Originally known as the Prudential Building, it was constructed in 1955 for
Prudential Insurance, which had selected Jacksonville as its Southeastern headquarters. Construction materials included Alabama limestone, North Carolina pink granite and Georgia marble. The property is situated on the south/east bank of the
St. Johns River and includes of riverfrontage. A 2-ton piece of the
Rock of Gibraltar, once in the lobby, is now found in the courtyard on the riverfront. The building was used as background in scenes from the film
Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Ocwen Financial Corp. completed the $36 million purchase of the Prudential Plaza One building in August, 1998. In 1999,
Aetna acquired the
Prudential HealthCare business for $1 billion, and the signage was changed to "Aetna". The building is officially known as
Prudential Plaza I. Another major renovation was completed in 2002 after was vacated by Aetna. The makeover also included construction of a 1,100-space parking garage by
Elkins Constructors. On January 23, 2004, Ocwen sold 841 Prudential Drive to South Shore Group for $39 million. The building's name reverted to Aetna Building. At the January 31, 2008 meeting of the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC), plans were tentatively approved for a 128-slip dockage facility to be named The South Shore Marina & Riverwalk at the Aetna Building. The project will use a design similar to that used by
South Beach marinas. Landscape and lighting improvements will be made to the existing
Jacksonville Riverwalk. Permits from the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the
United States Army Corps of Engineers had already been obtained. ==Tenants==