Thursday, February 27, 2020
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office (historic post card view pictured). The tour led by architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
PTB members are free. Guests and non-members are $10/person.
Tour reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited to 30 people.
If a tour is full, walk-ups will not be accommodated.
Saturday, February 29th, 2020
Meet under the Driftwood sign at
First Street South and 25th Avenue South
When you enter Driftwood, you are entering what some folks say feels like a subtropical forest primeval. There's a quiet mystique about the place, where walkers stroll through the winding, densely shaded streets almost in a state of meditative euphoria. Come share that experience as long-time board member, PTB's institutional memory, and retired attorney Peter Belmont leads you thru this historic neighborhood. The first settlement in south Pinellas County began here along the shore of Big Bayou in the mid 1850s, predating the establishment of St. Petersburg in 1888, and boasting its own post office, general store and hotel. You will see the historical marker identifying the location of the only armed conflict in Pinellas County during the Civil War, and you can admire the unique homes that created the Driftwood subdivision in the 1930s. This is a rarely offered tour, and you won't want to miss the opportunity to walk the Driftwood story.
Tours are free for PTB members. Guests and non-members are $10/person.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS TOUR, HOWEVER, THE TOUR IS FULL. PLEASE CHECK OUR CALENDAR FOR OTHER WALKING TOURS!
SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2020
Yes, on this tour we will be bicycling thru historic districts galore, seeing some of the best of the Burg's neighborhoods that make the city special! We are confident you will enjoy this bicycle tour that will be a fun, leisurely ride with numerous stops offering you a chance to learn about traditional neighborhoods and what it takes to become a historic district. As we pedal north of downtown, our tour will visit both national and locally designated districts including the Round Lake and Northshore National Register Districts and Welch's Mediterranean Row and Lang's Court local landmark districts.
Sunday mornings are a perfect time to hop on the bicycle as traffic is at its minimum. Preserve the 'Burg has partnered with Coast Bike Share to offer this tour. The tour price includes use of a Coast bicycle. Or you can bring your own bicycle. Helmets are recommended.
Please join Preserve the 'Burg for this special presentation by Peggy Macdonald and Stephanie Owens as we celebrate the centennial of women's suffrage.
When it comes to women's suffrage in Florida, St. Pete has an exceptional story to tell. Did you know we had on our City Council the first woman commissioner south of the Mason Dixon Line? Virginia Burnside was elected to the St. Pete City Council in July 1920, almost two months before the 19th Amendment was ratified. The 1914 Burnside residence at 136 5th Avenue North was originally owned by Virginia and John Burnside, and in 2017 was granted landmark status by the City Council.
In "Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage," Dr. Peggy Macdonald traces Florida's suffrage movement from its inception with Ella Chamberlain in 1892, to August 27, 1920, when Fay Gibson Moulton Bridges cast her ballot on the porch of a Jackson County dry goods store, becoming the first Florida woman to vote after the 19th Amendment went into effect. Former Florida First Lady May Mann Jennings, who convinced the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs to support the campaign for equal suffrage as their president in 1915, also co-founded the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters. In Jim Crow Florida, African American women were excluded from local and state equal suffrage organizations. However, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune helped black men and women exercise their right to vote by offering classes designed to help students pass the literacy test and by fundraising for a poll tax fund.
Peggy will be joined by Stephanie Owens, who has spent over 20 years in public service, as an appointee of both President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton. She held senior official positions in the White House, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Stephanie’s decades of experience with voter protection, inclusion and equity, and social justice will invite us to think about how we can use the lessons of the past to guide our future.
Peggy Macdonald is adjunct professor of history at Stetson University in DeLand. She is a speaker with the Florida Humanities Florida Talks program and writes about Florida history for Gainesville Magazine, Our Town Magazine, Senior Times and FORUM Magazine. She earned a doctorate in American history at the University of Florida.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Our "Original" downtown walking tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past. Experience and see what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District. Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade and the Open Air Post Office (above in historic post card image).
You might want to come early and take a stroll through the Saturday Morning Market, it opens at 9 am and its easy to purchase a bakery treat & coffee.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Allendale is a special neighborhood, with large oak trees shading its red brick streets and lined with large homes with stone veneer. Cade Allen platted the neighborhood in the early 1920′s and was one of the few developers of his time to use stone, quarried from Georgia and North Carolina, to help showcase his homes. The tour will take a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, allowing you to enjoy it in all of its spring splendor! We typically only visit Allendale once per year and the tour is always popular so we suggest you make your reservation!
Thursday, March 19, 2020
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour led by PTB President and architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Join PTB for a special architectural bingo tour in the Historic Old Northeast! PTB's former President & architectural historian Emily Elwyn will lead the group on this fun tour where tour goers will look for some common and not so common architectural features from the neighborhood’s homes that also appear on the bingo cards. The first to find the features and, as in “regular” bingo, complete the row on the bingo card will be the winner (prizes awarded!).
