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

Each person who calls St. Petersburg home does so for their own reasons. For me, it has always been an unquenchable fascination with the history of our city, especially its beautiful buildings and historical landmarks.

In fact, my passion for Florida history largely stemmed from living in the Sunshine City. I found an endless supply of historical oddities, landmarks, and monuments that helped define the city I now called home.

Monuments themselves don’t necessarily have to be stone obelisks, plaques, or statues; buildings themselves are monuments to the people who built them, their ideals, and society as it was during the time they were built.… Read More