By Carlton Proctor, courtesy of pnj.com
The Fish House has become a Pensacola brand name. As has Atlas Oyster House. As has Jackson’s Steakhouse.
And now, Collier Merrill, co-owner of the umbrella Great Southern Restaurant Group, is adding his fourth “house” in downtown Pensacola.
On Thursday, The Palafox House will open at the corner of North Palafox and Gregory streets as a venue available to lease for a variety of events, including rehearsal dinners, corporate meetings, holiday parties and bridal luncheons.
Merrill looks at the enterprise as another dimension for a resurgent downtown Pensacola.
“The more places that we can create, that aren’t typical office buildings and that get people downtown, the greater downtown we can build,” he said.
The Palafox House will be housed in a 100-year-old, 16,000-square-foot, two-story building that features large windows, high ceilings and original brick walls. In years past, the space was home to a news arcade, a pharmacy and a dance studio.
It will take up 4,000 square feet in the bottom level. The bottom level also includes a hair salon and a bicycle shop.
It’s large enough to accommodate groups of up to 100 for a seated event and 200-plus for stand-up events, such as cocktail parties.
In addition to the main event space, The Palafox House offers a smaller side room with a built-in bar and reception area.
An adjacent kitchen enables caterers to have a full space for preparation and presentation.
“We’re doing more and more catering from Jackson’s and The Fish House,” Merrill said. “So we decided to fix up the property and offer it to the public for events.”
He said he hopes the upper floor eventually can be converted to residential lofts.
Melissa Bailey of Great Southern Restaurant Group will manage the property. And Great Southern is partnering with Kent’s Tents owner Bobby Rice to provide a standing, on-site inventory of rental items for parties and events.
Rice said those item s will include Chiavari chairs — often used by event planners and catering companies because of their elegance and light weight — tables, and other rental items.
The Palafox House joins several other downtown event venues, including Palafox Wharf at 617 S. Palafox St.and 5eleven at 511 S. Palafox St.
Merrill said The Palafox House already has bookings for February and March.
What’s more, the venue offers the option of having tented events in Martin Luther King Plaza directly across the street.
The property also has an alley in the rear, which Merrill said may be developed as an open-air venue as the business matures.
While Jackson’s Steakhouse and The Fish House will be handling the bulk of catering, Merrill said The Palafox House customers can use other approved caterers.
On-street parking is available for after-hours events, but for larger crowds a nearby public parking lot is accessible.
