01/21/2024
Some Local History about our legendary street for all activities in downtown Pensacola!
Did you know that Palafox Street was once named King George Street? 🇬🇧 😳
The Spanish settlement of what became Pensacola had passed into British hands around 1764, and Florida’s governor James Johnstone appointed engineer Lieutenant Elias Durnford to design a layout of streets and plazas that largely survives today in downtown Pensacola.
Downtown’s most central street was named after the British monarch, King George III. If you walked around downtown back then, you’d cross Charlotte, York and Glosester Streets—or perhaps you’d stroll down Albemarle or Harcourt to grab a spot of tea.
But in 1781, Spanish forces under General Bernardo Gálvez laid siege to Pensacola and won back control of West Florida at the Siege of Pensacola. What to do with all those annoying British street names???
It was during that period that the onset of the Napoleonic Wars found Spain invaded by the French and, near the Spanish city of Zaragoza, a man named José Palafox built a gunpowder and small arms factory, created a corps of sappers and brought 30,000 men under arms. He then declared war against France and led his patriots into victory over the French in Zaragoza by forcing them into withdrawal in 1809.
Back in Pensacola, the Spanish governor of West Florida Juan Vincente Folch and citizens anxiously awaited news from Spain, cheering each success. And as a gesture of their good cheer, they renamed their little community’s major thoroughfare for José Palafox.
The historic center of the city is Plaza Ferdinand VII, the place where Andrew Jackson accepted the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States in 1821. So central to Pensacola life was Plaza Ferdinand that many 19th and 20th century newspaper reports and advertisements simply called it “The Square.” Pensacola’s city hall was located on the square until the mid-1980s, when it moved into a new building on West Main Street. The old city hall building is now the TT Wentworth Florida State Museum. Towering over the square in the above photo is the American National Bank Building — today called Seville Tower — which was Florida’s tallest building when it was completed in 1910.
The Brent and Blount Buildings rose from the ashes of the 1905 Halloween Night Fire and have stood proudly for more than a century. The two buildings are currently undergoing an extensive renovation as part of Bobby Switzer’s mixed-use One Palafox Place development. The buildings’ upper floors will house offices, 26 residential units, and a new downtown co-working space, while retail shops, bars, and restaurants will occupy the ground floor.
Some of Palafox Street’s historic buildings have changed so much you’d hardly recognize them. Now owned by the Elebash family, a balcony and fresh coat of paint have been added to the 1930s-era building which once housed the “Palafox Apartments.” Dog House Deli, Moonflower Salon, Khon’s on Palafox, and Elebash’s Jewelers now occupy the ground floor of the building.
The Bear Block, home for many years to the Pensacola Restaurant Supply Company, was built in 1892 as the headquarters for the Lewis Bear Company. Purchased by Quint and Rishy Studer in 2012, the building is now home to restaurants and shops, including the original location of Bubba’s Sweet Spot, an ice cream and candy store owned in part by golfer and Pensacola Bay Area native Bubba Watson.
For two centuries, wharves at the foot of Palafox Street anchored the city’s position as a maritime hub. Eventually, however, most commercial shipping moved to the Louisville & Nashville and Frisco docks constructed by the two railroad lines serving Pensacola. In the 1950s, Palafox Wharf was redeveloped with a municipal auditorium — later called Bayfront Auditorium — that stood until 2005, when it was demolished after having sustained major damage during Hurricane Ivan. Today, the site is home to Plaza de Luna, one of the city’s most popular parks.
Something to think about when ou are parading this year on the city’s most important street!
Sources: Appleyard, John and Deborah Dunlap. Palafox: One of America’s Greatest Streets; WUWF. West Florida: The Forgotten 14th Colony. Photo: José de Palafox y Melci, 1st Duke of Zaragoza
Via PNJ - Local Pulse Pensacola and FB Doentown Pensacola
