The Pensacola Historic District (also known as the Seville Historic District) is a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

(designated as such on September 29, 1970) located in

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The district is roughly bounded by Bayfront Parkway, Tarragona, Romana and Cevallos Streets. Within the district are the Historic Pensacola Village, the

T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum The Pensacola Museum of History at the University of West Florida, formerly the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, is a museum of history located at 330 Jefferson Street in the Plaza Ferdinand VII in Pensacola, Florida. It is part of the His ...

and Seville Square. Seville Square and its twin

Plaza Ferdinand VII The Plaza Ferdinand VII is an outdoor garden and park in the Historic Pensacola Village area of downtown Pensacola, Florida. It is located on Palafox Street between Government and Zaragoza Streets. It was named after Ferdinand VII of Spain, the Kin ...

were the parade grounds for the Fort of Pensacola established during British rule. In 1559, a site to the northeast of the Pensacola Historic District on the Pensacola Bay is the earliest known European settlement on the North American continent.

Establishment

Pensacola Heritage Foundation

In the early 1960s, a group of local

preservationist Preservationist is generally understood to mean ''historic preservationist'': one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects, or sites from demolition or degradation. Historic preservation us ...

s led by Pensacolian Mary Turner Rule (née Reed) formed the Pensacola Heritage Foundation, joined the National Trust and surveyed the Seville Square Historic District, the neighborhood around Seville Square adjacent to Pensacola Bay. Realizing the importance of Pensacola's history and the need to save it, Rule and the Heritage Foundation nominated the Pensacola Historic District to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The group purchased the Dorr House and restored it. They convinced the city to bring the deteriorated square to its present-day restored state. Then they created a festival, a hometown Victorian picnic in the park, An Evening in Old Seville Square, to bring Pensacolians to the district encouraging restoration. Rule had the famous lighthouse at the Navy Air Station listed on the National Register. She also helped create a state board now called the N.W. Florida Preservation Board, whose function is to protect the Seville Square Historic District and Pensacola's history. The city established the Architecture Review board to protect Pensacola's history locally.

UWF Historic Trust

In 1967, the Pensacola Historical Preservation and Restoration Commission was founded to preserve the history of Pensacola, including its historic monuments and buildings, to educate the public. In 2001, the organization was repealed by the Florida legislature and its collections and buildings were transferred to the

University of West Florida The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida. Established in 1963 as part of the State University System of Florida, the university sits on the third largest campus in the State University Sy ...

(UWF). In 2009, the Pensacola Heritage Society merged with the organization to become the West Florida Historic Preservation, renamed in 2013 to UWF Historic Trust.

Historic Pensacola Village

Historic Pensacola (located within the Pensacola Historic District) is a collection of 28 historical buildings and museums managed by the University of West Florida's Historic Trust. Historic Pensacola is located in downtown

, Florida, situated between

and Seville Square.

Buildings and museums

Pensacola Museum of History The Pensacola Museum of History at the University of West Florida, formerly the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, is a museum of history located at 330 Jefferson Street in the Plaza Ferdinand VII in Pensacola, Florida. It is part of the His ...

*Pensacola Children's Museum * Museum of Commerce * Museum of Industry *Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center * Old Christ Church * Bowden Building *Tivoli High House: Historic boarding house now used as a ticket office *

Lavalle House The Lavalle House (also known as the Charles Lavalle House) is a historic house located at 203 East Church Street in Pensacola, Florida. Built in 1805, the Charles Lavalle House is part of Historic Pensacola Village, and features a French Creole ...

* Lear-Rocheblave House: Historic home restored to a 1920s boarding house * Dorr House *Manuel Barrios Cottage * Julee Cottage: Historic home owned by Julee Panton, a free woman of color *Barkley House *John Appleyard Cottage *Fountain Park *Colonial Archaeological Trail *

Pensacola Museum of Art The Pensacola Museum of Art is the only art museum in the city of Pensacola, Florida. It was founded in 1954 by a group of women from the American Association of University Women. Since 2016, it is a University of West Florida Art Museum. Histor ...

Image gallery

Image:Pensacola_HD_Julee03.jpg, Julee Cottage, 1805 Image:Pensacola_HD_Tivoli02.jpg, Tivoli House, 1805 Image:Pensacola Dorr House01.jpg, Clara Barkley Dorr House, 1871, residence of UWF president Image:Pensacola_HD_Lear-Rocheblave01.jpg, Lear Rocheblave House, 1890 Image:Pensacola_Old_Christ_Church03.jpg, Old Christ Church, 1763 Image:Pensacola_HD_Wentworth01.jpg, T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum Image:Pensacola_HD_MOC02.jpg, Museum of Commerce Image:Pensacola HD MOI02.jpg, Museum of Industry

References

External links

University of West Florida Historic Trust's website

Historic Pensacola's website

Pensacola Heritage Foundation's website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida Pensacola, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Escambia County, Florida Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Tourist attractions in Pensacola, Florida Geography of Escambia County, Florida Museums in Pensacola, Florida History museums in Florida Open-air museums in Florida 1970 establishments in Florida