Heart of the City 22 1/2" x 29 1/2" Limited edition offset lithograph by Paul Brent Edition size 950 signed & numbered; 50 artist proofs The original Panama City Hall and the Martin Theater in downtown Panama City are shown together on Harrison Avenue. The city hall is now home to the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida.This print has received much recognition and has been chosen to represent the downtown are many times.
In 1925, the City Hall of Panama City was built with the intent to inspire and glorify the growing city. It was an impressive building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style of the 20’s. The two story structure was sited on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Fourth Street at the center of town. It was prominent in its location and was able to be seen all the way from the waterfront. The exterior of the building is coated in stucco that has colored glass chips set in it and because of this it glitters in the bright sunlight. Local lore is that it is the only building in Florida with colored glass in the stucco. The entry way was decorated impressively with a smooth white plaster façade that contained rich architectural symbolism. Extending from the entry arch to enclose the second story front window, the façade was a Spanish design with four Baroque columns, two cornucopias symbolizing the fruitfulness of the city and two obelisks, symbols in Rome of public gathering places. A shield in the middle of the cornucopias is a trophy symbol dating back to the Renaissance that designated the city’s power over rivals. Another trophy symbol, a covered urn that indicates a storage container for riches, sits atop the scroll work at the upper most reaches of the building. Garlands festoon the scroll work also indicating celebration of the site and the city. An interesting element is the series of small layered arches in the upper curve over the second story windows. Are these a reference to the Moorish arches that are found at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain or an adapted detail of the Art Deco Period? All in all, it was an original and auspicious design for the growing community.
The building housed city offices, a commissioners chambers as well as the fire department. The fire truck garage door was located on Luverne Avenue and the tile overhang that sheltered the opening from rain can still be seen today. Also, one can see that the stucco used to cover the doorway does not match the original. The roof rested on massive wooden trusses that spanned wall to wall and a red tile mansard disguised the gentle slope of the roof. The roof design proved to be of poor service since in times of heavy rain, the water would pool on the roof and leak into the building. A jail addition was eventually built to the rear of the city hall. When the new city hall was constructed on the marina in 1962, the city hall became the police department building with the jail attached. When a new police building was built in the early 80’s, the building was vacated and the city offered it to serve as the home of the Historical Society and the Bay Arts and Humanities Council, later Bay Arts Alliance. Two years later, Bay Arts Alliance offices moved to the Civic Center to manage that facility and the Historical Society did not want the responsibility for the building that was then very leaky and in need of much repair. In 1986, the Downtown Improvement Board, working with the Panama Art Association, Bay Arts Alliance, the City of Panama City and the State of Florida received a grant to renovate the building as the Visual Art Center. The City also provided funds for restoration and operation of the building. In 1988, the building was reopened with an addition providing office space and an elevator. The old jail became workshop space and storage areas. The Visual Art Center of Northwest Florida has hosted many local and national traveling art exhibits including the Titanic exhibit in 2007. Thousands attended during its stay and enjoyed both the exhibit and the wonderful historic building.
Heart of the City 22 1/2" x 29 1/2" Limited edition offset lithograph by Paul Brent Edition size 950 signed & numbered; 50 artist proofs The original Panama City Hall and the Martin Theater in downtown Panama City are shown together on Harrison Avenue. The city hall is now home to the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida.This print has received much recognition and has been chosen to represent the downtown are many times.
In 1925, the City Hall of Panama City was built with the intent to inspire and glorify the growing city. It was an impressive building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style of the 20’s. The two story structure was sited on the corner of Harrison Avenue and Fourth Street at the center of town. It was prominent in its location and was able to be seen all the way from the waterfront. The exterior of the building is coated in stucco that has colored glass chips set in it and because of this it glitters in the bright sunlight. Local lore is that it is the only building in Florida with colored glass in the stucco. The entry way was decorated impressively with a smooth white plaster façade that contained rich architectural symbolism. Extending from the entry arch to enclose the second story front window, the façade was a Spanish design with four Baroque columns, two cornucopias symbolizing the fruitfulness of the city and two obelisks, symbols in Rome of public gathering places. A shield in the middle of the cornucopias is a trophy symbol dating back to the Renaissance that designated the city’s power over rivals. Another trophy symbol, a covered urn that indicates a storage container for riches, sits atop the scroll work at the upper most reaches of the building. Garlands festoon the scroll work also indicating celebration of the site and the city. An interesting element is the series of small layered arches in the upper curve over the second story windows. Are these a reference to the Moorish arches that are found at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain or an adapted detail of the Art Deco Period? All in all, it was an original and auspicious design for the growing community.
The building housed city offices, a commissioners chambers as well as the fire department. The fire truck garage door was located on Luverne Avenue and the tile overhang that sheltered the opening from rain can still be seen today. Also, one can see that the stucco used to cover the doorway does not match the original. The roof rested on massive wooden trusses that spanned wall to wall and a red tile mansard disguised the gentle slope of the roof. The roof design proved to be of poor service since in times of heavy rain, the water would pool on the roof and leak into the building. A jail addition was eventually built to the rear of the city hall. When the new city hall was constructed on the marina in 1962, the city hall became the police department building with the jail attached. When a new police building was built in the early 80’s, the building was vacated and the city offered it to serve as the home of the Historical Society and the Bay Arts and Humanities Council, later Bay Arts Alliance. Two years later, Bay Arts Alliance offices moved to the Civic Center to manage that facility and the Historical Society did not want the responsibility for the building that was then very leaky and in need of much repair. In 1986, the Downtown Improvement Board, working with the Panama Art Association, Bay Arts Alliance, the City of Panama City and the State of Florida received a grant to renovate the building as the Visual Art Center. The City also provided funds for restoration and operation of the building. In 1988, the building was reopened with an addition providing office space and an elevator. The old jail became workshop space and storage areas. The Visual Art Center of Northwest Florida has hosted many local and national traveling art exhibits including the Titanic exhibit in 2007. Thousands attended during its stay and enjoyed both the exhibit and the wonderful historic building.
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