Palafox Pier

Following the successful lead of other small and large cities across the country, Pensacola has identified the Palafox Pier as a national, regional, and downtown destination. This $35M mixed-use development at the southern end of Palafox Street includes a 92-slip marina and three upland buildings occupied by a dockside restaurant, professional, medical, and financial offices and a multi-residence condominium. The marina and multi-building development is one of downtown Pensacola’s few locations where a waterfront private sector development integrates adjacent public spaces and promenades for the benefit of occupants, residents, and the visiting public. Ray Russenberger, a Pensacola entrepreneur and mariner, was awarded the public/private development opportunity to develop the project after responding to a nationally issued Request for Proposal by the City of Pensacola. With the land planning leadership of SMP Architecture, Mr. Russenberger and SMP were successful in reconfiguring the ground lease boundaries and prescribed building footprints to preserve the multi-generational legacy of “cruising the pier” all the way to the southern tip of the pier.