1661 Riverside

Executive Summary

1661 Riverside is the modern-construction exception inside the historic district: a 2006 building in a neighborhood defined by pre-war homes and converted schoolhouses. Homes.com (June 2026) estimates unit values from roughly $252K for the smallest one-bedrooms to about $701K for the largest three-bedrooms, with a current resale asking $389,000.

The monthly fee, reported between roughly $514 and $726 depending on the unit (Homes.com, June 2026), covers building insurance, water, sewer, trash, exterior and grounds, pest control, and security. Priced against a Riverside house carrying its own insurance and maintenance, the all-in monthly gap is smaller than the sticker suggests. Run that math honestly.

This is a condo purchase in the post-2021 Florida regulatory era: budget, reserve study, master insurance, and any planned assessments decide more than the finishes do. The building paperwork is the inspection here, and a 2006 build with a rooftop amenity deck has real line items in it.

Quick Facts

Community Overview & History

New-century construction on the park

When 1661 Riverside delivered in 2006, it gave the historic district something it almost never gets: a full city block of new construction directly facing Memorial Park. The building runs four stories over a parking podium, with retail at the sidewalk and two distinct product types above: open contemporary lofts, many with 11-foot ceilings and exposed structure, and a smaller run of townhome-style units with more conventional layouts.

How it lives day to day

Residents cross one street to Memorial Park and the riverfront, walk to Five Points in a few minutes, and reach a grocery store within a block. The rooftop terrace carries the skyline and river view that individual units on the back side give up. It is the most walkable ownership address in Riverside that does not involve a 1920s building, and the parking situation (two assigned garage spaces per unit) is unusually good for the district.

What You Are Actually Buying

Three unit classes share the building, and the spread between them is wide. Figures below are Homes.com value estimates (June 2026), not appraisals; view, floor, and finish move individual units around inside the bands.

One-bedroom lofts: roughly $252K to $277K

The entry door, around 673 to 856 sq ft. Open loft layouts with the building amenity set and garage parking underneath. The cheapest way to own across from Memorial Park.

Two-bedroom units: roughly $273K to $566K

The widest band in the building, from compact interior two-bedrooms to large corner and park-facing layouts approaching 1,900 sq ft. Orientation is the price driver: park and river views command the premium.

Three-bedroom and townhome-style: roughly $433K to $701K

The top of the stack, around 1,523 to 1,929 sq ft, including the 21 townhome-style residences. A three-bedroom here competes directly with historic-district houses, which is exactly the trade some buyers want: the location without the old-house maintenance.

Real Estate Market

Recent activity frames the bands: unit 410 listed at $389,000 in March 2026 (Homes.com), unit 326 closed at $320,000 in June 2025, and a large three-bedroom, unit 214, closed at $723,000 in April 2024 (Redfin). Inventory is thin in a 90-unit building, so pricing leans on the last few comparable sales, not averages.

The buyer pool is specific: walkability-first owners, downsizers leaving historic-district houses, and medical and downtown professionals. That pool pays for park orientation and ceiling height, and discounts interior units facing the garage side.

Because the fee covers insurance, water, sewer, and trash, buyers should compare all-in monthly cost against houses, not just price. On that basis the building frequently beats similarly priced single-family alternatives in the district.

Market Position

1661 Riverside draws walkability-first buyers who want Memorial Park, Five Points, and the river on foot: professionals working downtown or at the nearby hospitals, downsizers trading a historic house for one-level lock-and-leave living, and owners who want the district without pre-war maintenance.

Schools

A 1661 Riverside address is served by Duval County Public Schools, with attendance zones by home address, plus the private and charter options concentrated in the historic districts. Confirm the exact zoning for the address before you buy, since urban-core zones shift more often than suburban ones.

Amenities & Lifestyle

The amenity set is practical rather than resort-style, and the location does the heavy lifting.

Rooftop terrace

Common terrace with grills and skyline and river views: the shared outdoor room that makes the smaller units live larger.

Parking and storage

Gated garage with two assigned spaces per unit, EV charging stations, and secure storage cages: a rare package in the historic district.

Courtyard and lobby

Landscaped interior courtyard with a fountain, secured lobby and elevators, and concierge staffing during business hours.

The neighborhood

Memorial Park across the street, the St. Johns River beyond it, Five Points a short walk, a grocery store within a block, and the Cummer Museum and Riverside Arts Market minutes away.

HOA, CDD & Costs

Reported dues run roughly $514 to $726 a month depending on the unit (Homes.com, June 2026) and cover building insurance, water, sewer, trash, exterior and grounds maintenance, pest control, and security. Confirm the current figure and what it includes on the specific unit before you write; condo budgets move year to year.

