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Plaza Ferdinand VII
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The plaza, with the Chipley monument in the center
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| Location: | Pensacola, Florida, USA |
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| Built: | 1815 |
| Governing body: | Historic Pensacola Village |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000264 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL: | October 9, 1960[2] |
The Plaza Ferdinand VII is an outdoor garden and park in the historic district of Pensacola, Florida. It is located on Palafox Street between Government and Zaragoza Streets. It was named after Ferdinand VII of Spain, the King of Spain between 1813 and 1833.
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The cession of Florida to the United States from Spain occurred at the Plaza on July 17, 1821. General Andrew Jackson made a public speech to townspeople, informing them that the land was now the Florida Territory, and that Pensacola would be its capital. General Jackson was later sworn in as first Territorial Governor in the plaza. A bust of Jackson now stands at the spot where he was inaugurated.
The plaza was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[2][3] As such, it was automatically included in the National Register of Historic Places when that program began in 1966.
In 1989, the plaza was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press.[4]
Archaeologists, in 2002, discovered evidence of British structures previously not known to have existed in that area.
Main Article:Pelican Drop
Plaza Ferdinand is also the sight of the Pelican Drop. The Pelican Drop happen to the west of the Plaza but still is considered to happen in the Area. The Celebration is a huge hit for the Pensacola-Brent-Ferry Pass Metropolitan area. And the numbers has tripled in the lasted 3 years. The first celebration happened in 2008 courtesy of the Pensacola Redevelopment Agency (RCA) and they built a half ton 70 feet tall LED lighted pelican. Which would later become one of the most popular New Years celebrations in the Gulf Coast.