Groundbreaking at Jim Moran Foundation

At a ceremony hosted on Wednesday, June 7, attended by Jan Moran, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and other officials from the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, The Jim Moran Foundation broke ground for its new headquarters. The building celebrates the legacy of Jim Moran by embracing a commitment to empower individuals and families and to foster the entrepreneurial spirit by investing in small businesses.

Established by Jim Moran in 2000, The Jim Moran Foundation has invested more than $230 million to improve the quality of life for the youth and families of Florida through the support of innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the community. Moran famously believed that “the future belongs to those who prepare for it,” and this new building will allow The Foundation to prepare for its future by creating a flexible, innovative, and resilient home that will continue its founder’s life story and heart of generosity.

This site will also house the South Florida Operations of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, a development program for small business owners and nonprofit leaders created by Jim Moran in 1995. A part of Florida State University’s College of Business, the Institute’s mission is to cultivate, train and inspire entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research and currently has offices in four Florida cities, including a separate location in Fort Lauderdale.

The 63,000 gross-square-foot, five-story building is a connected two-volume structure that features large open floor plates and varied program components that include office and program space for The Jim Moran Foundation and the Jim Moran Institute, shared event space, archives, and galleries including several notable cars from Moran’s six-plus decades in the automotive industry.

Sculpted exterior surfaces and inviting porches are clad in warm neutral polished precast panels while high-performance glazing is framed in dark bronze curtainwalls partially shielded with custom-perforated metal screens with geometric motifs derived from moments of Moran’s life. Engineered bamboo soffits connect visually to wood ceilings and detailing within the building, inviting connection between interior and exterior; detailed seams, edges, and human-scaled textures and materials reinforce the timeless nature of the design.

“We wanted to translate Jim Moran’s visionary mindset into the architecture of the building and its surrounding landscape. This design inspiration results in striking forms of textured, angular surfaces with dynamic carves and focused openings that highlight important programs inside, and frame views out directionally towards places of relevant connection to the foundation’s history,” said David Bailey, HASTINGS Architecture’s Design Partner. “This building will have an authentic sense of place, with craftsmanship and design that lends its occupants and visitors a feeling of discovery and growth.”

The exterior landscape is designed to enhance the environmental character and streetscape experience along Federal Highway US-1. Through the inclusion of amenities such as shade trees, seating areas, shade structures, gardens, plaza elements and open space, the site perimeter invites guests to interact and connect with one another.

Pedestrian plazas and open spaces create a sense of arrival and community, with a series of pathways dispersing off from larger plazas to weave a continual walking loop around the campus. The material palette adopted for the pathway consists of earthen tones to complement the architecture, drawing inspiration from the natural elements found along Florida’s southeastern coastline and help minimize effects on microclimates and human and wildlife habitats by reducing heat islands. Lush gardens surround the property to create resiliency from flooding.

The building is detailed and structured to resist Category 5 storm systems and is anticipated to achieve LEED Gold certification. It is estimated to be completed in March 2025.