Pensacola Icons
with the Norwegian population. Another Pensacola icon which has faded into history is the Pensacola Dairy Company. The Dairy Bar, owned by the company, had an iconic milk bottle on the top of the building, what Bassett calls “mimetic architecture,” or architecture that signals what a place was selling. In this case, the restaurants main fare was all things dairy. Built in 1926, initially the restaurant was strictly dairy, selling ice cream, milk, and cream, as well as delivering milk; it later evolved into a drive-in style 8 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM
restaurant. It was torn down in the 1970s however, to make way for the I-10 off ramp by the Bay Center. The museum features milk bottles and bottle caps from the Dairy Bar, as well as laminated examples of the old menus, in addition to an advertisement for the sale of milk for World War II, both of which you can pick up and read for yourself. The Hotel San Carlos is the last of the lost icons. The tone Bassett takes when talking of it is bittersweet, it is clear how much of a loss the tearing down of this
hotel was. “It was one of those things that was done to really put us on the map,” said Bassett. In its heyday there were advertisements as far north as Chicago for the Hotel San Carlos, and it was the premier destination if you were having any sort of formal event in Pensacola. The hotel was torn down in 1993, after it fell into disrepair in the 60s and through the 70s, but is missed by many now. Bassett talked of its demolition, saying, “People really hated to see it torn down. Even people who supported it when it was torn down are kicking themselves now for removing it, because it was one of these places that any other city would have found a way to support it, to revitalize it. There were a lot of ideas on the table when it was torn down, but unfortunately at the time there just wasn’t the foresight to preserve it.” The most prominent item on display for the hotel is one of the old bell-hops desks, which was restored by a member of the Historic Trust to how it would have looked in its glory days. Other artifacts, such as old keys, silverware and an ashtray with special matches are on display as well. The most prominent of the other three still existing icons is the Blue Angels. Undoubtedly a Pensacola legend, the world famous Navy flight demonstration team is the pride of Pensacola. A video detailing the experiences of recently retired Blue Angel pilot Matthew Suyderhoud provides fascinating insight into the group and the amount of skill that it takes to be a Blue Angel. The flight suits on display are on loan from two former Blue Angel pilots. Bassett expressed particular delight in having been able to get a flight suit helmet. “You see the flight suits all the time, but not usually the helmets. We were very excited to
have gotten this one.” The Graffiti Bridge and the Sailfish Sign are the two other existing icons that many think of as going hand-inhand, since you often have to pass under both in order to get to the beach. The 17th Avenue overpass, known lovingly as the Graffiti Bridge, was once thought of as a major issue. The graffiti on the bridge was regarded as projecting an undesirable image. For many years, ramping up in the 1980s, locals tried to find a way to combat graffiti on the bridge. In 2008, it was decriminalized, cementing the bridge’s status as an ever-changing iconic Pensacola landmark. The title of an informative plaque at the exhibit says it best: “From Eyesore to Icon.” The Graffiti Bridge display is by far the most unique one, going out of its way to catch your eye. The wall art was done by artist Poppy Garcia, and the display features pages from Rachel Pongetti’s book, “The Pensacola Graffiti Bridge Project,” where in 2011 she photographed the Graffiti Bridge every day for 365 days. The Sailfish Sign, commissioned by the Santa Rosa Island Authority in the 1950s was originally on Palafox, on top of Escambia Motors. In 1962 it was moved to the location near the Bob Sikes Memorial Bridge, and the original sign was replaced by a new one in 2003. On display is part of the original sign. “We have the original sailfish sign, so the pieces you see up there are the original… we’re one of the only places where you can get up close and personal with it,” said Bassett. In the end, Bassett hopes visitors leave the exhibit with a better understanding of the interesting story of Pensacola’s history.