Palafox Place

Palafox Place is a major commercial area in downtown Pensacola, Florida, United States. It is located along a large section of the South Palafox thoroughfare. The title is not used by all Floridians. The urban locale is defined by a length of roadway situated south of Garden Street and north of Government Street.[1]

Palafox Place

Palafox Place has been labeled an "entertainment district" due to the location of venues such as the Saenger Theater. Various culinary venues are based in the area,[2] contributing to Palafox Place's popularity as a historic center for leisure and tourist activities.

History

Early history 1760s

Palafox was first known as Gorge Street, when a British engineer, Allies Stanforn, surveyed the city. During the re-capturing of Florida by the Spanish Empire in 1783, the street was renamed Calle De Palafox or Palafox Street. It stretched from the gardens today known as Garden Street to the waterfront where Main Street sits today. The area then was also a commercial area.

After the Civil War

When the Civil War ended Pensacola became an export centre for the Gulf Coast and the area of Palafox Place became a commercial hub. Exports included yellow pine and red snapper.

1900s

By the nineteen hundreds the area of Palafox Place was expanding with department stores, restaurants, offices and the city's first street lights.

World War II

Palafox Place continued to be the city's commercial hub well into the twentieth century until World War II. Thereafter suburban malls and shopping centers increased in retail and parking space pulling attention from Palafox Street.

Twenty-first century

Palafox Place houses restaurants, clubs, entertainment, marketing firms and more.[3]

New Year's Eve
Main article: Pelican Drop

The Pensacola Pelican Drop is the New Year's Eve Celebration that takes place in Palafox Place. The first dropping of the pelican happened December 31, 2008 as announced in the Pensacola News Journal. The Celebration is held with the dropping of a 12 foot tall, 2 1/2 ton aluminum Pelican wrapped with 2,000 lights. In 2010 the third edition was reported to be the biggest New Year's Eve Celebration in the Central Time Zone and the 2011 again grew.[4]

Notable landmarks

See also

Pensacola
Palafox

References
  1. Franklin D. Kimbrough (October 2008). "Two‐Way Traffic On Palafox Place Returns" (PDF). Downtown Pensacola. Downtown Improvement Board. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  2. Staff (2011). "dining". Downtown Pensacola. Downtown Improvement Board. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  3. "Welcome". Play Pensacola. [Play Pensacola]. 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
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