09-03-2025
Here's what you missed: New apartments, new restaurants and more
Here's a roundup of our top stories from the past week.
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Pensacola prides itself on its historic homes and preservation efforts, but the fate of a Victorian-era Old East Hill is raising questions about whether rules meant to stop the demolition of historic buildings are coming too late.
The home at 520 N. Sixth Ave. is slated to be demolished. The homebuilding company aDoor Properties is seeking a demolition permit to build two new homes in its place, but some residents of the Old East Hill neighborhood are calling for the home to be saved.
The home was built in about 1892 and is the only local example of a Victorian architecture style known as Second Empire, a type of Victorian style that is common in the Northeast and Midwest, but rare in the South, according to the Old East Hill Preservation District's architecture guide.
Full story: A 133-year-old Old East Hill Home faces demolition after years of neglect
A young Milton man and his family are speaking out after he was allegedly manhandled by a Santa Rosa Sheriff's deputy after walking his brother home from the bus stop in an incident captured on video by their neighbors.
Zander Cash, 20, walks his 11-year-old brother home from the bus stop in their Milton neighborhood every afternoon. It's part of their daily routine, like checking the mail.
Only on Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Cash family says what started out as a normal day took a terrifying turn.
Zander said he opened the door to a Santa Rosa Sheriff's Deputy telling him to step outside. He asked why, but the officer didn't say, and Zander said they went on like that a couple more times when the deputy pulled him out of the house.
Full story: Milton family wants answers after Santa Rosa deputy snatched son from home in viral video
Work is beginning on a new 282-unit luxury apartment development on a long-vacant piece of downtown Pensacola real estate.
Crest Residential is beginning work to build The Romero on the western half of the former ECUA downtown sewage treatment property, once known as "Old Stinky,' and is the first project that will begin construction under the West Main Master Plan.
The 282-unit development will have 10 different floor plans with units that range from 612 to 1,393 square feet and one, two or three bedrooms, according to information provided by Crest Residential, a developer based in Birmingham, Alabama.
Full story: New luxury apartments coming to downtown Pensacola at former ECUA sewer treatment plant
Pensacola's Blake Doyle Skatepark and From the Ground Up Community Garden have a tasty new neighbor moving in with plans to open this March.
What was once the neighborhood's historical Malamo Brothers corner grocery store at 524 N. Hayne St. will soon become a café, restaurant and event space – a project spearheaded by Casey Jones, Reservoir's owner and operator and a member of the Pensacola City Council.
'I think back to when I was a kid and I was skating around downtown, and basically Subway was the only place to go get food. But we're going to have a whole section of our menu where those younger kids, or young adults, that maybe don't want to spend a lot of money on lunch, but they still want to be able to grab something convenient,' Jones said. 'We'll have a whole section of the menu of lower priced items that are kind of quick to grab and get going.'
Keep reading: New restaurant opening soon near Pensacola's Blake Doyle Skatepark. Here's what's coming.
Pensacola Beach restaurant Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar has permanently closed its doors, according to the restaurant's social media Monday evening.
Pensacola Beach's Felix's restaurant was the first Florida location for the Louisiana-based restaurant group and opened in the fall of 2021, replacing the former Hemingway's Island Grill at 400 Quietwater Beach Road, Suite 16.
"This decision was not an easy one, and we are immensely grateful for the support and love we have received from the Santa Rosa Island community over the last several years," Felix's statement read. "While we bid farewell to our Pensacola Beach location, we remain committed to serving our patrons at our other cherished establishments. Felix's will continue to uphold the legacy of exceptional seafood and unparalleled hospitality at our French Quarter, Lakefront and Gulfport locations."
Keep reading: Felix's Restaurant & Oyster Bar permanently closes Pensacola Beach location
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola news stories: New apartments, new restaurants
