A fire nearly erased it. Seventeen months of rebuilding brought it back. On June 4, 2026, Jacksonville finally celebrated.

Standing on the rooftop of a completed seven-story building with the downtown skyline and Everbank Stadium gleaming in the background, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and RISE President Greg Blais cut the ribbon on RISE Doro. This was a moment more than two years in the making, and one that felt, to nearly everyone present, like far more than a development milestone.

“Jacksonville is not defined by setbacks,” Deegan told the crowd gathered on the building’s 4,653-square-foot rooftop terrace. “We are defined by what we do next. When challenges come, we meet them, and we get back to work. We build. And this building stands as a reminder of that grit.”

 

A Project Reborn

RISE Doro, located at 960 East Adams Street in Jacksonville’s Downtown Sports and Entertainment District, offers 247 residential units — studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms — alongside 7,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a sweeping suite of rooftop amenities including a resort-style pool, indoor/outdoor bar, and green space with stadium views. The building sits steps from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, VyStar Ballpark, and the ongoing construction of the Stadium of the Future, positioning residents at the center of one of downtown’s most active development corridors.

But the story of RISE Doro is not simply one of construction. It is one of purpose and determination.

On the evening of January 28, 2024 — six days before RISE was originally scheduled to open the building — fire tore through the structure. More than 110 Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel responded, deploying 12 engines and seven ladder trucks. Firefighters battled the blaze for more than 24 hours, hampered by uncompleted stairwells and forced to pour water from ladder trucks rather than fight the fire from the interior.

“A lot of us grew up with the Doro building right there,” Deegan said at the time of the fire, referencing the site’s history as home to the George Doro Fixture Co. “To see the transformation of it to this was something we were all very much looking forward to. So truly, this is heartbreaking.”

 

The Long Road Back

Blais recalled receiving a phone call early the morning after the fire — before 7:00 AM, from an unfamiliar 904 number. It was the mayor.

“She quickly said, ‘I’m behind you 100%. Let’s keep going. Let’s get this done. Let’s do it again,'” Blais recounted at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

That commitment translated into action. In September 2024, Jacksonville City Council approved support for the rebuilding effort. Demolition of the wood-framed portions of the structure was completed, and in January 2025, exactly 12 months after the fire, RISE broke ground to rebuild the Doro project.

Seventeen months later, residents were already moving in.

“We made a commitment to Jacksonville,” Blais said at the ceremony. “We committed to Downtown, and working with the DIA and the City Council and the mayor’s office has afforded us an opportunity to take another swing at the pitch, and we’re so glad we did.”

As of the June 4 ribbon-cutting, the building had filled approximately 20% of its 247 units. Eighty-five of the units are reserved as workforce housing, with rents capped for 30 years at state-established levels for residents earning 120% of area median income or less — a provision that did not exist in the original project.

 

A Symbol Survives

One detail drew particular attention at the ceremony. Through the fire, the demolition, and the months of reconstruction, a pair of palm trees at the base of the building never died.

“The palm trees were there,” Deegan said with a laugh. “Those are the original palm trees — they survived the whole thing. We couldn’t figure out how in the world those palm trees were surviving.” She recounted that her husband, who worked at First Coast News, would call her weekly with updates. “He’d say, ‘Palm trees are still there. Still doing okay. I have faith.'”

For Deegan, the palms became something of a symbol for the project itself — and for downtown Jacksonville’s resilience more broadly.

“This building is more than apartments and amenities,” she said. “It is foot traffic for restaurants and retail. It is part of a growing neighborhood where people don’t just work or visit, but belong. This is home. This is what our downtown is becoming.”

 

The Team Behind the Build

The construction was an in-house effort led by RISE Senior Project Superintendent Daniel D’Orval, Assistant Superintendent Max Buchanan, Project Manager Kent Barber, and Vice President of Construction Brad Chilton. The development side was overseen by Paul Morgan, Senior Vice President of Project Management. At the ceremony, Blais presented awards to Morgan, Barber, and D’Orval in recognition of their leadership.

Blais was equally generous in thanking the broader network of partners who made the rebuild possible — the Downtown Investment Authority, Jacksonville City Council members in attendance, neighboring businesses (including Manifest Distilling, which poured drinks at the event), JFRD and JSO, and the surrounding community whose patience throughout road closures and construction upheaval he called indispensable.

“The grace and patience that you gave us throughout this entire process is appreciated,” he said. “You really gave us the strength to keep moving.”

 

What’s Next

Blais said RISE is optimistic about the neighborhood’s growing energy. He referenced “the excitement that the Jaguars have going on with the park that’s coming, and the vibrant lifestyle that this is going to offer,” as points for the area’s growing popularity.

RISE is also continuing to expand its footprint in Jacksonville, with a 260-unit complex — RISE at Sutton Place, developed in partnership with Origin Investments — currently underway on the Southside. Blais said the company remains eager to find its next opportunity in the city.

“We’ve always got our eye open for the next opportunity,” he said. “We’ll be here looking — whether it’s downtown or on the periphery.”

Deegan closed her remarks with a note of broader intention, framing the building not just as a real estate win but as a proof of concept for what downtown Jacksonville can become.

“A great downtown isn’t built with a single project,” she said. “It’s built one person at a time, one investment at a time, one bit of faith at a time. Momentum does not happen by accident. It comes through intentional acts of will. And we are here tonight because people refused to quit.”

She paused before finishing: “Those who refuse to quit cannot be defeated.”

 

 

About RISE: A Real Estate Company:

RISE is a turnkey real estate development, property management, and construction company specializing in multifamily, active adult, student housing, and mixed-use developments. Since its founding in 1995, RISE has successfully developed more than 110 projects nationwide, totaling over 64,000 beds across 26 states. The company is committed to delivering innovative and community-focused developments that enhance the student living experience. For more information, visit www.risere.com.