Plaza Ferdinand VII

Plaza Ferdinand VII
The plaza, with the Chipley monument in the center
Location Pensacola, Florida, USA
Coordinates 30°24′27″N 87°12′50″W / 30.40750°N 87.21389°WCoordinates: 30°24′27″N 87°12′50″W / 30.40750°N 87.21389°W
Area 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built 1815
Governing body Historic Pensacola Village
NRHP Reference # 66000264[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[2]
Designated NHL October 9, 1960[3]
A bust of Andrew Jackson at the Plaza Ferdinand VII, where Jackson was sworn in as governor.
A view of the park's corners
Another view with the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum in the background

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.

Historical significance

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.[3][4] 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.[5]

Archaeologists, in 2002, discovered evidence of British structures previously not known to have existed in that area.

New Year's Celebration

Main article: Pelican Drop

Plaza Ferdinand is also the site of the Pelican Drop. The Pelican Drop happens to the west of the Plaza but still is considered to happen in the Area.

Notable Buildings near the Plaza

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ "National Register of Historical Places - Florida (FL), Escambia County". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-09-22.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Plaza Ferdinand VII". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  4. ↑ Blanche Higgins Schroer (1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Plaza Ferdinand VII" (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying five photos, from 1968 and 1975 PDF (32 KB)
  5. ↑ A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 7, ISBN 0-8130-0941-3

External links