Keyser Building
The Keyser Building is a two-story commercial building located at 16-26 Palafox Place. Current occupants include Cactus Cantina, Jewelers Trade Shop, Play, Wild Greg's Saloon, and The Wine Bar on Palafox.
| Keyser Building | |
 The Keyser Building in 1943 | |
| Building Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 16-26 Palafox Place |
| Engineer | Charles Hill Turner |
| Current Owner | William Swift Keyser |
| Construction Start Date | 1910 |
| Completion Date | 1912 |
| Renovations | 2008 |
| Size | Two stories |
Since its construction, the building has been altered numerous times, including the creation of a breezeway through the northernmost end of the building's ground floor. A portion of the building's historic facade has also been covered over.
Contents
Construction
William Swift Keyser purchased the Palafox Street site from the West Florida Steam Bakery on January 28, 1910. The $85,000 purchase — about $2.3 million in 2018 dollars — set a record-high price for Palafox Street frontage.[1] Several months later, Keyser purchased the adjacent property, formerly the site of the Sisters of Mercy convent and school.[2]
The contractor for construction of the Keyser Building was the local C. H. Turner Construction Company. Workers began excavations for the building's foundation in September 1910.[3] Construction was completed by October 1912.
Keyser, whose lumber export company went bankrupt in 1914, sold all of his Palafox Street holdings within three years.
Long vacant, the second floor of the building was renovated in 2008 by the developers of Will Call Sports Grille, who also added a new balcony and facade to the front of the building.
Historical tenants
- B & B Cafe
- Ball Boo & Novelty Co. — 24 South Palafox
- Gutman's Dry Goods & Notions — 16 South Palafox
- Joseph Galin (clothier) — 26 South Palafox
- Southern Express Company
- West Florida Development & Investment Company
- White & White
Other images
The Keyser Building in 2008
The West Florida Development & Investment Company occupied the Keyser Building in the 1920s
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References
- ↑ "Largest Real Estate Deals in Many Years Put Through". The Pensacola Journal. January 29, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved June 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com
- ↑ Florida Historical Quarterly, Volume XXXVII, January-April 1959, Numbers 3 and 4
- ↑ "To Start Work on Foundation". The Pensacola Journal. September 18, 1910. p. 7. Retrieved June 1, 2019 – via Newspapers.com