JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The letters on the Wells Fargo building in downtown Jacksonville are set to be removed this weekend.
News4JAX news partner the Jacksonville Daily Record reported the bank is downsizing its presence in the building at 1 Independent Drive.
Jim Webster is the man in charge of the signage removal operation.
“We started this company back in 1999 with a handful of cash and a prayer,” said Webster, who hangs off the side of skyscrapers for a living. “We specialize in the high and the difficult and the stuff no one else wants to do.”
Webster and his crew at High Angle Services put the Wells Fargo name on the skyscraper back in 2011.
On Sunday, each letter will be removed using a helicopter that will then take them to an area near the Jaguars stadium.
The letters are each slightly unbolted already.
Webster said his goal is to remove the letters quickly, about four minutes for each one.
All the streets in the area must be closed and all buildings must be evacuated on Sunday. Traffic over the Main Street Bridge could close periodically due to the path of the helicopter, according to JDR.
An entity managed by Argentic Investment Management LLC of New York City acquired Wells Fargo Center in April and retained Banyan Capital, the building’s former owner, as the exclusive owner’s agent.
Argentic said there could be a new name on the tower, which would be the fifth name since the high-rise was built in 1975 for Jacksonville-based insurance company Independent Life.