Take a stroll around the Mirror Lake neighborhood and soak in the beauty and history of the area, as well as the unique architecture of the buildings. The neighborhood is rich in 1920s-era architecture and a feast for the eyes. Styles include Beaux Arts, Masonry Vernacular, Mediterranean Revival, Modern, and Moorish. More recent buildings include the modernist Judicial Building, the Sebring State Offices, and Wannemacher-Jensen Architects.

Mirror Lake itself is the only lake downtown and believed to be part of a string of ancient lakes that also includes Crescent Lake. The lakes offered Native Americans a source of fresh water long before Europeans arrived.… Read More

Sometimes a simple synchronicity can be life-changing in ways we couldn’t dream of at the time. That’s what happened for Barbara Rhode, a St. Petersburg licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the Red Tent Women’s Initiative.

Barbara had just finished reading Anita Diamant’s book, The Red Tent – a compelling fiction about the ancient tradition of women seeking comfort in each other’s company while they spent time in the “red tent.” The book reinforced Barbara’s belief that for many women, having a safe space to share their feelings and experiences was very much missing in today’s society.

At an estate sale a few months later, she had the odd sensation that something was wrong from the minute she walked into the house.… Read More

Looking back at our own personal history can help us reflect on where we’ve been in order to see how far we’ve come. Architectural preservation can do the same for a community, allowing us to look back and appreciate a different time in history. It gives us a visible connection to the past while we forge ahead to the future. Since the early ’90s, Old Northeast resident Maureen Stafford has made it her mission to save and restore well over 30 homes in St. Petersburg – an impressive achievement in helping preserve the city’s unique history.

A self-made architectural preservationist with an innate passion, relentless perseverance and an undeniable vision, Maureen has done a remarkable job making sure that run-down old treasures are transformed with new life.… Read More

In rural upstate New York where they live six months out of the year, Jim and Eva Tomlinson have an apple grove with 100 trees; a field with raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries; two large vegetable gardens, and a big pond. It’s peaceful. They can sit on the front porch of their 100-year-old cottage and see the fireflies and stars at night. Wildflowers like Queen Anne’s lace and day lilies grow everywhere. Oaks, maples, and other hardwood trees cover most of their 50-acre homestead.

But, they also have no electricity… which means no computer, no TV, no dishwasher, and no automatic coffee makers.… Read More

As the 2020 holiday season approaches, we turn back the clock to pay a visit to the Christmas season of 100 years ago. In 1920, the nation and St. Petersburg were still coping with the post-World War I depression, although St. Pete was seeing good signs of recovery. World War I had come to an end in late 1918 as had the devastating Spanish Flu. In November 1920, Republican Warren G. Harding had been elected president. However, as of Christmas, Democrat Woodrow Wilson was still serving. His term would not end until March 1921. 1920 was a “Dry” year, at least officially.… Read More

As a master in the Ichiyo School of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, Jeanne Houlton’s arrangements are a study in minimalism, balance, graceful lines, space, and proportion. More than a simple decoration, Ikebana arrangements are three-dimensional floral sculptures.

“In Ikebana, the idea is less is more,” says Jeanne. “By taking away, a more powerful effect is achieved. Negative space is part of the art. It’s also transient, which is represented in our use of all stages of the plant, from seed to flower to the dried form in death.” Jeanne also points out that western floral design is symmetrical, but Ikebana uses asymmetrical balance.… Read More

COVID-19 may have put a halt to many community and social events, but we are wired to be social, and somehow we always find a way to adapt through challenges. Snell Isle resident Dawna Stone is a local example of someone who has shown the discipline and determination to overcome any obstacle in her way, even a global pandemic. Empowered women empower women, and Dawna Stone – an accomplished author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and health, fitness and wellness expert – is that kind of woman.

With her sister Michele, Dawna recently launched the Virtual Women’s Half Marathon, with proceeds benefiting the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund.… Read More

Our grandmother, Luisa Bernarda Jimenez was born on Friday, August 20, 1920, in Meneses, a small town in what was then known as the Las Villas Province in north central Cuba. But that’s not what her birth certificate says. It claims she was born in 1921, not 1920. And the reason for that discrepancy is more relevant today than ever. 

The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920 was raging throughout Cuba the year Luisa was born, causing fearful locals to stay home and delay trips to larger municipalities, where birth certificates were recorded. So our grandmother’s birth wasn’t officially recorded until a year after she was born.… Read More

I met Harry Piper at the St. Pete Racquet Club. For the tennis uninitiated, we have something called changeovers. After two games of tennis, everyone sits for a few minutes. During a changeover, I asked Harry what he did before he retired. “Archeologist,” he replied, awaiting the quizzical look and follow-up questions. Over a series of changeovers, I learned that Harry and his wife Jackie, now retired, were archeologists for hire who earned their living by delving, digging, and scuba diving into Florida’s past.

Harry was a senior when he met freshman Jackie at Duke University. After college, Harry went into the military.… Read More

On June 23, 1963, John F. Kennedy was president, gas was 22 cents a gallon, and oil was 25 cents a can with a 2-cent rebate. It’s also the day that Dotty Stewart started her job at Bob Lee’s Tire Company on 4th Street North. This past June, Dotty celebrated her 57th consecutive year as a bookkeeper and accountant for the family-owned tire-and-auto-repair center.

“I came in for an interview and never left,” says Dotty. “Today, nobody stays at their job this long, but I look forward to every day. It’s really been an awesome 57 years.”

 Now 82, Dotty still comes to work every day at 8am.… Read More