Editing Pensacola Cultural Center

The '''Pensacola Cultural Center''' is a three-story building located at 400 South [[Jefferson Street]] in [[downtown Pensacola]]. It was formerly the Escambia County '''Court of Record Building''', which was built in [[1911]] and served until [[1978]]. The property was deeded to the [[Pensacola Little Theatre]] in [[1988]] as a home for Pensacola's art organizations and was completely renovated in three phases between April [[1992]] and January [[1996]].

==Court of Record Building==
Pensacola's population was booming in the early twentieth century, forcing local government to expand its facilities. The City had recently occupied two new buildings adjacent to the Court of Record site: a [[T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum|Spanish-style city hall]] across [[Zaragoza Street]] in [[1907]], and a [[City Jail|new jail]] across [[Jefferson Street]] in [[1908]]. The [[Escambia County Board of County Commissioners]], under chairman [[John I. Johnson]], selected the site of the [[Old Escambia County Jail|old County Jail]] and issued a $180,000 bond to pay for the project. Besides the jail and its rear courtyard, two other buildings on the block were purchased and razed to enable construction.

[[Mobile]] architect [[Rudolph Benz]] designed the neo-classical structure as two twin buildings connected by a courtyard. It called for brick and masonry over steel supports on a concrete foundation. The [[Keynton Construction Company]] was the original low bidder, but was absorbed into a company owned by [[Fernando Moreno Blount]], who engineered the seven-story [[Blount Building]] a few years earlier. Wiring was installed by [[Peake Electrical Contractors]], the ventilation system by [[George McGhan & Sons]], and lifts by the Cincinatti-based Warner Elevator Company. The [[Marston & Quina Company]] supplied interior furnishings.

The building was occupied in January [[1912]], although Benz cited 89 problems in the construction that he felt must be addressed before the job could be accepted. Much of these defects were blamed on the plumbing contractor, who was dismissed and ultimately sued for $33,000 by F. M. Blount, [[William Alexander Blount, Sr.|his father]] and attorney [[R. P. Reese]].

The new building had a built-in gallows on the third floor. The rope was held by an iron circle in the ceiling of judge's chambers, with a trapdoor in the floor of the execution room. The final hanging took place on [[July 31]], [[1920]], when [[Hosea Poole]] was executed for killing his brother.

The Court of Record Building was renovated in [[1946]] at a cost of $122,750. The building's jail cells were vacated and stripped after a [[Escambia County Jail|new jail]] was constructed on [[Leonard Street]] in [[1955]]. It was closed in [[1978]] and its functions transferred to the new [[M. C. Blanchard Judicial Building]] on [[Government Street]].

