Nearly two years after it was announced, a new Pensacola welcome sign featuring a placid pelican and retro design is being raised at the landing of the Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. Bridge.
The new sign located where Gregory Street and Bayfront Parkway split will greet the 100,000 drivers a day who enter the city of Pensacola from the bay bridge.
The city held a contest in 2023 to select the design that replaced the old “Five Flags” display that had to be removed during construction of the new bridge. The funds for the bridge were paid for by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The winning design came from Pensacola graphic designer Briana Spence of Spence Studios.
Spence’s design was chosen from 22 submissions through a blind selection and scoring process, according to a 2023 city press release. The selection committee consisted of six individuals who did not know the identity of the designers until after the designs were scored and a winner was selected.
Dalrymple Sallis Architecture took the winning design and engineered it into a physical design.
One change to the design made over the last two years was the motto at the bottom, which changed from “America’s First Settlement” to “Where Florida Begins.” The “Where Florida Begins” motto was used to market Pensacola in the 1970s, and Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said the motto will begin to be used again in more city-branded things in the coming year.
“It’s where Florida begins historically, where it begins geographically,” Reeves said. “And, I believe, where it begins on the trajectory for our future.”
The sign is expected to be completed by next week.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: New retro-design Pensacola welcome sign goes up at the foot of the Pensacola Bay bridge
Reporting by Jim Little, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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