Become our 1,000th member!
Help us reach 1,000 members before our 40th Anniversary Celebration!
Members are important to us and we think being one can be rewarding with free walking tours and reduced fees to many special SPP events. It's east to become a SPP member - just
click here to join! Questions about your membership, we would be happy to help,
drop us an email with your question.
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Movies in the Park Return in May!
Movies in the Park, our favorite fun event, returns for its 9th season, each Thursday in May (5 Thursday movie nights)! NOW is the time to
send us the movie titles you would like to see on the big screen.
And NOW is the time to become a Movies in the Park sponsor. We love our sponsors and Movies in the Park can not happen without our sponsors' generous support. As a sponsor, your name will be on the big outdoor screen, showing the crowd that you too care about keeping St. Petersburg special!
Big business, small business, individual or family, there is a sponsorship package we would be happy to put together for you. Click here to review the SPP Movies in the Park Sponsor package or email SPP's executive director for more info.
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It's Time for Localtopia!
Join SPP and the crowd in Williams Park for Localtopia, the community celebration of all things local on Saturday, Feb. 3! There will be music, arts, food, local craft beers and SPP! Stop by our tent and pick up a new sticker with SPP's new brand & logo!
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It's the boom. You know it because our city is loosing pieces of what makes it special. Read below about some of the parts of history we expect to be lost soon - ranging from fun historic signage to historic homes and even to a church! If you are concerned, make your voice heard. Send a message to Mayor Kriseman and tell him what you think about keeping St. Petersburg special! It takes action by all of us to make a difference!
It's a favorite but don't expect it to be around much longer! Now is the time to drive by, or better yet, bicycle by and take a parting photo! The World Liquor property has been sold, look for new apartments to start soon but the sign, at 16th St. & Central, will not remain. Read more in this news story.
This downtown 1912 home at the corner of 4th Ave. S. & 3rd St. is slated for demolition. The property was sold recently to an Alabama developer, click here to read the newspaper article.
The historic Gandy Home, aslo known as the Mullet Farm, is the oldest home in the historic Driftwood neighborhood. New owners are expected to soon demolish it and build a new home. Click here to read about the home's history and its change of owners.
It was recently announced that this beautiful church in Crescent Heights is being sold to a developer who will tear it down and replace it with new homes. The 1928 church is at the corner of 8th St. & 28th Ave. N.
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Looking Back - Looking Forward Celebrate SPP Turning 40!
SPP is not quite historic but we are 40 years old! Join us at
NOVA 535, a fun space in an historic building as we celebrate four decades of working to preserve the 'Burg. Make your
reservation NOW as space is limited!
The celebration will be a look back at some of SPP's most significant accomplishments over the decades like stopping in 2008 the demolition of the now hip & popular 600 Block & Crislip Arcade
(pictured to the left). Before the evening ends, we will take a look forward to what's next for keeping the 'Burg Special, culminating with Council member and SPP award winner Darden Rice helping us to unveil SPP's new look & brand!
Some of the 'Burg's special people will be joining us to offer recollections from four decades of SPP leading the way to preserve the 'Burg and to make this an evening to remember! We are excited to celebrate our 40th with Natalie Pruitt Judge of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Foundation; local architect and former SPP president Tim Clemmons, now a Principal of MESH Architecture; Ray Arsenault, the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History at USFSP; and Attorney and St. Petersburg Community Planning & Preservation Commissioner Keisha Bell.
Tell your Facebook friends about this Celebration, you can share the event using this
link:
When: Tuesday, January 30th 6-8:30 (reception 6-7pm; program 7-8:30pm)
Where: NOVA 535 - 535 Dr. MLK, Jr Street N, St Petersburg, FL 33701
Cost: $20 members; $25 non-members and guests. Please consider adding a donation with your reservation of $40 for 40 years of SPP! RSVP - Yes, do it now, but please do so by Jan 24th!
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MAKE YOUR RESERVATION!
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Protecting the Downtown National Register Historic District
We know our downtown has a special sense of place! That special feel was recognized in 2004 with the designation of the
Downtown National Register Historic District. In particular, 4th Ave. N. has a rich collection and mix of historic resources, including the 1925
Flori de Leon Apartments, where Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig stayed when the N.Y. Yankees called the 'Burg their spring home.
Pictured to the left is "Bezu" overwhelming the adjacent 7 story landmark, the Flori de Leon. The Bezu tower would be built atop a massive 5 story parking garage at the corner of 4th Ave. N. & 1st St. Bezu is simply too much development on too small of a piece of property within the heart of the National Register district.
The city's Development Review Commission (DRC)
unanimously voted against approving Bezu, finding the proposed tower would be too tall and massive for its location. The developer has appealed that decision to city council.
On Thursday, Feb. 1 at a 9 am pubic hearing at city hall. Council will decide if there is a limit to downtown development and if the special feel of the Downtown National Register Historic District is to be protected.
It is time to draw the line and for council, like the DRC, to say keeping our city special matters!
Making your voice heard makes a difference. We've made it easy to do so, just
click here to go to our action alert page and send your message to council! Or you can write &
send your own personal message. Thanks for doing your part! Ask your family and friends to speak up too!
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The 1926 portion of the historic bank building at the corner of Central Ave. & MLK St. is being preserved. Two other additions, including one dating to 1938 have been demolished. The entire building was designated in 1987 as a local landmark. Another new, large apartment building will be built on the block.
At the end of the year, City Council approved 2 more small neighborhood historic districts, one around Seminole Park in Historic Kenwood and the other on 10th Ave. NE in the Historic Old Northeast. The designations are reflective of more and more neighborhoods seeing how tear downs and out of scale new construction can take away from neighborhood character. Click here to read a newspaper article about the issue. If your neighborhood would like more information about becoming a historic district, check out SPP's Q & A page about district designation.
With SPP's support and assistance, an individual landmark application for the historic Yates Barber Shop, now Elma's Cafe on 22nd St. S. will be voted on by the city's preservation commission on Feb. 13. Click here to create your message of support for landmarking another piece of our community's history from the 22nd Street corridor!
Thank You For Helping to Keep St. Pete Special!
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SPP Walking Tours
There's Bound to be One (or Two) for You!
Yes, we've had some cool weather but as we get closer to spring it's the perfect time of year to enjoy a SPP walking tour. We have some fun & special tours coming up. Don't forget, walking tours are free to SPP members, another great reason to join! For non-member and guests, tours are $10.
SPP's upcoming "regular" Saturday morning tours (10 am) include
Westward Ho to Historic Kenwood on
Jan. 27; the
"Original" Downtown Walking Tour on
Feb. 3; the
Waterfront Tour on
Feb. 10 and
Historic Gulfport on Saturday afternoon (3 pm)
Feb. 17. Interested in a weekday tour? Join us
Feb. 6 for a
morning downtown walking tour.
Upcoming "special" Saturday morning neighborhood tours include the
Historic Old Northeast on
Feb. 17;
Historic Allendale on
March 10; and
Historic Uptown on
March 17 and many more that you can find on our
calendar! Some of these tours are filling fast so be sure to make your reservation now!
SPP is also touring on two wheels! Join us for a
monthly bicycle tour around some of our best historic neighborhoods. The next one will be Sunday,
Feb. 25.
Reservations are encouraged as some tours fill. Tour starting locations and times can be found on the SPP events calendar. SPP is happy to schedule a private tour for your group, just send us a message and we will arrange a special tour for your group or family.
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