East Garden District Combines National and Local Talent

The making of Pensacola’s new downtown district, the East Garden District (EGD), calls for a recipe of the past and the future as well as local and national influence. The history of Pensacola has been foundational to the East Garden District’s vision and brand since Chad Henderson launched the project in 2019. Dating back to 1764, Elias Durnford’s city plan for Pensacola inspired the namesake of Garden Street, once home to the City’s garden lots, and now home and inspiration to the East Garden District. Building on the EGD’s historic foundation alongside Henderson, comes the influence of talented local professionals such as Jerry Pate Design, David Fitzpatrick Civil Engineering, Ruby Engineering, Dalrymple Sallis Architects, Gulf Blue Group, and many more. These influences offer an important community focus and connection for the East Garden District.

Now, as the EGD begins the design of its boutique hotel, mixed-use building, and parking garage, Henderson has welcomed Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Kahler Slater to the East Garden District team. “The power of a well-thought out public-private partnership can really move the needle downtown,” Henderson said.

“I think drawing from Kahler Slater's experience in hospitality and activating rooftops was something that was important to us, and certainly, working with someone local like Dalrymple Sallis has been important for casting the vision of what East Garden District could be,” Henderson said. “So we think a great approach is to have a bit of both. Somebody that has a great creative mindset and a great sense of the local environment, but also somebody that comes from outside our area to bring a fresh set of eyes to Pensacola.

”Kahler Slater’s architects use a performance based design process to create restaurants, hotels, medical centers, corporate headquarters and everything in between. Henderson first worked with Kahler Slater during a project with Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, which has an office in Milwaukee. After staying at a hotel designed by Kahler Slater, Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, Henderson was completely blown away by the company’s skill, so he invited Kahler Slater to submit a proposal for the EGD project. Henderson has named Kahler Slater the architect for EGD’s hotel, mixed-use building and parking deck.
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“At first, we were concerned that we wouldn’t get it. Anytime that we are not the local, we have those concerns. We built a great relationship with Chad and we had an emerging relationship with Tosh Belsinger, ”Marshall Butler of Kahler Salter said. “Sowe pursued it because we thought it was such a good fit for Kahler Slater, and we thought it was right in the middle of our strike zone from a value proposition.

