John Sunday, Jr. Plaza Dedication Postponed

The John Sunday, Jr. Plaza Dedication scheduled for today, Thursday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. has been postponed due to weather. The event will be rescheduled at a later date. Please stay tuned to the City of Pensacola website and Facebook page for updates.

About John Sunday, Jr.

John Sunday, Jr. (1838-1925) was a very successful African American business contractor, community leader and politician in Pensacola. He served on the Pensacola City Council between 1878-1881 and 1884-1885, also representing Escambia County in the Florida House of Representatives in 1874.

The plaza was renamed in honor of John Sunday, Jr. in 2021 after City Council unanimously approved a recommendation from Mayor Robinson for the renaming. A granite base with a bronze plaque honoring Sunday was also placed in the plaza on the north end of City Hall to highlight some of his many accomplishments.

A native of the Pensacola Bay Area and son of an enslaved woman, Sunday enlisted in the United States Army and served in the Civil War with the 6th Corps d'Afrique Infantry and 78th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry, rising to the rank of First Sergeant. After the war, Sunday returned to Pensacola, became a customs inspector for the Port of
Pensacola, and later entered the construction business.

He is credited with leading the business development in Historic Belmont DeVilliers, and is also known for building many homes in Pensacola and establishing an orphanage. Sunday once owned the land now occupied by City Hall and in 1891, he donated the property for nearby St. Joseph Catholic Church.

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