==Renovation==
{{sectstub}}

==Current tenants==
*[[Pensacola Little Theatre]]
*[[Portabello Market]]
*[[West Florida Literary Federation]]
*[[Ballet Pensacola]]
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-{{Infobox Building
+The '''Pensacola Cultural Center''' is a three-story building located at 400 South [[Jefferson Street]] in [[downtown Pensacola]]. It was formerly the Escambia County '''Court of Record Building''', which was built in [[1911]] and served until [[1978]]. The property was deeded to the [[Pensacola Little Theatre]] in [[1988]] as a home for Pensacola's art organizations and was completely renovated in three phases between April [[1992]] and January [[1996]].
-|image=CulturalCenter.jpg
-|caption=
-|name=Pensacola Cultural Center
-|location=400 South [[Jefferson Street]]
-|architect=[[Rudolph Benz]]
-|client=Escambia County
-|engineer=[[Fernando Moreno Blount]]
-|owner=[[Pensacola Little Theatre]]
-|construction_start_date=[[1911]]
-|completion_date=[[1912]]
-|renovations=[[1946]], [[1989]]-[[1996|96]]
-|date_demolished=
-|cost=$180,000
-|structural_system=
-|style=neo-classical
-|size=
-|mapcode=
-}}
-The '''Pensacola Cultural Center''' is a three-story building located at 400 South [[Jefferson Street]] in [[downtown Pensacola]]. It was formerly the Escambia County '''Court of Record Building''', which was built in [[1911]] and served until [[1978]]. The property was deeded to the [[Pensacola Little Theatre]] in [[1988]] as a home for Pensacola's art organizations and was completely renovated in three phases between [[1989]] and January [[1996]].
 ==Court of Record Building==
-[[Image:CourtOfRecordConstruction.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Court of Record Building under construction in 1911]]
+Pensacola's population was booming in the early twentieth century, forcing local government to expand its facilities. The City had recently occupied two new buildings adjacent to the Court of Record site: a [[T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum|Spanish-style city hall]] across [[Zaragoza Street]] in [[1907]], and a [[City Jail|new jail]] across [[Jefferson Street]] in [[1908]]. The [[Escambia County Board of County Commissioners]], under chairman [[John I. Johnson]], selected the site of the [[Old Escambia County Jail|old County Jail]] and issued a $180,000 bond to pay for the project. Besides the jail and its rear courtyard, two other buildings on the block were purchased and razed to enable construction.
-Pensacola's population was booming in the early twentieth century, forcing local government to expand its facilities. The City had recently occupied two new buildings adjacent to the Court of Record site: a [[T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum|Spanish-style city hall]] across [[Zaragoza Street]] in [[1907]], and a [[City Jail|new jail]] across [[Jefferson Street]] in [[1908]]. The [[Escambia County Board of County Commissioners]], under chairman [[John I. Johnson]], selected the site of the [[Old Escambia County Jail|old County Jail]] and issued a $180,000 bond to pay for the project. Besides the jail and its rear courtyard, two other buildings on the block (including the ''[[Pensacola Daily News]]'' building) were purchased and razed to enable construction.
 [[Mobile]] architect [[Rudolph Benz]] designed the neo-classical structure as two twin buildings connected by a courtyard. It called for brick and masonry over steel supports on a concrete foundation. The [[Keynton Construction Company]] was the original low bidder, but was absorbed into a company owned by [[Fernando Moreno Blount]], who engineered the seven-story [[Blount Building]] a few years earlier. Wiring was installed by [[Peake Electrical Contractors]], the ventilation system by [[George McGhan & Sons]], and lifts by the Cincinatti-based Warner Elevator Company. The [[Marston & Quina Company]] supplied interior furnishings.
@@ Line 33: / Line 13: @@
 ==Renovation==
-[[Image:CulturalCenterRenovation.jpg|thumb|right|The 1994 renovation]]
+{{sectstub}}
-In [[1988]], the [[Escambia County Board of County Commissioners]] agreed to convey the aging, unoccupied building to the [[Pensacola Little Theatre]]. It was intended to serve as a home for around two dozen non-profits.
-The first phase, overseen by architect [[Carter Quina]] and [[Greenhut Construction Company]], was made possible by a grant from the Florida Cultural Facilities Development and Operational Support Program. Phases one and two were completed in April [[1992]], and the first tenants included [[Kaleidoscope & Ballet Pensacola]], the [[West Florida Literary Federation]], the [[African American Heritage Society]] and the [[Pensacola Children's Chorus]].
-The final phase of the renovation, the Mainstage Theatre, was completed in January [[1996]].
-==Facilities==
-[[Image:CulturalCenter-CrossSection.gif|thumb|right|280px|Cross-section of the Cultural Center, facing west towards the main entrance]]
-===Valerie Jones Russenberger Theatre===
-The [[Valerie Jones Russenberger]] Theatre, also known as the Mainstage Theatre, is the main performance venue of the Cultural Center. It seats 474 seats over three floors.
-===Courtroom===
-The [[M. C. Blanchard]] Courtroom is a 2,030 sq. ft. meeting hall on the first floor of the Cultural Center. After the 1994 renovations, it was used as the [[Pensacola Children's Chorus]] rehearsal hall until the group relocated to the [[First Presbyterian Church]]'s [[Margaret Moore Nickelsen Center]].
-===Atrium===
-The Atrium is an enclosed, brick-walled courtyard that formerly served to connect the Court of Record Building's judicial and detention sections. It is currently the home of the [[Portabello Market]] and is available to rent for parties and other events.
 ==Current tenants==
@@ Line 56: / Line 20: @@
 *[[West Florida Literary Federation]]
 *[[Ballet Pensacola]]
-[[Category:Courthouses]] [[Category:Cultural centers]] [[Category:Detention centers]] [[Category:Theaters]]