chamber’s Downtown Council, Illuminate Jax will next present their project to the Downtown Investment Authority at an Oct. 4 meeting. To stay up-to-date on the project, ‘like’ Illuminate Jax on Facebook.