Brittany MisencikPensacola News Journal
When Cornelia Robinson Edwards flipped the former 19th century home on 514 N. Baylen St. into a bustling bed and breakfast with her brother, Gerald Robinson — she was doing more than bringing a new boutique lodging option straight out of a magazine to Pensacola. She was becoming a proud storyteller of Pensacola history.
To her, hospitality is more than an industry, it’s a character trait. Specifically, one that her great-grandmother, Celestine Toliver Harrison, exuded effortlessly. Born in Pensacola in 1908, the home she created was always a door unlocked, dinner’s ready for anyone who wants it, kind of place. She truly knew no strangers.
A close-look at the intricately hand-sketched wallpaper in the bed and breakfast’s entryway will show tiny drawings that Cornelia uses as storytelling aids to transport her guests back in time − both to personal milestones, and the old Pensacola landmarks that anyone who has lived in the area long enough remembers fondly.
Photographs of fish being caught off the bridge then taken home to be cleaned, news clippings of the Old Sacred Heart Hospital's opening day, a signed report card with Celestine's cursive signature that serves as the bed and breakfast’s logo.
A few steps over into the kitchen and a vibrant flamingo wallpaper welcomes you in, while her great-grandmother’s original dining room table sits beside it. Her grandmother’s fine China teacups are placed on top.
The contemporary twist on the historic home skillfully merges the old and new, giving it an exciting and purposeful breath of new life.
“Everything just started coming together. You know, it’s really interesting and special when those sorts of things happen. It’s like my great grandmother — it feels like she’s the orchestrator of it all,” Cornelia said.
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Cornelia and her husband, Bronson Edwards, now serve as the resident innkeepers to the Celestine. Their 2022 marriage on the property grounds marked the beginning of a grand adventure that would consist of welcoming strangers into their homes on the daily. The two occupy an apartment-sized suite on the third floor but make themselves available as often as guests would like, whether it be for a conversation in the library, a downtown walking tour, or an afternoon charcuterie snack upon request.
The two have met guests from all over the world who love travel as much as they do. Together, the Edwards have shared memories perusing nearly every continent on the planet, aside from Antarctica. They have the stories, and memorabilia, to prove it.
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Likeminded travel enthusiasts tend to find their way into Celestine’s doors, craving a stay somewhere unlike anything else. The two have taken on the role of experience curators joyously.
They are the first people to offer you a glass of wine upon arrival, tell you about the stories behind some antique furniture they expertly painted, preserved or upholstered during the renovation, or serve up a bounty of Cornelia’s addictive homemade biscuits. She likes to rotate her breakfast selection regularly, whether it be French toast with hand-whipped cream and berry compote or Southern style shrimp and grits.
The mornings draw the visitors out of their rooms and around the table, sharing stories over poured coffee. The chatting guests replicate a meal shared the way Celestine intended it to be.
Whether the house’s occupants are spilling over with things in common or come from entirely different walks of life, a bond is forged, Cornelia said.
“She (Celestine) was an only child. She always wanted a big family. She and my grandfather had five children, they instilled a sense of connectedness and family,” Cornelia recounted. “They shared lots of stories, walking into her house was like walking into story time. I think at time times, without her even realizing it, we soaked up a lot of lessons. Just being able to embody that and give people that experience has been phenomenal.”
After two years of renovations, the two started slowly invited guests in since late 2022, leading up to their grand opening on April 29.
The home is divided into four grand rooms, each that have inherited the name of one of Celestine’s children that matches their unique personality. Whether it be an elegant room with deep jewel tones or a playful room of pastels — the guests get to choose the space that speaks to them.
Family instrumental to Pensacola's Civil Rights Movement.
The people behind the room names are not only significant to Cornelia but were instrumental to Pensacola’s Civil Rights Movement.
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Cornelia’s great aunt Mary Harrison Washington and her uncle, Horace Edward Harrison, were some of the first civil rights activists to organize sit-ins. She remembers the stories of her aunt being towed away in a police car as her father watched from afar with tears rolling down his cheeks before rushing to pick her up from the police station.
Her great-grandfather Vandybilt Harrison’s fair skin was the reason his wife, Celestine, was forced to sit in the back seat of the car, posing as his staff, instead of his wife, to avoid consequences. He did not allow the unwarranted privilege to go to waste and used it to help advocate for those without it.
Her uncle, Horace Edward Harrison, was the first Black male student to graduate from the formerly all-white Pensacola High School.
Her family’s victories became significant for Pensacola’s future, and the Celestine serves as a place where those stories are shared freely. Cornelia intentionally provides guests opportunities to dig deeper if they choose to, whether it be by reading a book by Zora Neale Hurston who portrayed racial struggles of the 20th century or flipping through a green book that guided Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. Both are available to guests on the library shelves.
Not only does she share proud tidbits of her family’s stamp on Pensacola history, but she encourages her guests to share stories of their own. Because everyone has one, she is convinced.
The Edwards’ hope that the bed and breakfast will be more than a room to stay the night, but a meaningful memory.
“First of all, we want them to feel cared for. We want them to feel like intention went into their stay, that we curated something special for them,” Cornelia said.
More information can be found on the Celestine Bed and Breakfast Facebook page and website.
