The Palladium Theater may soon go through a multi-million-dollar interior transformation. The Northeast neighborhood icon already received $850,000 from the Florida senate this summer, and much of those funds will go into the design and consulting teams who will redesign the Palladium interior. 

Executive director Paul Wilborn says the organization is applying for another $850,000 grant from the senate to aid with construction costs. In addition, the Palladium is launching a fundraising campaign with a $10 million final goal and an end date of 2025. 

“It’s a lot of money, but we’re confident we can [raise it],” Wilborn said. “The majority of the money will come from private donors.” … Read More

Slugger Babe Ruth, the Iron Horse Lou Gehrig, Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio and… best-selling author Dennis Lehane. Three are Yankees and the fourth is “a Yankee.” All are part of the Old Northeast lore of colorful characters and notable people who’ve passed through the neighborhood. However, separating fact from fiction is tricky. 

The Great Bambino is referenced so often HONNA could sell signs saying “Babe Ruth Slept Here.” It might be a real moneymaker, given the number of places he’s said to have hung his cap over the course of fifteen springs in St. Pete. From the Flori de Leon Apartments (where he and Gehrig rented dualling penthouses) to the Jungle Country Club Hotel to the Snell Isle Apartments, the Babe got around.… Read More

Many residents noticed that last year’s Hurricane Ian brought down several of the medjool date palms along Coffee Pot Bayou. The popular winding promenade was already patchy as storms and other factors have felled at least 16 of the majestic palms since they were planted more than 20 years ago. But there’s good news for fans of the exotic trees: The city of St. Pete has plans to restore them to their frond-ish glory. 

Brian Eichler, assistant director of St. Pete’s Parks and Rec department, says that the city will replant. “The city is in the process of receiving quotes for replacement of the palms and reviewing the current conditions of the areas that the trees were planted in to make sure they are suitable for replanting,” he said.… Read More

If a person playing the game when St. Pete’s shuffleboard club first opened 99 years ago encountered glow-in-the-dark courts, they wouldn’t believe their eyes. But don’t worry, purists – the look is only temporary. 

In March, St. Pete Shuffle, at 559 Mirror Lake Drive North, lit up downtown after volunteers and staff painted eight of the courts with glow-in-the-dark paint and blasted the area with UV lights. “It looked really cool, I have to admit,” said club member and volunteer Doug Dozark. “Like cosmic bowling, but outside, for shuffleboard.” 

Dozark’s such a fan of the club, he and his wife had their wedding there.… Read More

In St. Pete, our beloved Vinoy Resort was sold, renovated, and just named a member of the Marriott’s prestigious luxury Autograph Collection. An icon for nearly 100 years, the Vinoy has survived a lengthy renovation, while locals played the waiting game with faith that her refreshed look would still reflect the resort’s rich history.

The hotel has always endured the highs and lows of life with a certain charm, managing to entertain guests from movie stars and dignitaries to presidential candidates and demanding brides. Celeb sightings are legendary: the Princess of Spain, Jimmy Stewart, Babe Ruth, the du Ponts, the Guggenheims, and more have walked her halls.… Read More

Williams Park has long been at the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, with a unique history that dates to the very planning of the city. The block-sized piece of land was donated by city founder John Williams, and it shows up on the first city plat in 1888.  

The area opened under the name “City Park” but was, like much of Florida at the time, overrun with palmettos and scrub brush. According to Making of St. Petersburg, by Will Michaels, though John Williams died in 1892, his widow, Sarah, continued to work with volunteers to get the park underway. In 1893, the Park Improvement Association formed and, with the aid of women from the local churches, sponsored a Park Day.… Read More

Who doesn’t love to peek inside other people’s homes? My husband knows I’m far more likely to join him to walk the dog at night, when I can see into people’s lighted living rooms and kitchens. There’s something about getting a glimpse into other people’s lives; seeing their choices in paint colors, art, and books. Whether they’re watching PBS or Bravo. The best is when I see a kitchen that’s messier than mine (a rare occurrence).

I’d been wanting a look inside the home of David and Rachel Wein (rhymes with Queen) ever since I’d learned that it had been built by George and Eula Turner, the founders of Sunken Gardens, and is one of the handful of houses in the city that has a basement.… Read More

The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club has a long history as one of the grandest hotels in the area. Called “The Pink Lady” by locals, the hotel has watched over our local shorelines, and welcomed residents and visitors alike to admire her beautiful halls. But where there is beauty, there is also lore. It is said that the Vinoy not only hosts tourists but is the alleged home of spiritual inhabitants as well.

The building’s history is legendary. For the origins, we must go back to the 1920s when Aymer Vinoy Laughner hosted a party. Guest Gene Elliott, himself a real estate developer, noted the scrub land across from Aymer’s house could be put to much better use.… Read More

You know how, in horror movies, right before things get real, someone says, “It’s quiet. Too quiet.”?

That is decidedly not the case with Bird Island, sometimes called Coffee Pot Bird Preserve. You can hear – and often smell – the island residents before you see them. A cross-section of birds flap around this tiny Snell Isle island, from black crows to white ibis. Though it’s likely the crows have landed for an opportune snack, white ibis are among many species that nest and roost here. Herons, both blue, green, and triple crowned night herons, peer out from the mangroves. Roseate spoonbills provide occasional pops of color, while squadrons of brown pelicans dominate the island.… Read More

The St. Pete Pier is one of the largest construction projects the city has ever undertaken, totaling 26 acres of downtown waterfront development.  If you live or work near downtown, you no doubt have seen some of the new Pier’s structures and supports starting to spiral upwards. They are the walls and framing for buildings, the support for solar panels at the Marketplace, and beginning framework for the Janet Echelman floating sculpture.

Construction is now at a feverish pitch with overnight concrete pours for the Pier Head building floors, and the entire Pier District is an active construction site. An average of over 200 workers are on site, working 10+ hours a day, six days a week.… Read More