There is no CDD. The fee is the whole recurring story beyond taxes, which makes the all-in monthly comparison against a house straightforward: add the house insurance, maintenance reserve, and utilities the fee would have covered, then compare.

Pull the association budget, the most recent reserve study, the master insurance certificate, and any board minutes discussing assessments during your inspection period. Florida condo-reserve rules tightened after 2021 statewide reforms, and buildings of this era are funding items like roofs, elevators, and amenity decks on real schedules now.

Commute Analysis

The point of the address is not needing the car: park, river, grocery, and Five Points on foot, with downtown and the Riverside hospital cluster minutes away when you do drive.

Shopping & Dining

A grocery store sits within a block, Five Points covers restaurants and independent retail on foot, and the Shoppes of Avondale are a few minutes down the boulevard. Daily life works without leaving the district.

Pros and Cons

1661 Riverside vs. Comparable Communities

Hidden Things Buyers Should Know

The fee is a bundle, not a tax

Insurance, water, sewer, and trash live inside the monthly fee. Buyers who compare it to a bare HOA fee on a house are comparing the wrong numbers, and they routinely pass on units that beat their alternatives all-in.

Orientation is the building premium

Park-facing units carry the value of the address; garage-side interior units are the value play. Same building, same fee, very different resale behavior. Buy the orientation you can resell.

Paperwork beats inspection

On a 2006 condo, the unit inspection finds cosmetics; the budget, reserve study, and board minutes find the money. Florida reserve rules now force buildings to fund big items on schedule, so read what this one is funding next.

Momentum Expert Insight

Selling a Home in 1661 Riverside

In a 90-unit building, your comp set is tiny and buyers will know the recent trades. Pricing off the last park-facing or interior comparable, whichever matches your unit, beats pricing off the building average every time.

Document the association health up front: budget, reserves, insurance, no-assessment status if true. Condo buyers in Florida are paperwork-first now, and a listing that answers those questions before they are asked sells faster and holds price.

Flood Zones & Insurance

Jacksonville sees coastal, river, and creek flooding, and pockets near the St. Johns River tributaries can sit in higher-risk zones. Jacksonville participates in the FEMA Community Rating System at a class 6, which earns flood-insurance discounts of about 10 percent for homes outside a special flood hazard area and about 20 percent for homes inside one.

The reliable move is to pull the FEMA flood designation for the exact 1661 Riverside address before you write an offer, since two homes in the same area can fall in different zones. A home in Zone X can cost far less to insure than one near water in Zone AE. Get a bindable flood and homeowners quote during your inspection period, so the cost is in your monthly math before you commit, not after.

Internet & Connectivity

The Jacksonville metro is served by Xfinity (Comcast) cable across nearly all addresses and by AT&T with DSL almost everywhere plus fiber to a growing share of homes. If working from home matters, confirm the options, and fiber in particular, at the specific 1661 Riverside address rather than assuming.

The Tax Reality

Duval County total millage runs roughly 17.9 to 18.5 mills depending on the taxing district. The Florida homestead exemption for 2026 is 51,411 dollars for those who qualify, and the deadline to file a new homestead exemption is March 1.

The trap to plan for is the post-sale reset: when you buy, the Save Our Homes cap from the previous owner ends and the assessed value resets to the new just value, so your second-year tax bill is often higher than the seller current one. Budget the true number, and confirm whether the specific home carries a CDD or other assessment that is billed separately from the millage and is not reduced by the homestead exemption.

What Your Budget Buys Here

Three honest tiers inside one address: one-bedroom lofts roughly $252K to $277K, two-bedrooms roughly $273K to $566K depending heavily on orientation and size, and three-bedroom and townhome-style units roughly $433K to $701K (Homes.com value estimates, June 2026). For context, the recent tape runs from a $320,000 closing in June 2025 to a $723,000 three-bedroom in April 2024 (Redfin). The same dollars buy a historic house deeper in the district; what they buy here is the park, the garage, and systems built this century. Decide which problem you want to own.

The Future of the Area

Duval County continues to grow, with new rooftops, retail, and road work reshaping parts of the area. That growth supports long-run demand, but it can also add competing inventory and construction traffic in the near term, so factor both the upside and the disruption into your timing and your pricing.

Resale Liquidity

Resale here is orientation plus association health. Park-facing units with clean condo documents sell on the strength of the address; interior units compete on price with the wider Riverside condo market. Keep your unit lender-friendly by knowing the association numbers, and when you sell, publish them. In thin-inventory buildings, the listing that removes doubt wins the trade.

