The Craftsman House: Beginning Another Chapter for the Historic Property
Jeff Schorr, who is moving on after 23 years running the Craftsman House, says the property made an impression on him from the first minute he saw it.
On December 10, 2025, the Craftsman House hosted a joint holiday and farewell party, marking the end of an era. For 23 years, this historic property in Grand Central District has been owned and tended by Jeff Schorr as a gallery, café, pottery studio, music venue, and community space. Now, as Schorr embarks on his next chapter, so will the house.
As Craftsman House transitions into its next iteration, we’re taking a look back at 2955 Central Avenue’s storied century.
Chapter 1: 1917-1945
In June of 1917, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Charles R. Hall, a real estate entrepreneur, received a $7,500 contract for a home to be built on his “number 1 subdivision on West Central Avenue.” Hall was quoted in January 1918 declaring the subdivision (which he now called Poinciana Park), “one of the most desirable in the city, being 45 feet above Tampa Bay.” In a real estate ad published in November 1918, Hall Properties / Hall Model Homes were touted as “beautifully finished and modern in all appointments…amidst the big pine trees.” In December 1918, the buyer of a “very handsome bungalow on West Central Avenue” was revealed as C. R. Dulin, a wealthy oilman from Lexington, Kentucky.
Dulin came to St. Petersburg with his wife and three daughters. They were society people with fascinating ties to the aviation luminaries of turn-of-the-20th century St. Petersburg. Dulin made headlines in 1923 with a “Record Auto Trip,” traveling 4,000 miles in 40 days through 12 states in a Hupmobile Roadster that most certainly lived in the property’s carriage house. Additionally, he improved on his already-established financial successes with a prosperous filling station – the Eureka Filling Station and Garage – on the corner of Central Avenue and 9th Street, bought in 1921; and the acquisition of a “business block” on the corner of 4th Street and 5th Avenue South in 1928. But the following year, on December 29, 1929, Dulin suffered a stroke and passed away at the age of 59, in the 2955 Central Avenue home he’d resided in for 11 years.
Mrs. Dulin remained in the house until the mid 1930s. In 1936, the St. Petersburg Times published an “Open for Inspection” notice that 2955 Central Avenue was “being sold to settle an estate,” and again in 1938, listed the “beautiful home of five bedrooms” – up from three in the 1936 ad – “spacious living room, dining room, and porches, excellent tearoom and guest house” for $9,500. By 1945, the address was listed as that of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Curtis Collier.
Chapter 2: 1945-1986
The Colliers were regulars in the society columns, and it seems many organizations and community groups met in the house during this time. Lulu Collier hosted meetings of the “P.E.O.” – the Philanthropic Educational Organization – a community-focused group formed in 1869 “Where Women Celebrate [now “Motivate”] Women.” The P.E.O. was founded by seven female students at Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, who determined women should have a society of their own. P.E.O. International is still active to this day, although there are currently no chapters in Florida. The Colliers also belonged to the Bridge Club, the Tourist Society, the Shuffleboard Club, and the Yacht Club, to name a few. They were living in the house when Mr. Collier passed away on November 23, 1968. The next notable occupancy would come in 1986.
Chapter 3: 1986-1994
In 1986, the property had its first incarnation as a business address, when Mrs. Pinky Daniel’s husband, Eddy, bought it to house his wife’s Teapot China Studio. An article titled “China painters find a home,” written by Betty Jean Miller and published in a June 1986 issue of the Evening Independent (St. Peterburg Times), stated that “some 400 local artists” would be using the bungalow as a “studio, gift shop, [and] classroom.” Mrs. Daniel was one of only four penwork technique instructors in the whole country and served as president of the Florida State Association of Porcelain Artists. According to the article, before opening the business, the property “needed a new roof, and the ceiling was hanging down. There was so much to do done in such a short time.” Descriptions of the interior are strikingly similar to The Craftsman House under Schorr: “…the living room, which is a showcase for their wares…” “the kitchen is a working kitchen, and the fireplace is a working fireplace.” “Three former downstairs bedrooms… are bare-floored…” And there is a charming description of the main bathroom, where under Schorr, a framed copy of this very article hung.