”Kahler Slater is currently in the conceptual design phase of the hotel, focusing on how this new placemaking hotel, the anchor of the project, will fit into the downtown community.
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“Chad is not just passionate about that hotel. He's passionate about Pensacola and breathing new life into that area by adding a hotel, which drives jobs and businesses,” Butler said. “It just elevates the district even further. We want to take into account what does the local flavor feel like? What does the neighborhood feel like? It has to fit in contextually. It can’t be just a cut and paste of a Milwaukee hotel.”
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Although Henderson and his team are not ready to announce the brand or soft flag of the hotel, Henderson did share more details about their plan for the hotel. The hotel, which will be at the corner of Chase and Jefferson Streets, will have nine floors, approximately 160-170 rooms, event space, a rooftop terrace and a very inviting lobby with food and beverages available for tourists and locals to enjoy.
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Kahler Salter is also the architect for a parking deck, which will be located behind the hotel on Chase Street. EGD is working with the architect, parking consultants, and the City to assess the parking needs for future buildings and current buildings in the district, such as IRIS, Pensacola News Journal and the Rhodes Building. The assessment will determine a shared parking model for the EGD and an appropriate space count for the parking deck.
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Tosh Belsinger, founder of Gulf Blue Group, a real estate development and consulting company, has been aiding Henderson with developing and visioning the project. Alongside the conceptual design of the hotel, mixed-use building, and parking deck, Belsinger, Henderson, and the EGD team have been working diligently on the Jefferson Street road diet project.
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“The road diet project is at the heart of the East Garden District. Our new Jefferson Street plan calls for creating a beautifully landscaped and pedestrian friendly streetscape for all of Pensacola and its visitors to enjoy,” Belsinger said.
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The street diet, which narrows the street and expands the sidewalks, will be on Jefferson Street between Garden and Chase streets. This diet will increase the walkability and safety of EGD for visitors. Studer Properties completed a similar project around Southtowne and the YMCA, located on Intendencia between Tarragona and Jefferson.
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For the past year, Belsinger and Henderson have been working with the City of Pensacola and the Community Redevelopment Agency on the street diet. The CRA, through are finance of existing bonds, unlocked capital for downtown projects within its district, so the CRA has proposed to fund $1,375,000 of the road diet project. The Jefferson Street project is estimated at $2.1million. EGD is currently working on an agreement with the City and the CRA.
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“We're very proud of our work together with the City and CRA, and we are excited to co-invest in the improvement of Jefferson Street.” Belsinger said. “It is going to be such a great transformation of that street, and the synergies that it will have with the new hotel, mixed-use building, and urban plaza will be unbelievable.”
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Perhaps one of the most interesting factors of this project is how quickly EGD will be able to return the city’s investment. EGD is projecting about $2.8 million in new property tax, sales tax and bed tax per year. Within the first year of EGD being fully built out, it should be able to return the city’s investment. Belsinger explained that over the next decade, as that tax base increases, the City and CRA can use the new tax revenue to seed other growth projects within the city limits.
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The street diet project doesn’t stop there. EGD is using this reconstruction as an opportunity to enhance the overall appearance of the district. To draw attention to the district’s landscape and buildings, they will be moving power poles and overhead utility lines underground. Many cities across the state are moving utilities underground to prevent damage from storms like Hurricane Sally, which left many people downtown without power for several days. Belsinger explained that EGD is working closely with Gulf Power to implement this aspect into downtown and they are looking at solar power opportunities as well.
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“This is all part of creating an inviting experience,” Henderson said. “Infrastructure, if not appropriately designed and implemented, can be an eyesore. Taking time to work on the front end is incredibly important for creating a sense of place in the East Garden District.”
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Creating a sense of place is crucial for EGD. One way it’s achieving that is by incorporating businesses the local community adores. DC Reeves, the owner of Perfect Plain, is currently in the process of making tenant improvements to his upscale brewery, The Well. The Well is EGD’s first business and will be opening soon next door to Perfect Plain. Pensacola Beach’s Papa’s Pizza will also be joining the district. This will be the restaurant's first downtown location.
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“We are very excited to help bring Papa’s Pizza brand downtown. Of course, DC has done such a wonderful job with Perfect Plain, so to be able to work with him and create a place for a sister brand has been special,” Henderson said. “I think both of those brands really link us locally. We feel as though that would be a representation of great operators in our community and help bring more people to this side of downtown.”

Although there is a long journey ahead before this new downtown district is complete, the EGD gives Pensacola plenty to look forward to. If you are interested in learning more about the EGD project, visit eastgardendistrict.com.

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The Making of a New Downtown District: How Placemaking is the Key Element of the East Garden District

Where do you stay whenever you visit vibrant cities like New Orleans or Miami? Do you stay in a hotel eons away from all of the action? Of course not. You find a spot a couple of blocks from interesting landmarks, inviting bars and restaurants and whatever else the city has to offer. Whenever there is a city heavy with history and culture, you can’t help but want to explore it. The element that lures you to those busy, welcoming parts of towns is placemaking. Placemaking is designing a city or community with the intention of catering to people.
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“You certainly can seek out a place to stay that just checks the box of a hotel room, but then there are other places to stay that will check more boxes of being ingrained within the district or the community that it serves as a magnet for the district,” Henderson said.

That people-centered aspect is what Chad Henderson is hoping to accomplish through the East Garden District. Henderson hopes to make the East Garden District hotel the space Pensacola visitors will gravitate toward to feel ingrained within the district and Pensacola community. Henderson calls the hotel “the anchor” of this development because it will not only draw tourists to EGD and the rest of downtown but also it will be a space for locals to enjoy.

“I travel quite a bit throughout the country. For me, when I’m traveling, I always seek out the local experience,” Henderson said. “I want this hotel to be that for the folks traveling to Pensacola. If you want great local flavor, this hotel within the East Garden District would be a place to stay and not only explore the East Garden District but explore the greater downtown and all it has to offer.”

Although Henderson and his team are not ready to announce the brand or soft flag of the hotel, Henderson did share more details about their plan for the hotel. The hotel, which will be at the corner of Chase and Jefferson Street, will have at least six floors, approximately 150 rooms, some event space, a rooftop bar and a very inviting lobby with food and beverages available for tourists and locals to enjoy. Henderson’s plan for a street diet, which narrows the street and expands the sidewalks, for Jefferson Street is making progress with the City. This diet will increase the walkability and safety of EGD for visitors.

