Advocacy Issues The Issue: Westminster Presbyterian Church Neighborhood: The Historic Old Northeast City Council Member: Darden Rice Council@stpete.org Action You Can Take Now: Send a message to the CPPC via Kelly Perkins: kelly.perkins@stpete.org ![]() BACKGROUND The Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at the corner of 11th Ave. NE and 1st St. in the historic Old Northeast neighborhood, was designed in 1926 by well known architect Archie Parrish. An application for designation as a local historic landmark has been filed by City Council. You can read the City Staff's report here: westminster church 2020-02-11 Report 19-90300008.pdf THE THREAT The Church and its property are presently for sale by the Presbytery of Tampa Bay. The site is comprised of 7 lots in total, and there is concern that the Church might be demolished by a developer. Historic churches like Westminster are important to a neighborhood's character and sense of place. In addition to being a place of worship, these buildings have often served as a neighborhood meeting hall, school, voting site, or as a hub for social service programs or the arts. Today, many historic churches are facing an uncertain future as the role of religion in American culture changes. THE OPPORTUNITY There is great opportunity as the function and use of our great historic church buildings change. Recently, St. Petersburg has seen two historic church buildings designated as local landmarks and successfully reused. The former Church of the Beatitudes in Crescent Heights is being converted to a single family residence and the former New Redeemer Lutheran Church in Central Oak Park has been converted to office use. The character and ambience these places provide is unrivaled, and cannot be matched by new construction. TIMELINE
WHAT PRESERVE THE ‘BURG IS DOING Preserve the ‘Burg strongly supports the effort to designate the Westminster church as a local historic landmark. We are engaged in communication with neighborhood residents as well as potential buyers interested in learning more about the benefits of landmark designation. WHAT YOU CAN DO
Some things to consider including in your message:
Citizen input is vital to efforts to Preserve the 'Burg. Make your voice heard today! |