Letters Removed From the Top of the Wells Fargo Building.  Locomotive Still Beneath the Pilings

The tallest building in Jacksonville in 1974 was was known then as The Independent Life building at 535 feet.  It was confirmed again in 2024 by James Abrams an expert in attaching and removing huge business lettering when he talked about the now 2nd tallest building in Jacksonville.    Abrams was a part of the 2011 team that helped remove lettering from now-called 1 Independent Drive when the building changed owners. This is the 5th time the building will have letters removed atop this structure. 

The Dingman Family, 2017 Eclipse with iconic Jacksonville Landing Sign and Wells Fargo Building in the background.

Over the years, the names have been: The Independent Life, Accustaff, Modis, Wells Fargo and until the new owner, Argentic Investment Management LLC of New York City renames it, the structure will be known as 1 Independent Drive. (Daily Record, Wells Fargo Center tower and garages Downtown sold for $46.35 million, Karen Brune Mathis, April 24, 2024).

There is a lot of history with the structure over the years including when the grounds were being prepared for building back in 1971.  On a discovery walk with Gary Sass of Adlib Tours, we walked to the corner of Laura and Bay Street to learn that beneath this huge building lay still, a bonified locomotive which the contractors and owners of the day decided to leave.  Instead, they built pilings around the locomotive leaving the metal train.  A thirty-six-story building sits on top of a full-size locomotive in Jacksonville, Florida.  

Gary Sass with Adlib Tours (Photo: Visit Jacksonville).

According to an article by Ennis Davis, the large locomotive could easily be explained as the area was once near a train line confirmed by maps. The train connection was used to distribute goods and services to the city of Jacksonville.(A Locomotive is Buried Below This Skyscraper, The Jason, Ennis Davis, January 8, 2017). 

1504 Locomotive dates back to 1919 sat in parking lot of Prime Osborn for decades is a sample of an old locomotive. (Photo: Ramey).

Too in this city, there could be, buried in the bottom of a Jacksonville home owner’s junk drawer and on someone’s 1971 Kodak Instamatic X-15 camera film roll, a photo of a buried steam engine which lay deep beneath the 5th named Independent Life Building located at the 1 Independent Drive in Jacksonville, Florida.   It has yet to be revealed but maybe one day. 

When the Well’s Fargo lettering was placed on the building at the time it was re-named Wells Fargo,  James Abrams, sign technician, was one of those wearing a repelling harness to work with the bolts and attachments, in preparation for the changes back then. He said Dave Clark was a part of this team repelling on the side of the  535 foot high building on this occasion.  The owner of High Angel Services Jim Webster reported to Chanel 4 news that precision was important for the safety of all involved. The weather was clear, the wind mild and the crew professional.

Wells Fargo letters after being removed from the building 2024 (Ramey archives)

Abrams has been involved once again as I met him at the landing area located across from the Maxwell house Coffee plant where letters from the building were flown.  Two others heavily involved in the process of letter removal were Alexis Casul, and Kyle Roberson, all who work for Southeastern Lighting Solutions.  They were tasked with receiving each 1,500 pound letter by the vintage 1953 Sikorsky S-58 helicopter. ( Florida Times Union, Wells Fargo sinage comes down with help of 1958 vintage helicopter, Bob Self, July 14, 2024). 

Kyle Roberson, Alexis Casul, James Abrams of Southeastern Lighting Solutions (Photo: Ramey)

There, the twenty, approximately 17 foot, tall, 1500 pound letters were brought after being removed from the once-named Wells Fargo Building on July 14th, 2024.  The huge letters were then prepared one at a time with a steel cables for each letter and hoisted far above the building.  The letters were then  flown by helicopter to the open area to be received by hand, one at a time.   As the helicopter hovered  over the men, the letters were hanging and with careful precision, each one was held by the helicopter cable, handled by the men, lowered to the ground and unattached by the waiting crew.

By Tuesday of that week, the men had detached the bright orange letter covers, removed all lights inside of the metal lettering and had them stacked on a flat bed truck ready to be recycled.

For now, the steam engine, confirmed by eye-witnesses back-in-the-day,  lay undisturbed since 1971 when the iconic building was built and named for an accident insurance company.  The naming rights of the building belonged to the then owner, Independent Life.

For now though, all we know for sure is that on Sunday, July 14, 2024 eye witnesses saw a helicopter hang at least twenty, 1500 pound letters swagging in the air removing them to make way for the next Independent Life Building owner, Argentic Investment Management LLC of New York City to have new lettering place atop the approximately 650,000  leasable square foot building.  ( Daily RecordHelicopter removes Wells Fargo signage from Downtown Jacksonville tower.

Oh, but if locomotives could talk.