Chapter 4: 1994-2003
In 1994, Gregory S. Wentz purchased for $130,000 what was then nicknamed “The Rose Garden House.” After Wentz and his partner William B. Calvert III spent, they said, 900 hours restoring the property, they received approval from St. Petersburg City Council for an Historical Landmarks Registry designation. According to a 1996 St. Petersburg Timesarticle, “Wentz envisioned the property as ideal for funerals in the old Southern tradition, where the mortician lives upstairs and families of the dearly departed find comfort in the parlor.” And so, 2955 Central Avenue housed Southern Funeral and Memorial Services: “A Full-Service Funeral Home Serving All Faiths.”
Newspaper advertisements for the business included an image of the historic bungalow, a peach house with white trim that, according to another news article, brought “color and historic style to a barren stretch of Central Avenue.” Ultimately, the bank foreclosed on the business, and the Historic Rose Garden House awaited its next chapter.
Chapter 5: 2003-2025
In March of 2003, a ReMax ad had a listing for 2955 Central Avenue: “3200 square feet / New Loft Apartment / Run Business, Live in Historic Property. $367,955.”
Schorr recalled, “I drove by one day, and the current owner at that time was putting up one of those black and orange ‘Home for Sale’ signs, right? Like, 12 inches by 12 inches – and I just saw him putting it up and I stopped and I looked. It went back further than it looked, and I saw the roof line, which is pretty unique. I checked it out and thought, ‘Wow, this is cool,’ but I tried to pretend I didn’t like it so much.” A cleaning business may have been based out of the property at the time, he recalled, but Schorr said it was “mostly residential before I got it.”
He knew he wanted to make the space into a gallery, and to do so, he had to install an ADA-accessible ramp. He was also required to block the interior staircase and add an exterior one to separate the business portion of the house from the residential. Many other aspects of the property needed significant repairs.
“The old carriage house was literally windows busted out and leaning over like you could kick it and it would fall over,” he said. Thanks to mixed-use zoning that included light industrial, the newly reinforced carriage house became home to a pottery studio. Schorr aimed to do everything authentically, and as he learned more, he became an enthusiastic advocate for bungalow architecture, and for historic preservation.
At any given time, the Craftsman House Gallery featured the work of 200-300 artists. The idea of the café, Schorr said, “was to make it very welcoming. You know, a lot of art galleries tend to be intimidating, and we wanted to make it where you can walk in in shorts and a t-shirt and flip flops and feel comfortable.” The café was also meant to encourage repeat visits and, especially when concerts became a staple offering, blend the visitor’s experience of visual art, food, and music.
The Jeff Schorr chapter of 2955 Central Avenue had a pervading theme: community. “When I first opened here, Central Avenue was the dividing line between North and South, and part of our goal was to make it, or help make it, a come-together line, which I think it is now.”
Schorr is known to patrons for his friendly, welcoming demeanor, and willingness to have a conversation. To municipal leaders, he was a driver of positive economic development and a contributor to the evolution of Grand Central District. And to the arts community, he was instrumental in the shop-local movement and the “City of the Arts” becoming what it is today.
Chapter 6: 2026-?
Schorr had plenty of interest from potential buyers, he said, but he waited to find one who wanted not only the location but the historic property itself. At the December 10 holiday and farewell party, it was announced the new owner is Bob Roberts, a name known to anyone familiar with the rebirth of downtown St. Petersburg. Roberts oversaw the restoration of Detroit 200 / Jannus Landing, The Kress Building, and the Alexander Hotel. His seminal undertaking, the restoration of The Historic Snell Arcade, garnered him and architect Charles S. Canerday the Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In addition to a shared interest in historical preservation, Roberts, like Schorr, is a passionate advocate for local businesses and the arts. Said Schorr, “I’ve quietly been trying to sell for a few years and finally found a buyer that shared some of my vision.”
Although it is unknown exactly what will be written in this next chapter for 2955 Central Avenue, it does have an exciting author.
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Don’t worry: Jeff Schorr will still be around, and the monthly concerts Craftsman House hosted will move to the Jack Kerouac House, 5169 10th Avenue N, starting in January 2026. Fans will even get the annual performance from national touring artist Chuck Brodsky, back for his 21st Annual Spring Training Show on Saturday, March 21. Details at stpetekerouachouse.com.
For Schorr, Craftsman House was an opportunity to be rooted after years in a travel-centric career. Now after more than two decades, he is grateful for more flexibility. “It’s been 20-some years where I haven’t been able to visit my parents for Christmas,” he said. “So, this year, I’m going to.”
Additional research on the history of the property conducted by Catherine McCoy. Catherine retired in 2011 after 22 years as the Acquisitions Assistant at Eckerd College Library, where she continues to serve as a volunteer archivist.
