In what was once a former hardware store selling supplies for ships, a brick building on Bay Street in Jacksonville has been remastered into a new multi-level concert venue called Decca live.
Owners and the mayor cut a ribbon Thursday to celebrate the new entertainment space at 323 Bay St. in the downtown waterfront district.
The first floor is an open space and will house the main stage, while the second floor is a mezzanine-style layout where patrons can gather on balconies to view the first floor. To top it all off, a rooftop bar is added with a view of the Saint John River.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called it an incredible place.
“It fits perfectly with what we want around the stadium. We want to have amenities where people feel like there’s always something to do. And I think entertainment is a big part of it.
Deegan said the city invested $1.5 million in the project.
Decca live belongs to the group Eric Fuller, Evanc “Evan” Rajita, Aleksander Lukaj and Shawn Rouf. All have ties to Jacksonville and have spent years making their dream of the venue a reality.
Fuller, a former University of North Florida student, said they wanted it to be an arts and entertainment hub and planned to hire a variety of artists.
“Whether it’s country music, rock music, dance music or hip hop, we want this to be the home of Jacksonville,” he said.
Fuller said the four owners identified a need in the market: a thousand-ticket capacity entertainment space where artists can perform as they begin to become popular.
“We need this type of facility,” said Fuller, who explained additional construction considerations, including complex sound and an added shower in the green room for artists.
He hopes the new business will create about 100 jobs, from lighting, sound and surveillance technicians to security guards.
The official grand opening of Decca Live is scheduled for January 31 and will feature EDM artist and DJ “Kaskade.” The owners say it’s already full.