Pensacola Placemaking

by Tosh Belsinger

After two years of visioning, master planning, design, and construction, local real estate developer, Chad Henderson’s placemaking vision for downtown Pensacola’s new East Garden District (EGD) is taking shape. 42 East Garden Street is now DC Reeves’ new Floridian craft cocktail bar, The Well, 18 East Garden Street is under construction and will be a new location for Papa’s Pizza, and 36 East Garden Street has been approved for demolition as Pensacola’s crafty southern pub, Union Public House (UPH), is on the move to the EGD.

“Appropriately curating and activating all ground floor uses in the EGD will be a big key to our placemaking success,” said Chad Henderson, “which is exactly why we are so excited to have Chef Blake Rushing and the Union Public House team help anchor our EGD project.”

UPH is scheduled to open its new doors in late fall of 2022. “The next chapter of UPH is going to be a great one,” said UPH chef and owner, Blake Rushing. “Our new home at Garden and Jefferson is a gateway property to the East Garden District and downtown Pensacola, and we are ready to bring Union Public House’s culinary creativity and neighborhood feel to the EGD.”

New Union Public House at Garden & Jefferson Street.

Running through the heart of the East Garden District is Jefferson Street which is currently under construction in a public / private partnership between the City of Pensacola, the CRA, and Henderson’s development group. The $2M Jefferson Street “Road Diet” project features a narrowing of Jefferson Street, widening of sidewalks, new vehicular and pedestrian pavers, landscaping, new utilities, undergrounding of power, and a new urban plaza. The Jefferson Street Road Diet project is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2021.

Mid-block on both sides of Jefferson Street in the EGD, Henderson plans to develop two new mixed-use buildings totaling 50,000 squarefeet. The first floor of each building will be activated with restaurant and retail, and the upper floors will be residences and office space.

The anchor project of the East Garden District is a 150 key ninestory Hilton Tapestry boutique hotel with a first-floor restaurant, second floor ballrooms and meeting rooms, a fitness center overlooking Jefferson Street and the new EGD urban plaza, and a rooftop bar with panoramic views of downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Bay. Construction drawings for the East Garden District hotel, parking deck, and mixed-use buildings are underway, with construction scheduled to commence in Spring of 2022.

“Our team aspires to make the EGD an 18-hour environment that caters to the Pensacola community,” said Henderson. “We believe that if you craft a place locals will enjoy spending time, our visitors are certain to follow. Placemaking is the catalyst for Chad Henderson’s East Garden District project, and it will be exciting to watch this new Pensacola place continue to grow over the next two years.

For updates and complete project details, visit eastgardendistrict.com.

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