Located at the North East corner of Zaragoza and Tarragona Streets, the site of the Museum of Industry building has long served the industries and people of Pensacola.

During the late 18th century, British colonists built a large three story barracks on the site, then within the Fort of Pensacola. After the fort was dismantled in the nineteenth century, the city took ownership of the property known as Block K.

In 1884 the Pensacola Ice Company purchased the property and constructed half of the current structure including six entryway arches facing Zaragoza Street.

During the early twentieth century the building was expanded and occupied by a number of businesses including the New Orleans Grocery Company and the Levy-Hallmark Company, another grocer and fresh fruit supplier. The final private owner of the building, the Peninsular-Lurton Company used the building for several years as an office and warehouse.

The building became the property of the state of Florida in 1968, serving as the Hispanic Museum, the West Florida Museum of History, and finally, beginning in 1991 as the Museum of Industry.

Housing artifacts related to Pensacola's brick, timber, and fishing industries, the museum illustrates the industrial growth of the area through both its exhibits and the unique history of the property itself.

Information Provided by the University of West Florida Historic Trust.

Credits and Sources:

Photographs from the University of West Florida Historic Trust