Along the Riverbank sits the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, originally the Civic Auditorium and previously known as the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. Situated along the Riverbank, this is the First Coast’s "premiere riverfront entertainment facility. The story you feel beneath your feet began when the project was commissioned in 1955; the city approved a civic auditorium and municipal coliseum to brighten the riverfront.
In 1957 the site was purchased from the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and construction on the auditorium and the Atlantic Coastline Building — now the CSX Building — began that same year. The auditorium originally opened in 1962. Later, the facility underwent a major renovation beginning in 1995 and continuing until 1997, celebrating a grand re-opening on February 8, 1997.
Inside, the center houses three distinct venues: a theatre, a concert hall, and a recital hall. It is home to the Jacksonville Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the FSCJ Artist Series, anchoring the city’s cultural life. Imagine performances past and present filling these halls, with the Riverbank and its riverfront scenery stretching out beyond.