Open City Architecture Wins Best New Building For Stone Climbing Jacksonville
ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (May 6, 2026) – Open City Architecture was awarded the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) Award of Excellence for Best New Building Under $15M for Stone Climbing’s newest facility in Jacksonville, Florida. It was presented to R. Conner Dowling, Open City Architecture; Eric Hires, Stone Climbing; and Edmundo Gonzalez and Ronnie Leinwohl, Urban Partners Construction. The NAIOP Awards of Excellence, presented by the NAIOP Northeast Florida Chapter, is an annual program that recognizes the best projects, developments, real estate transactions, and individual contributions in the region's commercial real estate industry.
Stone Climbing Jacksonville opened in January 2026 and is a 15,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art indoor climbing facility in Deerfield Park. The $3,074,060 project is an expansion of Stone Climbing’s existing St. Augustine location.
“We wanted to reinforce the connection to the outdoors while providing the controlled, safe environment of an indoor facility,” shares R. Conner Dowling, AIA, Principal and Founder of Open City Architecture, a full-service design studio based in St. Augustine, Florida. Dowling and the team developed a “climbing canyon” concept in which the architecture molds itself around the climbing experience. The building’s shape integrates climbing walls and bouldering areas of varying heights and difficulty levels, juxtaposed with giant images of Florida wildlife created by Flagler College graduate Matthew Batty, with the large windows bringing the outdoors in. Part climbing gym, part art installation, Stone Climbing Jacksonville includes training spaces, retail areas, community rooms, a gym, and support facilities.
Dowling started his career in St. Augustine, his hometown, before venturing to Miami, Paris, and then the Pacific Northwest. He’s happy to be back home in St. Augustine, working on projects that merge thoughtful collaboration, material honesty, and deep respect for context. His portfolio includes K-12 schools and higher education buildings, high-rise office and residential towers, high-tech work environments, and residential homes. “Buildings hold memory and create meaning over time,” he explains. “Open City Architecture grew out of a desire to slow things down and pay closer attention to place, people, and the quiet details that shape everyday life.”
