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Curious to learn more about preservation or ways to get involved in your community, but don’t know where to start? We’re here to help. In our blog, our preservation experts break down current advocacy issues, ways to get involved, and local St. Pete happenings.
If a building could talk, one would certainly want to sit down with the Snell building, anticipating a fascinating and unique conversation. The hard part would be how to choose the topics to fit into a single conversation! Should the conversation include how the Snell managed to rise in 1928 as the bust was taking over St. Petersburg, and include stories about the building’s original owner/developer, C. Perry Snell, whose second career as a developer raised the value of more property on the Pinellas Peninsula than any other individual or group over a nearly forty year time span? Or, one could easily spend a day discussing the Snell’s architect, Richard Kiehnel, and the architectural style and detailing he chose, including the arcade that banker Hubert Rutland closed off after he purchased the building in 1943! Finally, the Snell could explain to you how today’s owners have used existing preservation incentives to again make the building one of the downtown stars and a building fit for modern times.
A reader posed the question: "Peter, is there a difference between 'National Register' and 'Local Register' designation of historic properties?" And Peter answered: "Yes! National and Local Listing of Historic Properties differ, and it is an important distinction!"
In 1908 real estate agent Noel Mitchell placed a couple of benches in front of his office on Central Avenue on which customers could relax after making the long trek to the corner of 4th Street. The benches became popular, so other businesses soon followed suit, and in 1917 a city ordinance mandated that all the benches be painted the same shade of hunter green. They quickly became a symbol of hospitality throughout the nation - splashed on postcards and magazines that promoted the good life in the Sunshine City.
As Preserve the ‘Burg works to save the unusual Shell Dash Cottage, let’s take a look back at some of the more prominent landmarks St. Petersburg has lost over the years, starting with the building whose demolition gave rise to the organization now known as Preserve the ‘Burg:
Weather you're a long-time community advocate or just curious about your older home, a preservation professional or looking to inspire a some-day architect, our Preservation Month reading list is a collection of our favorite classics and recently published books on our preservation book shelf, in no particular order.
