Jesse B. Smith Memorial Plaza

Jesse B. Smith Memorial Plaza is a small pocket park situated across from the Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville. In the early 1940s, Guaranty Life Company of Florida established its offices in a four-story building that included the park property. After fire destroyed most of the building in May 1995, the city acquired the land and created the park, which opened in July 1996. It is named for a long-time city employee who served in the fields of economic development and planning, and was Deputy Director of the Planning and Development Department (housed in the Florida Theatre building) when he died in 1996 at age 59. His dedicated work brought a host of new businesses and thousands of jobs to Jacksonville, and his positive outlook had a lasting impact on all who knew him. The latest installation in the park is an art piece called "Jaxoscope". Thanks to Shasti O'Leary-Soundant and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, December 2019.