Henderson recently announced that construction for the first EGD building is underway. The Well, which shares a wall with the brewery Perfect Plain, is a wood cellar aging program that will serve aged beer and cocktails. DC Reeves, the owner of Perfect Plain and Garden and Grain, decided to be a part of the EGD development by opening The Well. Reeves opened Perfect Plain in November of 2017, which was before Henderson’s plans for EGD came to the surface. “We feel like we took a leap of faith by not being on the main drag,” Reeves said. “We were not 100 percent sure how we would be embraced in the beginning. We certainly envisioned that area [EGD] has the potential to be a new downtown district. We feel like East Garden District makes a lot of sense to be this new, up and coming place for people to gather. I’m really excited about EGD and even more excited that somebody like Chad, who is passionate about our community, is stepping up and investing in an area we want to make great.”

Reeves has a history of tying the historical background of Garden Street to his businesses. Perfect Plain was named after the way Rachel Jackson, wife of Andrew Jackson, described Pensacola in 1821. The name Garden and Grain was inspired by the law in the 1760s which gave property owners north of Garden Street a residual garden lot. Reeves decided on the name The Well because of how settlers from the 1800s repurposed beer and wine barrels into water wells. Reeves said that UWF found a couple of well-preserved barrels in the area, too.

The Well will be in the building next door to Perfect Plain. This warehouse used to house the Melting Pot decades ago and has worn many hats since. The Well will be a total of 3,600 square feet, and 800 square feet will be reserved for barrel storage space. The other 2,500 square feet will be dedicated to the bar and seating area. “Our goals were to maintain historic and structural integrity of this building and then also meet our clients needs and wants,” Principal Architect of Sallis Architecture Scott Sallis said. “The end result was keeping the building but trying to create a warm cozy elegant atmosphere inside. It’s going to intentionally contrast Perfect Plain.”

Reeves said his newest space will definitely be the more refined space out of his three properties. The Well will have darker tones for a more romantic setting, but Reeves said the space will still have conversational seating areas, or “living rooms” as Sallis described, to maintain the communal vibe of the district.

The designs of the buildings is not the only contrast between The Well and Perfect Plain. Reeves said that the drink menu at The Well will be more on the rare side. The beers will be aged in big french oak barrels, known as foeders, which can contain about 300 gallons. The Well will also be aging cocktails for months at a time as part of its refined, unique cocktail program. So, when customers come in, they will be able to taste locally-made aged beer, which is a first in Pensacola. “We are excited about bringing something new and different to our community in the form of the first expansion barrel program,” Reeves said. The Well will also offer a menu of tapas.

Although The Well will be the first project to launch within the EGD development, Sallis said that The Well’s design will not set the stage for the overall design of EGD because there is no overseeing style for EGD. “What we hope to accomplish with the East Garden District is a very eclectic collection of architectural style, so there is no overseeing,” Sallis said. However, Sallis said that they will be very intentional about the inclusion of planters and grow walls throughout the district and The Well as part of an effort to tie the district to the history of Garden Street or as Reeves says “bring the garden back to Garden Street.” Reeves said that they plan to open The Well in the fall.

Lastly, Henderson said that they will be announcing the fine dining restaurant that will be at the corner of Garden and Jefferson Streets, which will be 36 East Garden St. The restaurant will be 4,335 square feet with indoor and outdoor seating. To find out more about the EGD vision, visit eastgardendistrict.com.

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The Well Brewery Coming to Downtown Pensacola in 2020 Under East Garden District Project

A new brewery experimenting with an old style will become the first business to open under the umbrella of the privately developed East Garden District project in downtown Pensacola.

Owner DC Reeves and the front men at Perfect Plain Brewing Co. plan to open The Well in the fall of 2020 at 42 E. Garden St. The team's new venture will be an expansion of sorts, opening directly next door to — and even sharing a wall and storage space with — Perfect Plain.

‍"It'll be a true wood-cellar program," Reeves said of The Well's brewing style. "We'll have some beers that will be in barrels or foeders for a year, or maybe more." The venture will bring a mixed-culture, wood-cellar beer program to Pensacola, imparting new flavors to craft beer and cocktails through a barrel-brewed and barrel-aged process.

‍Interior design calls for a 2,000-square-foot taproom and bar area. Reeves said there will be a small kitchen to make small plates and tapas-style dishes for Well customers. Perfect Plain will continue to benefit from its food truck partnerships.

