Zaragoza & Jefferson
When city leaders decided to build a new city hall in 1906, it was a natural choice to select the location facing Plaza Ferdinand VII, a site of much political activity in Pensacola’s past. Frederick Ausfeld, who also designed the city jail located just across Zaragoza Street, was selected as the building’s architect and designer. The city hall building was designed in a Spanish Colonial Revival style with Mediterranean Revival style influences. C. H. Turner, a local prominent contractor, built the new city hall from Ausfeld’s designs. Turner was also responsible for constructing the San Carols Hotel, the Saenger Theater, the Blount Building and numerous private residences. The new city hall was dedicated on March 5, 1908.
This building operated as city hall for more than seventy years. During this time the third floor of the structure was actually an open atrium that looked down onto the second-floor council chambers. When city employees moved to the new city hall building in 1985, the original building was converted into a museum in 1988. Today, the Pensacola Museum of History is the flagship museum for the UWF Historic Trust and features three floors of exhibits.
Old City Jail
In 1906 the City of Pensacola made plans to construct a two-story building to house the City Jail, City Courthouse, Police Department, and Shore Patrol. Built in Spanish Revival Style as a fireproof building, it was the first permanent jail in the community. Prior to that there were only small, makeshift facilities to hold prisoners. From 1908 until the 1940’s the jail usually housed 15 to 25 prisoners, three or four being women. The jail served the community for four decades until the needs of a growing population outgrew the 12,000-square foot structure.
In 1954, members of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) envisioned a venue to exhibit traveling art exhibitions, offer art classes for both children and adults, and provide a community space for public meetings, lectures, films and other cultural presentations. Joining with others in the community who shared this vision, they formed the Pensacola Art Association.
When the City of Pensacola replaced the City Jail in 1954, the Pensacola Art Association sought to secure the building. The Spanish Revival structure was well-suited to become an arts center. The jail was already fireproof, secure and centrally located in Pensacola’s historic downtown district. The City agreed to lease the jail for $1 a year and the Art Association’s board members transformed the former jail cells into exhibition spaces. The Art Association (which became the Pensacola Museum of Art in 1982) purchased the building in 1988. In 2016, the Pensacola Museum of Art entered into a gift agreement with the University of West Florida to transfer the museum to the university. The PMA is now part of the University of West Florida Historic Trust.
Old Escambia County Court of Record
Built in 1912, the Escambia County Court of Record Building was the last public building to be built in this general area, following a firehouse (1873), City Jail (1907), and City Hall (1908). The Court of Record Building is an impressive Beaux Arts style building that is drastically different from the Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Revival architecture of city hall and the city jail. Architect Rudolph Benz, out of Mobile, AL, designed the building, which was financed by an $180,000 bond. The construction features a steel frame, brick walls covered in stucco to look like stone blocks, and concrete floors. The jail was used until 1955 and by 1978, Escambia County built a new judicial center on the west side of town. In 1988, the building was transferred to the Pensacola Little Theatre and renovated to provide offices to a number of non-profits.
