The June Club permitting pending for Downtown historic Federal Reserve Building

Permits are in review for the proposed members-only The June Club at the historic Federal Reserve Building at 424 N. Hogan St. in the Downtown North Core with a target date of Jan. 8.

The city is reviewing the tenant build-out and renovation for the adaptive reuse of the structure, constructed in 1922, at an estimated project cost of $6.4 million. The permit application was created Aug. 21, 2024.

The project comprises an 18,430-square-foot renovation in the four-story building, which includes the basement.

A separate permit is for minor modifications to the existing exterior courtyard. Pittman Landscape Architecture of Jacksonville is the landscape architect.

June Club founder Britt Morgan-Saks, who relocated to Jacksonville with her family from New York City, had no comment Jan. 3 pending the permitting.

She said Oct. 23 she had assembled a team to develop and operate the club.

New York City-based Ward + Gray interior design firm designed the venue.

Elysium Construction of New York City and Gardiner & Theobald, a global construction management firm with 18 offices that include New York City, will lead the construction and interior retrofit.

Jacksonville-based Robbins Design Studio, led by principal Brooke Robbins, is the project's architect of record.

Codes-ABC Inc. of Orange Park is the private plan reviewer.

"The June will be a first-of-its-kind, private members' club, located in the historic Federal Reserve Building, in Downtown Jacksonville," Morgan-Saks said.

Membership and other details will be announced later.

The June Club says on @thejune_club on Instagram that it is "a next-generation hospitality company, community, and private members club, creating an elevated and modern experience of belonging in emerging gateway cities."

It says The June will create "a city-centric, regionally-focused modern members club whose members are united by the love of their current locale and by a desire to enhance it beyond imagination."

The Instagram post also hints at expansion. "The June will be a network of premier clubs anchoring the cultural and business vanguard through a new category of real estate use in previously overlooked US markets."

The post includes a contact form for people with membership, general media and technical questions.

Its website is thejune.club. It says "Coming Soon The June" and shows the club's address as well as the Instagram information. There is a place for users to enter their email address to sign up.

The Federal Reserve Building structure is at Hogan and Church streets near City Hall. It is part of the Gateway Jax project to redevelop more than 20 blocks Downtown primarily assembled by Jacksonville-based JWB Real Estate Capital.

Gateway Jax broke ground Oct. 29 on its first mixed-use project in the Pearl Street District nearby.

The June plans include:

Basement: A cabaret featuring nightly entertainment. Plans filed with the city include seating and a lounge area around a piano.

Ground floor: The Grill Restaurant.

Second floor: A "living room" with seating areas, a bar and private dining.

Mezzanine: A "library" meeting space.

Third floor: A lounge, bar and performance space.

Outside: Outdoor dining, bar and lounging areas.

Hospitality Daily featured Morgan-Saks in a February 2023 podcast, saying she had recently moved from New York to Florida to launch and scale The June, "a soon-to-be-launched private members club designed to provide a more modern, inclusive experience of belonging in emerging gateway cities."

She registered The June Group with the state in December 2022. Morgan-Saks is president, CEO and CFO.

Christian Harden, co-CEO of Jacksonville-based NAI Hallmark, represented The June in the lease and site selection.

"With Britt's vision and world-class team, The June will create a vibrant hub where ideas and opportunities converge and will further enhance the cultural and social fabric of Jacksonville," Harden said in a statement Oct. 23.

The building owner

Now 103 years old, the 19,420-square-foot Federal Reserve Building is a National Historic Landmark Building.

JWB Real Estate Capital paid more than $2.4 million for Hogan and Church street properties in August 2020, comprising $1.75 million for the Federal Reserve Building and $675,000 for the neighboring Florida Baptist Convention structure at 218 W. Church St.

JWB planned a $18.55 million redevelopment of the buildings. The Jacksonville City Council approved a $8.6 million incentives package in 2021 for their restoration.

The city issued permits in 2021 to renovate the buildings.

JWB also owns the historic Seminole Building on the same block at 400 N. Hogan St. and plans to build an outdoor courtyard for restaurant seating connecting the three properties. That building is open and anchored by the Sweet Pete's candy store and production facility.