Since its completion in the late 1920s, the Don Vista building has been many different things. It began as a temporary residence for Thomas Rowe, who oversaw the building of the Don CeSar, then became its administrative offices and bank. When the US Army took over the site during WWII, it transformed into offices for doctors. It housed the Fisheries and Wildlife Library. It hosted the St. Pete Beach fire truck in the section that later became a boutique gift shop and gallery. Finally, in 1984, it became the home of the Suntan Art Center. The arts organization resided in the building for over four decades…until the hurricanes of 2024.  … Read More

As was the case for so many others in our community, Hurricane Helene showed no mercy to the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club. This 112-year-old historic landmark in Snell Isle suffered damage that had devastating effects on the club. Flood waters rose over two feet throughout the lower level of the building destroying floors, carpets, cabinetry, and furniture. FEMA required the club to throw out almost everything; they had to rebuild their kitchen, bathroom, and main meeting and event spaces, as well as upgrade the electrical system. 

While the storm destroyed many documents and records, Club President Barbara Sundholm said, “Fortunately, we moved all of our archives upstairs, and so those important historic items were not damaged.” … Read More

As St. Pete grows, so does the interest in our culture and history. Currently, there are many popular and informative tours of downtown and beyond, but only one examines one of the most important times in our city’s history: Civil Rights Era. 

The St. Petersburg Museum of History’s Historic Civil Rights Trolley Tour invites passengers on a compelling ride into the city’s often overlooked past. Winding through streets of St. Petersburg once marked by segregation, the trolley takes passengers through neighborhoods and by landmarks that once stood at the center of the city’s local civil rights movement. 

Lead by Museum Director Rui Farias, the tour immerses passengers in powerful stories about pivotal moments and courageous individuals who helped shape the area’s fight for racial equality.… Read More

One of our city’s leading environmentalists and preservationists was Mayor Charlie Schuh. Charles E. Schuh served on the city council from 1971 to 1974, and then as mayor from 1975 to 1977. At that time, the city had what is known as the “weak mayor” form of government. While the mayor held the title, he really served as a “first among equals” on the council, and true executive power was invested in a paid city manager. The mayor’s salary in 1975 was $5,000 per year, about $30,000 adjusted for inflation. As Schuh said later about the job: “You preside over council meetings, and you have a couple of other ceremonial functions and that’s it.”… Read More

You’re probably familiar with the “little ditty” about Jack and Diane, the bittersweet love story immortalized by John Cougar Mellencamp. But what about St. Petersburg’s own homegrown Jack-and-Diane romance – not of two kids growing up in the heartland, but of two ospreys growing up at a local credit union? 

It all started in 2016, when the two lovebirds attempted to build their first nest atop the large sign at Achieva Credit Union off 4th Street North. It is not unusual to observe ospreys’ nests in such unlikely places; these highly adaptable raptors naturally nest atop dead trees, but will readily adapt to nesting on utility poles, channel markers, and other tall, man-made structures.… Read More

When artist Janice James died in October 2022, her family found a treasure trove of her gorgeous watercolors. Snell Isle resident and Frame Station Gallery owner, Zack Walzer, will tell you, “It was almost like magic that the Janice James Gallery Night happened.

“My son was working in the gallery for summer college volunteer credits and found one of her prints that a client wanted in Denver,” Walzer explains. “I had framed prints of hers hanging on the gallery walls, so I was familiar with a lot of her watercolor paintings and prints.

“One thing led to another,” he recalls, “and the family asked if I would sell [some of] the collection they had.… Read More

Harvard graduate and Yale Medical School-trained doctor Carlos Garcia Saul enjoyed a 25-year career as a head and neck surgeon. Now retired, he’s living the dream in a waterfront home in the beautiful Old Northeast and beginning his second act as author of his first published novel, Caravan of Specters.

The book is a mystery torn from the pages of history, a page-turning adventure with roots in both tragedy and triumph. Set on the island of Puerto Rico in the waning days of the 19th century, Caravan of Specters tells the story of Dr. Bailey Ashford, a US Army physician who attempts to discover the reason thousands of peasant farmers, and their families, are dying from severe anemia.… Read More

Since 1922, the St. Petersburg Museum of History has been collecting both rare and common materials relating to life in Florida, specifically St. Pete and the Pinellas peninsula. Today, the collections contain over 40,000 objects and over 25,000 photographs, books, maps, and other ephemera in the archives. Executive Director Rui Farias recently talked to us about what’s new and upcoming at the museum and what it’s like to have his “dream job.”

How do you feel about being the keeper of over 100 years of history for St. Petersburg?

I love it! It was a job I was meant to have.… Read More

“When there’s a hurricane coming, everything just kind of stops. You put all your focus and energy into securing your home and facing that possibility that everything could be lost. When you have to face that possibility, it’s a mental damper on the creative flow.” 

Last fall, artist and Old Northeast resident Elizabeth Barenis, a prolific and popular abstract painter, was in the midst of a very good year. On September 24, her successful solo exhibit at the Morean Arts Center, “Tropical Splendor,” came to a close. The same day, a system of thunderstorms in the tropics formed into a named storm that, within 48 hours, would prove historically catastrophic: Helene.… Read More

It’s the Old Northeast’s best-kept secret that’s not really a secret. The Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association’s (HONNA) Garden Tour was a smash from its start in 2023, when it sold out its 500 tickets almost immediately. 

This year’s tour on Saturday, April 12, from 11 am to 3 pm, returns to its popular roots as it winds through home gardens in the ONE, with each stop featuring local artists in the makeshift outdoor galleries. In total, 15 artists will participate as a part of this biannual grassroots fundraising event. 

The $50 ticket price benefits the HONNA Street Tree Replenishment Program, a local effort to keep the neighborhood’s tree canopy strong by planting trees, maintaining existing trees, and educating residents about tree care. It’s… Read More