The 1661 Riverside Playbook

How we would buy here: pick orientation first (park-facing premium or interior value, deliberately), then price off the last two or three trades of that orientation, not the building average. Request the condo documents early and read the reserve study and minutes before the inspection period ends. Confirm the current fee and what it covers, then run the all-in monthly against the houses you are cross-shopping. And use a lender who handles Florida condo reviews routinely, because the building questionnaire, not your credit, is where these deals wobble.

Questions We Would Ask Before Buying Here

Mistakes to Avoid

The expensive mistakes on this building: comparing the condo fee to a house HOA instead of running the all-in monthly; skipping the reserve study because the unit shows well; paying a park-view price for an interior unit because the listing photos led with the rooftop; and assuming any Florida condo lends easily in the post-2021 rules era. Each one is avoidable with a week of paperwork diligence.

Live Market: Homes for Sale & Recent Sales

Live MLS inventory for 1661 Riverside Jacksonville. Every active listing, what is under contract right now, and the last 12 months of closed sales, refreshed twice a day. Real closed prices beat any estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 1661 Riverside?

A four-story, 90-unit condominium completed in 2006 at 1661 Riverside Avenue in Jacksonville, directly across from Memorial Park: 69 contemporary lofts and 21 townhome-style units over gated garage parking and ground-floor retail.

How much do condos at 1661 Riverside cost?

Homes.com (June 2026) estimates values from roughly $252K for the smallest one-bedrooms to about $701K for the largest three-bedrooms. A current resale was asking $389,000, and recent closings include $320,000 (June 2025) and $723,000 for a large three-bedroom (April 2024, Redfin). Verify current pricing; thin inventory moves the bands.

What is the monthly fee and what does it cover?

Reported dues run roughly $514 to $726 a month by unit (Homes.com, June 2026), covering building insurance, water, sewer, trash, exterior and grounds, pest control, and security. Confirm the current figure on the specific unit with the association.

Is there a CDD at 1661 Riverside?

No. The condo association fee is the recurring cost beyond taxes and your own utilities not covered by the fee.

What unit types exist in the building?

One-bedrooms around 673 to 856 sq ft, two-bedrooms around 925 to 1,908 sq ft, and three-bedrooms around 1,523 to 1,929 sq ft, split between open loft layouts and 21 townhome-style residences. Many units carry 11-foot ceilings and balconies or terraces.

What amenities does the building have?

A rooftop terrace with grills and skyline and river views, a gated garage with two assigned spaces per unit and EV charging, a landscaped courtyard with a fountain, secure storage, business-hours concierge, and ground-floor retail.

Is parking really included?

Yes: two assigned garage spaces per unit, which is one of the strongest parking packages of any condo in the historic district, plus EV charging stations in the garage.

What should I check before buying a condo here?

The association budget, the most recent reserve study, the master insurance certificate, and board minutes discussing assessments. Florida tightened condo reserve and inspection rules after 2021, and a 2006 building is funding real capital items now. We pull this paperwork with clients before offers.

Are the views worth the premium?

Park- and river-facing units carry the identity of the building and resell on it; interior and garage-side units are the value entry. Both are rational buys at the right price, but pay the premium only for the orientation that actually has it.

Is 1661 Riverside walkable?

Yes, that is the point: Memorial Park across the street, Five Points about a five-minute walk, a grocery store within a block, and the Cummer Museum and Riverside Arts Market minutes away.

Are pets allowed?

The building is reported pet-friendly with association approval. Confirm current breed, size, and count rules in the condo documents before you commit.

Can I rent out a unit at 1661 Riverside?

Rental and lease-minimum rules are set by the condo documents and can change. Verify the current leasing policy with the association before buying with rental plans.

What schools serve 1661 Riverside?

Duval County Public Schools by attendance zone, plus the private and charter options concentrated in the historic districts. Confirm the exact zoning for the address before you buy.

How does it compare to a historic house in Riverside?

Same neighborhood, opposite problem set: the house gives land and character with pre-war maintenance; the building gives modern systems, garage parking, and lock-and-leave living with a condo fee and association rules. Run the all-in monthly on both before deciding.

Who should I call about 1661 Riverside?

Call Momentum Realty at (904) 351-6461 or use the form on this page, and we will connect you with the right agent.

Do I need my own agent to buy here?

Yes. Condo purchases are won in the paperwork: association health, orientation pricing, and lender selection. Your own agent works for you on all three; the listing side does not.

Related Reading

Weighing the historic district more broadly, or other ownership formats inside it? Start here.