Visitors can once again enjoy the splendor of the well-known Friendship Fountain — with state-of-the-art sound, lights, relaxed seating and other enhanced features — after a major effort to renovate St. Johns River Park in downtown Jacksonville, Florida.

In 1963, Jacksonville architect Taylor Hardwick designed the original fountain and park, which opened in 1965. At that time, the fountain was the world’s largest and tallest, and it remains one of Jacksonville’s most recognizable and popular attractions. However, corrosion and deterioration of equipment has required periodic closures over the years.

Hanson was part of a multidisciplinary design-build team chosen to update the city’s conceptual plan and design multiple phases of a renovation to the park surrounding the Friendship Fountain at the west end of downtown Jacksonville’s Southbank Riverwalk. The revitalized park serves as a waterfront gathering space featuring active open areas, a ship-themed playground, restrooms and gardens.

Site-civil design

Hanson’s site-civil design included new sidewalks, trellis improvements, drainage and stormwater systems supporting a rain garden; a stabilized access roadway for an existing NOAA weather station; a stormwater management facility, water and sewer connections and a sanitary sewer pump station. Hanson’s team also completed a preliminary site-civil design for a future 6,000-square-foot, multi-story restaurant.

The fountain underwent an approximately $8 million renovation and upgrade and reopened to the public in early 2024 with a state-of-the-art waterfall wall featuring nightly, choreographed light shows. The revamp, part of Phase 1 of the overall project, included a new walkway around the fountain with LED color-changing lights, landscaping, circular seating for and shaded pergolas for sightseers to enjoy the light and water show. The new fountain has nearly 90 speakers, some built into surrounding light poles, and new seating areas.

The design team’s initial services included preparing an enhanced conceptual site plan with images to best reflect the anticipated hardscape, landscape and play areas. Hanson worked directly with the city and the landscape architect consultant to maximize usable space, providing layout assistance, coordination and research to determine if permitting modifications would be required.

Hanson’s site-civil design for Phase 1 included:

  • the main sidewalk entrance to the park
  • the sidewalk around the fountain
  • updates to the trellis area around the sidewalks
  • the coordination and preliminary design of stormwater collection systems
  • a stormwater management facility
  • water and sewer service connections for the new buildings

The renovated park features a theme of “Exploring the St. Johns River.” Amenities include a Jean Ribault-themed play area with a ship structure replicating the vessel of the French explorer, who settled in the area in 1562; a restroom/office building; a wedding venue; picnic pavilions; and an interpretive garden known as Bartram’s Garden that shares the story of the city’s founding and the significance of the American Heritage River.