Architect Bayne Collins was thumbing through a book on old Cuba when he spotted the picture of a 19th Century Cuban cigar factory that would ultimately become the inspiration for his design of a new oceanfront restaurant building in Panama City, Florida called the Shrimp Boat.

The new building—three-stories high and more than 24,000 square feet—replaces an earlier Shrimp Boat restaurant and fish market landmark complex that had been built out over the water in the 1950’s. One of the goals of the project was to make the new structure compatible with Panama City’s St. Andrews section, a one-time seaside fishing village being restored on the Florida Coast.

Modern building codes presented a challenge to the project, initially requiring Collins to design the restaurant on a footprint smaller than the original building. However, the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection approved a plan for the restaurant to reclaim waterfront land allowing the owner to extend the bulkhead to the original footprint of the complex.

The new structure features an expo kitchen, sushi bar, banquet facilities, and a 55-foot-long bar overlooking a yacht basin. The rambling waterfront structure also houses Gracie Rae, a fun and casual bar and grill; and The Salty Hawg Saloon.

Collins, who has specified metal roofing many times over the years, chose for this project an Englert Series 1300 preweathered aluminum roof. The 24,000, 040” aluminum standing seam covers the entire length of the building and was chosen for its salt water resistance and its aesthetic compatibility with roofs of the other buildings in the old fishing village.

Ameritech Enterprises of Panama City Beach installed the metal roof. GAC Contracting of Panama City was the general contractor. Collins & Associates of Panama City was the architectural firm.