Krispy Kreme in Pensacola to Be Razed and Rebuilt

40 Year Old Landmark Just the Latest Architectural Icon to Bite the Dust in Pensacola

The Krispy Kreme store at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Cervantes in Pensacola, Florida has been a historic landmark business for almost half a decade. The city’s best and worst, powerful and poor, elite and intelligent have all hit the brakes and sent the sound of squealing rubber throughout the neighborhood at the site of the Hot Donuts Now sign flashing in the window. All that is about to change, however, as the old building will be razed and a new one built in its place. (Is Esc. Co. School Supt. Jim Paul involved in this somehow; he loves needlessly tearing down buildings in order to create contracting jobs for his frien—for people.)

Krispy Kreme has long been a powerful force in this town, perhaps second only to Oscar’s Restaurant or The Coffee Cup. Krispy Kreme has watched other donut stores come and go—the attempt to introduce Dunkin’ Donuts to Pensacola in the early 90s was a failure almost on par with the Supreme Court appointing George W. Bush President. And the store itself was nearly as important to its success as the donuts.

It had a decidedly 1960s diner feel to it with spectacularly old—not retro, mind you, but old as in genuinely authentic—spinning counter stools. Those stools were sold in a silent auction this weekend—at least one of them topped the $250 mark. If you think that’s unbelievable, consider that the flashing neon sign informing people that a hot batch of donuts had just become available went for over a thousand dollars!

Still, it must be admitted by anyone that waiting in line for donuts inside the venerable Krispy Kreme store in Pensacola was anything but a pleasant experience during busy times. The customer area of the store is less than what you’d find inside your average Waffle House and the booths and stools were of limited quantity. During the holiday season or just about any early Saturday morning it wasn’t unusual to see the line extending outside. This Krispy Kreme was built back when Pensacola really was a small town; something it just isn’t anymore.