Located directly across from one another in Pensacola, Florida, Seville Square and Fountain Park have an important connection to the past and present of the city. However, they possess the potential to serve as much more and become true attractions for both residents and visitors.
Seville Square was the location of a 1752 Spanish outpost known as San Miguel while Fountain Park contains the Fleming Fountain, which was donated to the city by the Fleming family to serve as a symbol of the city. In the 1980s it was transformed from a residential area into a park that now serves as the location of many downtown festivals and special events.
Some of the history associated with both spaces is called out on markers, but there are no other significant landmarks in the space. While the Fleming Fountain has the potential to be an icon of the city and contains panels that represent the city of the present and past, they aren’t large or distinctive enough to draw an audience’s attention. The most notable element of Seville Square is a nondescript gazebo.
Located in walking distance of landmarks like Museum Plaza and within the Pensacola Historic District, both Seville Square and Fountain Park have the space and history to develop notable attractions and landmarks that would engage audiences in numerous ways. These sorts of features could be interspersed in the available green space in a way that would still allow for the types of events and activities that currently take place there.
Given their proximity to one another as well as the notable position they have in the present and past of the city, both Seville Square and Fountain Park have the potential to engage audiences in many more ways than are currently enabled. The endeavor to do so could create countless benefits for the economy and culture of the entire city.