It’s a great tour for the kids but architecture bingo is fun for all ages! The Old Northeast is a perfect neighborhood for this tour as it is one of the city’s oldest and contains an eclectic mix of architecturally styled homes.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020
Join us at the marvelous, "unburnable, all concrete home" touted by the St. Petersburg Times in 1949 as the cutting edge of new construction practices. The home of Tony Carreno and Bill Wear since 1996, the home maintains its mid-century modern feel even with great upgrades to its living room, kitchen, and outdoor areas.
Enjoy a spectacular waterfront view of Big Bayou, great music, good food, and a little education on modern architecture in St. Pete (what is it? where is it? How can I see it? When is Preserve the 'Burg going to do a bus tour on it???) Come find out the answers to all your burning questions on March 26th!
Friday, March 27, 2020
THIS TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT! PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR FOR OTHER UPCOMING TOURS AND EVENTS.
Barnstorm verb
barn·storm | \ ˈbärn-ˌstȯrm \
2: to travel from place to place making brief stops
Join Executive Director Monica Kile (pictured left) for a barnstorm through the ‘Burg to learn all about St. Petersburg’s evolution from a tiny hamlet called Wardsville to the dynamic community we live in today. Criss-cross the city in comfort on a climate-controlled motorcoach (with bathroom!) while you hear how the the ‘Burg’s history was shaped by real estate booms and busts, spring training, incredible PR gimmicks, and dedicated city advocates. View the vibrancy of Central Avenue’s 600 Block, the peaceful solitude of historic Driftwood, and the rich legacy of the Deuces - St. Pete’s historically African-American main street. Honed over a decade of guiding St. Pete’s future leaders in the CONA Leadership Class and Leadership St. Pete, Monica’s tour hits the most interesting (and some of the most hidden!) sites in St. Petersburg, while giving participants a deep understanding of where the city has been, and where it is going.
Tour includes a mid-morning snack break at the Craftsman House Gallery. We will get off the bus at 2-3 locations, and may have short walks of 1-3 blocks.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
The Historic Kenwood tour is always popular as participants experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods. The tour will be a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood and the tour will include an inside peek within one of the neighborhood homes.
Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts, it features the city's largest local landmark district and is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood or from one of the other local businesses along Central Ave.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Our "Original" downtown walking tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past. Experience and see what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District. Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade and the Open Air Post Office.
You might want to come early and take a stroll before the tour through the Saturday Morning Market, it opens at 9 am and offers lots of food vendors.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
This tour, in the heart of downtown, is typically just over an hour walk and offers a great introduction for visitors or residents to learn a bit about the city's history! Tour goers will get a chance to see some of the best of what makes downtown special, including architectural favorites like the 1926 Snell Arcade and the 1916 Open Air Post Office. The tour led by former PTB president and architectural historian Emily Elwyn is sure to leave you with a new perspective on the history and growth of the ‘Burg. After the tour, you may want to pick out a local spot downtown for lunch!
Saturday, April 11, 2020
Preserve the 'Burg (PTB) and our friends at Keep St. Pete Lit are partnering to offer this fun tweak to PTB’s traditional downtown walking tour - a historic tour with a literary twist! Tour goers will learn about some of the 'Burg's history and architecture while gaining inspiration from local writers reading from their work. The tour, starting at City Hall, will circle around Mirror Lake an area with historic homes, schools, churches and, of course, the shuffle board courts!! All in all, this tour makes for a great morning, make your reservation now as this tour often fills up!
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Historic Uptown is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, located just north of downtown and west of 4th St. The neighborhood is a National Register historic district that still very much retains its 1920's feel. The neighborhood was listed on the National Register because of the excellent and varied examples of popular styled homes from the early 1900's thru the 1920's. Tour participants will have an opportunity to experience and learn about these styles during the neighborhood stroll from tour guide Emily Elwyn, Preserve the 'Burg's past president and an architectural historian. The tour will start at the gazebo next to Round Lake, pictured above.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
This Historic Kenwood tour wraps up our spring Saturday morning tour season so if you have been thinking about taking this tour now is the time to join us! Experience one of the country’s premier bungalow neighborhoods on a leisurely walk led by resident guides excited to show off their neighborhood. Kenwood is one of the 'Burg's five National Register designated historic districts. It is also one of the city's two "artist enclave" districts. The tour will highlight both the architecture and neighborhood art projects happening in this popular and special neighborhood. After the tour, guests can choose to enjoy a drink or lunch at the Craftsman House, an American crafts gallery & cafe that was the original model home for Kenwood or at one of the many other local food spots in the Grand Central District along Central Ave.
