Editing Escambia County Courthouse

{{Infobox Building
|image=EscambiaCourthouse1.jpg
|caption=Escambia County Courthouse
|name=Escambia County Courthouse
|location=223 South [[Palafox Street]]<br/>Pensacola, FL 32502
|architect=[[S. S. Leonard]], brickwork
|client=
|engineer=[[M. E. Bell]]
|owner=
|construction_start_date=
|completion_date=[[1887]]
|renovations=[[1937]]
|date_demolished=
|cost=
|structural_system=
|style=
|size=Four stories
|mapcode=
}}
{{otheruses}}

The '''Escambia County Courthouse''', formerly the '''United States Customs House & Post Office''', is located on the northwest corner of [[Palafox Street|Palafox]] and [[Government Street]]s. It is often called the "Old Escambia County Courthouse," not to be confused with an [[Old Escambia County Courthouse|even older building]] that was razed in [[1938]].

==Background==
Florida was transferred to the United States in [[1821]], yet Pensacola had no building in which to conduct affairs of the federal government for more than thirty years. Finally, in the 1850s, authorities selected a property on which to build a federal customs house. Proximity to Pensacola's wharfs was integral, but the chosen site was already occupied by [[William Kaiser]]'s department store. Kaiser took the matter to court, but was unable to prove legal title to the land. The building was razed and the site cleared.

The three-story wooden [[Old Custom House|custom house]] was built in [[1854]] for $60,000. The newspapers were critical of its unattractive architecture and high cost, and few mourned the building when it was destroyed in an [[1880]] fire.

==Construction==
[[Image:CustomsHouse.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The U.S. Customs House]]
A replacement for the customs house was planned immediately. The new building would be larger — four stories high, plus a basement — and constructed of limestone.

The general contractor, [[M. E. Bell]], discovered a substantial underground water flow during site excavation, which he solved by dropping in hundreds of cotton bales. The cotton is still at the foundation of the building. Masonry work was contracted to [[S. S. Leonard]].

The building was completed in [[1887]] with dedication ceremonies led by postmaster [[C. C. Yonge]]. The post office was headquartered on the first floor; customs operations on the second; and federal court on the third and fourth.

==Escambia County==
In the 1930s, the growth of the federal government demanded a larger building. Likewise, the [[old courthouse|Old Escambia County Courthouse]] at [[Palafox Street|Palafox]] and [[Chase Street]]s was no longer adequate for county administration. A trade was negotiated between federal and county governments: Escambia County would take control of the Customs House, and a new [[United States Post Office and Courthouse]] would be built on the site of the old county courthouse.

County officials moved into temporary offices in the [[Blount Building]] between [[1937]]-[[1938]] while the building was renovated. County operations have been held there since [[1938]], with a [[Escambia County Courthouse Annex|western annex]] added in [[1953]]. The building was supplemented by the [[M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building]] built in [[1978]]. A major addition was constructed between {{date needed}} and [[2007]], replacing the old annex with a new [[Escambia County Government Center]] that connected the Courthouse with other government offices.

In [[2008]] a renovation project began that will restore much of the building to its original design, demolishing the second floor mezzanine and raising the first floor ceilings to 20 feet. The County has entertained plans to lease the upper stories to cultural organizations like the [[Arts Council of Northwest Florida]] and [[West Florida Historic Preservation]], but the second phase of renovations has been delayed by a state suspension in historical grant funding.<ref>"Courthouse restoration expected to begin soon." ''Pensacola News Journal'', May 2, 2008.</ref>

==Other images==
<gallery>
Image:EscambiaCourthouse.jpg
</gallery>

==References==
{{refbegin}}
*[[John Appleyard]]. ''The History of Local Government in Pensacola & Escambia County''. 1991.
{{refend}}
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Courthouses]]
[[Category:Properties owned by Escambia County]]
[[Category:Palafox Street buildings]]