"We like to feel like with everything we do we're pushing the envelope and do new things that our community maybe hasn't seen before," Reeves said. "So we want to do that with The Well project and make a big investment in a wood-cellar program."

The Well will be anchored by Reed Odeneal, the director of brewing operations, and Nate Simmons, the cocktail manager. Odeneal said patrons of the new brewery will get a distinguished taste from every drink, courtesy of the the wood-cellar program.

‍What we're going to be able to do with The Well that we're not able to do now is we're going to be adding another ingredient, and that ingredient is time," Odeneal said. "In a wood-cellar program, through large formats, oak fermentation and barrel aging, we're able to apply this other dimension to how beers and these liquids are being created."

The East Garden District project plans to usher in a "place-making" hotel, shops, restaurants and residential units in the block along Jefferson Street between Garden and Chase streets.

‍Reeves leased The Well building from Chad Henderson, the private developer leading the East Garden District project who aims to take a formerly overlooked pocket of downtown and transform it into the city's next vibrant destination hub.

Henderson said Thursday that The Well is the perfect way for the estimated $50 million redevelopment project to plant its flag around this time next year.

"We were certainly excited to work with DC as we wanted to build around the momentum of Perfect Plain," said Henderson, the founder and CEO of Catalyst HRE. "We're excited about (The Well) and how it's a new concept to this area. We think it aligns very well with our vision of the overall district, and to bring something new to the community and to anchor it right here in the heart of East Garden District is something we're very excited about."

Henderson said that tracking closely behind the Well's opening target of the fall of 2020 is a new destination restaurant that will replace the former, which will be next door to The Well at 36 E. Garden St.‍

View the story on Pensacola News Journal

East Garden District Blends Past and Future

With work set to begin on the first phase of what promises to be a transformative project in the heart of downtown Pensacola, the project’s planners are drawing from the past for inspiration.

Local developer Chad Henderson is driving the next phase of downtown Pensacola’s ongoing renaissance with plans to transform two blocks of Garden Street into a destination lifestyle district featuring shops, restaurants and a hotel. Henderson’s East Garden District plan was unveiled in May and has been in the planning stages ever since.

Now, work is set to begin. The first sign of progress will be the demolition of the rear half of the former Reynold’s Music building at the corner of Garden and Jefferson Streets to make way for a place-making restaurant. More critical, though, will be the work that commences next to reimagine Jefferson Street as a pedestrian-friendly streetscape from the drab thoroughfare that it is today.

At every step in the design process, Henderson has looked to the past for inspiration. The East Garden District takes its name from the historic streetscape laid out by British officer and engineer Elias Dunford, whose 18th century grid plan for the city’s streets established many of our modern roadways. And like Dunford’s street plan, Henderson’s vision for the East Garden District is one of walkability, community and connectivity.

“We’ve seen that the past several decades has mostly been made up of suburban sprawl and what we would frame as vehicular-centric development,” said Henderson. “Now in many areas and markets we’re seeing a movement of development back to the core and this is more around people-oriented development that would create a sense of vibrancy and human connectivity and walkability. So if you think about the spirit in which Elias Dunford laid out Pensacola to make it better, we want to continue that same mindset of connectivity and walkability.”

As part of that connectivity plan, the East Garden District will see a “road diet” on Jefferson Street. Landscape architect Steve Dana is working with Henderson on the project and said he expects to see a 30 percent reduction in total surface area of the road to make way for wider sidewalks. Dana also said 20 to 30 trees will be plated along Jefferson street, creating a canopy to provide shade and attenuate stormwater runoff. The vision will be similar to that of the streetscape between Southtowne and the Bear Levin Studer YMCA a few blocks to the south, Dana said. With the addition of pervious pavers in the parking lanes, Dana said he hopes the Jefferson Street portion of the East Garden District can serve as a model for green development in Pensacola.

“Every study we’ve done says you need to be putting in green infrastructure and we haven’t done it yet,” said Dana. “We want this to be a pilot project for the city and community to show the benefits of it so hopefully it can become the new norm.”Henderson is a Pensacola native whose healthcare real estate business regularly takes him all over the country. His vision for the East Garden District is based partly on other urban living districts that he’s seen in other places, like The Gulch in Nashville.

