PENSACOLA CULTURAL CENTER HISTORY

Pensacola's rich history dates back to the 1500s, as Pensacola was the first European settlement in the new world of America. Over our long past, the flags of Spain, Britian, France, the Confederate States and the United States have flown over our city. Above is a map of Pensacola in 1778, when the British ruled Northwest Florida. The only British fort ever to be built in the United States was built in Pensacola. On this map you can see where the Pensacola Cultural Center sits today, in relation to where Fort Pensacola stood over 200 years ago.

The demands of a growing population at the beginning of the 20th century increased the requirements of justice. Recognizing the problem, the state legislature established a Court of Record of the county and the Board of Commissioners authorized construction of a building at Jefferson and Tarragona streets which would be built in two segments. One would house the court facilities, a judge's chambers, the sheriff's offices, the county solicitor and ancillary facilities. The second portion would be the new county jail, several stories high, and erected with an innovation that was impressive in its time: prefabricated cells which might be dropped into place by a crane within the building framework. All of the cells faced the gallows.

Design work for both buildings was assigned to Mobile architect Rudolph Benz, who initially worked with the low construction bidder, the Keynton Construction Company. Early in the process, the Keynton firm was phased into a new company headed by local architect F. M. Blount, son of one of the area's leading attorneys, William Alexander Blount.

The building was financed by a bond issue of $180,000. Construction on the neo-classical court house began in early 1911. The twin building design provided for a courtyard, and an arched entry allowed protected egress. Technically, the buildings were occupied in January 1912, but there were long disputes between the architect, contractor, and the commissioners over details of installation and completion.

The space that is now the theatre housed three floors of jail cells for men and women, and hospital facilities for each. The seating area and stage was originally used for stacking cells. There was a Guards Room, the Sheriff's office and facilities for his men, food service, and a room in which visitors met prisoners.

The North side of the Center was the Court of Record Building. It had, in addition to the court itself, chambers for the judge, offices, for the solicitor, a jurors chamber, restrooms, a stairwell and elevator shafts, as well as certain public areas.

The original marble staircase connecting the first and second floor of the Court of Record Building remains intact, as does the paneling behind the judge's bench.

The Atrium, which connects the two sides of the Center, was not enclosed and served as the prisoners' exercise yard. Most of the walls of the Atrium are the original brick.

The forms of punishment doled out by the courts in the early 1900's gained much public attention. Beginning with the British occupation, ther had been flogging, use of the pillory and stocks, and even tar and feathering.

In one celebrated murder case, a woman had her right hand cut off before being hung. But hangings persisted and there was a build-in gallows on the third floor of the Court of Record Building. One case involved Hosea Poole, who killed his brother in a fight over Hosea's bicycle and shoes. His hanging on July 31, 1920, was the final one in this building. Some backstage workers and volunteers are convinced that Hosea makes a cameo appearance from time to time!

For hangings, the iron circle in the ceiling of the judge's chamber held the rope, while a steel trap door in the floor held the prisoner until his time had come.

The jail and court continued in operation with little change until 1946, when $122,000 in renovations were made. The jail continued in use until 1955 when a new jail was funded at a cost of $700,000 and built on Leonard Street. The Court of Record Building's jail cells were stripped out and re-used. The void left at the removal of the cells remained a hollow shell thereafter.

Original concept art for the Pensacola Cultural Center

In 1978, when the city-county-state agreed to begin work on a concentration of services within a governmental district, the first structure erected was a Judicial Center into which the functions of the Court of Record were folded. From that year the building remained empty until 1988 when it was deeded by the county to the Pensacola Little Theatre with the understanding that funding would be obtained for transforming the structure into arts units, the final portion of which would become a 474 seat, state-of-the-art theater occupying the former jail - it would become the Pensacola Cultural Center, home of the Pensacola Little Theatre.

1994 Renovation of the Escambia County Building. The long open areas on the Main Street side of the building is where the prisoners were housed. This would become Pensacola Little Theatre's Mainstage Theatre.

1994 Renovation of the Escambia County Building. This is a shot inside where the Jail was located. This area is now Pensacola Little Theatre's Mainstage Theatre seating area.

With local contributions along with State, City and County matching funds, the Cultural Center was renovated in three phases. Construction began with the assistance of Carter Quina, an expert in historical renovations, serving as the architect and Greenhut Construction Co., as the contractor. Phases 1 and 2 were completed in April 1992. Original tenants included Kaleidoscope and Ballet Pensacola with dance studios and office space on the third floor, the West Florida Literary Federation with office space and a community library, the African American Heritage Society and the Pensacola Children's Chorus all with offices on the second floor. In the spirit of what the building was intended for, the Pensacola Children's Chorus grew and moved on to its own facility in 1997 and the Pensacola Opera moved into the Cultural Center. Then the Opera grew and moved into its new facility in 1998 and Communities in Schools, a state-supported, non-profit organization moved into their vacated office space. In August 2000, the African American Heritage Society moved into their newly renovated facility in downtown Pensacola and another organization dedicated to the enhancement of children's education, the National League of Junior Cotillions moved into their office space.

Also completed on Phases 1 and 2 were the Rehearsal Hall, dedicated to the memory of one of the key players in the move to the Cultural Center, Mr. Lew Taylor. His wife, Sis Taylor, remains an active volunteer with PLT. Additional rooms include the Courtroom, which appropriately named served as the original courtroom in the Court of Records building. The Gallery, the Boardroom, the Atrium lobby and the Green Room are all beautifully restored rooms available for rent by the public for various functions.

In January 1996, the theater (Phase 3) was complete and the Pensacola Little Theatre finally had a home of its own.