JWB Real Estate Capital
Alex Sifakis
Greenleaf & Crosby Building (built 1927)
JWB Real Estate Capital was founded in Jacksonville in 2006 and has grown into one of the region’s leading real estate development and investment firms. With deep roots in the city, JWB has played a significant role in Downtown Jacksonville’s ongoing revitalization, including the restoration of the historic Greenleaf & Crosby Building—built in 1927 during the period of downtown growth that followed the Great Fire of 1901—as well as the redevelopment of the former Federal Reserve and Florida Baptist Convention buildings.
Today, JWB is also a partner in Gateway Jax, an ambitious initiative working to reshape and reinvigorate Jacksonville’s urban core for the next generation. Through thoughtful investment in Jacksonville’s historic built environment, JWB embodies the spirit of renewal that has shaped this city for more than a century.
Alex Sifakis
Greenleaf & Crosby Building (built 1927)
Dr. Wayne W. Wood
Widely regarded as one of the foremost chroniclers of Northeast Florida’s history and architecture, Dr. Wayne Wood has been called “the undisputed godfather of preservation in Jacksonville.” An author, historian, artist, and retired optometrist, Wayne is founder of Riverside Avondale Preservation, the Riverside Arts Market, and Friends of Hemming Park (now James Weldon Johnson Park).
He has published 20 books on Northeast Florida, and his best-known book is the classic, Jacksonville’s Architectural Heritage: Landmarks for the Future, updated in 2022 in an award-winning edition to commemorate Jacksonville’s Bicentennial. A self-proclaimed “Arts Agitator,” Wayne is an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects and is the Historian-at-Large for the Jacksonville History Center.
He was named one of the “50 Most Influential People in Northeast Florida” by Jacksonville Magazine, and Folio Weekly called him “The Most Interesting Man in Jacksonville.” It is in recognition of this lifelong dedication to preserving and sharing Jacksonville’s stories that the Jacksonville History Center is proud to present Wayne with the inaugural Keeper of the Flame Award.