Henderson said he’s seen how cities have become more connected, livable and people-centric, but often lack the kind of origin stories that create an authentic sense of place. That’s where Pensacola has an edge, he said.“

This is what sets Pensacola apart is the ability to have these stories,” he said. “There are a lot of developments that are occurring that don’t really have the opportunity to draw back to the character and the soul of an old city, and we have that opportunity. So we should be thankful that we have all these old storylines to play off of, because that’s really what creates the character and soul of a place. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

The East Garden District is bounded by Palafox, Chase, Tarragona and Garden streets and spans Jefferson Street. Henderson estimates the project will cost about $50 million.

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Renaissance 2.0: Developer Plans Next Phase of Downtown Revival

Chad Henderson made his name acquiring and developing properties across the nation. Now, he’s turned his sights back home.

Henderson, a Pensacola native, unveiled ambitious plans in May to transform a two-block section of downtown Pensacola into an upscale entertainment district featuring shops, restaurants, residences and a hotel with rooftop bar.

Taking inspiration from Pensacola’s historic streetscape, Henderson is calling the project the East Garden District. He’s hoping to grow the area into an urban living community similar to The Gulch in Nashville.

The East Garden District is bounded by Palafox, Chase, Tarragona and Garden streets and spans Jefferson Street. Over the years, Henderson has acquired most of the property in both blocks.

The project will see the former Reynold’s Music House building at the corner of Jefferson and Garden streets converted into a destination restaurant, a three-story mixed use building added to Jefferson Street, new shops and restaurants along Garden Street and, a 100-plus-room hotel on Chase Street.

Henderson estimates the project will cost about $50 million.

“We are focused on having a mix of uses that compliment one another and create a distinct with a sense of place,” said Henderson. “It’s important for us to reactivate the Garden Street retail corridor around Perfect Plain. I thought there was a big opportunity to create a destination restaurant that would serve as a gateway to the East Garden District.”

Henderson began acquiring the properties that will comprise the East Garden District before conceiving the idea for the project.

As his healthcare real estate company, Catalyst HRE, was growing by leaps and bounds, Henderson purchased the Rhodes Building at 41 N. Jefferson St. from Quint Studer in 2015. Not long after, Henderson bought the 2 South Palafox Building next door. In the last 18 months, Henderson has purchased the Reynold’s Music House building as well the former Irby Engineering and Razor’s Edge Fitness buildings.

“At that point I thought it was a really unique opportunity to create a district, so not to redevelop around one building but more about the opportunity to redevelop the whole block and turn it into a district,” he said.

Henderson said redevelopment of the buildings on Garden Street will commence immediately, but that the hotel and mixed-use building are still in the design phase.

“We’re looking to move this forward very quickly,” he said.

Henderson’s plan calls for a “road diet” for Jefferson street to create wider sidewalks, a pedestrian crosswalk and greenscaping similar to that on Intendencia Street between Southtowne and the YMCA.

“We think this ties in really nicely with what we’re all trying to do to create a more walkable, livable city,” said Henderson.

Making changes to Jefferson Street will require cooperation from City Hall, and Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson said he’s exited to support the project. Robinson said he’d like to see the above ground power lines in the district moved underground.

“We’ve met with him and obviously the challenges and the details of what’s being discussed and what we can do will have to be worked out, but from a preliminary standpoint it’s great to see another block happening and the revitalization of that area,” said Robinson. “That’s a block on Garden that still has above-ground electrical and we’d love to get those underground.”

Henderson said he hopes the East Garden District will help spread the renaissance of downtown Pensacola beyond Palafox Street. Pulling foot traffic away from Palafox has proven to be challenge. One business that has succeeded is Perfect Plain Brewery on Garden Street. With plans for an outdoor beer garden and dedicated event space coming within the year, Perfect Plain will be central to the East Garden District. The brewery’s owners said they’re excited to see Henderson’s vision come to life.

“We want to be nothing but supportive and helpful for the East Garden District,” said Perfect Plain co-owner D.C. Reeves. “I think our goal as a company has always been to active the location we are in. We went into a block that, even to this day, there are businesses here, but it’s not bars and restaurants. It’s architecture firms and attorneys offices, which are great, but in terms of foot traffic and trying to bring that vibrancy off of Palafox, we’ve always kind of hoped for that and I think what Chad is proposing to do would exponentially increase and fit that goal.”

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