Assignment: St. Petersburg » St. Petersburg

The Sun Is Up, The Sky Is Blue…

Bob Horn — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:21:34 +0000

After so many days of gray skies and rain, it was absolutely glorious to wake up yesterday morning to blue skies and sunshine, the way things are supposed to be, here in St. Petersburg! I was close to downtown on business, so I drove by the Chihuly Collection location on Beach Drive, just to see how things are coming along. This brand new venue is scheduled to open this weekend at 400 Beach Drive. It definitely appeared as though all the finishing touches were being applied, including workers welding a protective frame around the base of this very cool looking Chihuly exhibit that will live in front of the new venue.

The Chihuly Collection is presented by the Morean Arts Center. For full details on the Chihuly Collection, as well as information on the many special opening events scheduled for this weekend, check out this link.

[For a larger, full-size view of the photo, please click on the picture.]

Updated Look at the New Dali

Bob Horn — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:37:57 +0000

I usually prefer not to repeat myself, but in this case, I’m going to make an exception. Yes, I’ve done posts in the past about the amazing new
Dali museum (click on this link if you’d like to check any of them out). But it keeps getting more and more amazing looking, and I just couldn’t stop myself this morning. My wife and I had taken a nice, long walk downtown (because, even though it was hot out, it seemed much more fun that going to the gym and fighting the treadmill) and when we finished, we decided to drive to The Hangar for breakfast. On the way, I saw the current state of The Dali and just had to stop for this shot.

According to their website, the new museum will open in 211 days, 12 hours, 39 minutes, and 34 seconds. I, for one, am very excited about it!

[for a larger, high resolution photo, click on the picture below]

New Social Security Hearings Office on Central Avenue

Bob Horn — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:45:11 +0000

If you’ve driven downtown in the past few months and noticed construction going on at the old Bank of America building on Central Avenue, between 8th Street North and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Street North, you might be curious as to what’s going on there. I was. The building had been slated for demolition, and a grand new condominium, The Arts, was going to be built on that site. But you know the story – the economy slumped and new projects were cancelled. So the building sat, empty, for awhile, but now there are signs of life. Not only is the building itself being renovated, but there’s a new parking garage being constructed, too. I kept watching for some sort of sign, either literal or figurative, that might tell me what’s going on there, but I never found one.

So, I finally did a little digging online, and learned that it is to become a new administrative hearing and appeals office for the Social Security Administration. Currently, the closest hearing office is in Tampa, and there is a large backlog and waiting period for cases to be heard. To address that, this new office is being built. I was unable to learn whether the ‘regular’ social security office, currently on 34th Street North, will also move its operations to this new center.

Crislip After Dark

Bob Horn — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:16:31 +0000

I first posted on the Crislip Arcade back in August of last year. It’s worth a quick look at that post, so that you can compare the entryway to the arcade at that time to the new entryway. It used to have a very boring and stark opening at the bottom, and some old windows higher up. But now, with the renovation of the 600 block of Central Avenue and all of the new artist/tenants moving in, the arcade itself received a much-needed and very well-done facelift. As I drove by one evening last week, I saw the lights on and the new gates closed, and I had to stop to take a photo. It’s even more beautiful in person, though, so you should stop by when you have a chance. For information on some of the businesses and activities in the 600 block, check out their website. [please click on the picture for a full-sized image...]

Presentation is Everything

Bob Horn — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:07:18 +0000

I’ve driven past this little apartment unit on 8th Street North hundreds of times, and it never fails to catch my eye. What could be a very unremarkable 1939 four-plex is, instead, a little gem in an area of otherwise ordinary buildings. It reminds me of a little story that we read in elementary school called, “Clothes Make the Man”. It was about a down and out bum who found some sort of crisp uniform in the garbage. He put on the uniform, and suddenly everyone was smiling at him, giving him respect, treating him differently. In response, he went out of his way to be nice to people, he cleaned up his act, and he was a transformed person.

I guess it’s also like taking a small gift for someone and giving it a fantastic, shiny, happy gift wrap. Suddenly, it’s intriguing and exciting and it can’t wait to be opened!

I have no idea what the inside of this building looks like, but that’s really not the point. I just want to salute the owners of this building for this unique, art-deco esque paint job, the great sign for the Glory Apartments, and for generally going out of their way to let this building shine! If you want to see this building for yourself, it’s at 340 8th Street North. And, by the way, there’s a sign out front that says that there’s an apartment for rent! [Please click on the photo to see a full sized image.]

Before the Vinoy

Bob Horn — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:16:19 +0000

I’ve lived in St. Petersburg since I was four years old. The Vinoy was a cool old building when I was a kid, but it was on its way downhill. Eventually, it shut down and was scheduled to be demolished. After a few failed attempts, the beautiful Vinoy was finally saved, preserved, renovated, and is now back to her grand and stately self. For me, that corner of land on the edge of the Vinoy Basin has always been the Vinoy Hotel.

But recently, I was doing some research into a bit of St. Pete history, and, quite accidentally, I came upon a reference to the Braaf family and their beautiful property at 609 Beach Drive. (In those early days, Beach Drive was the name given to the waterfront road that we now call Bay Shore Drive.) What? That’s where the Vinoy is! A little more digging, and I learned what should have been obvious – that there actually was earlier development on the grounds where the Vinoy was destined to be built. And why wouldn’t there have been? This is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in the city!

As it turns out, there was a beautiful house and a large piece of property that was planted with all sorts of tropical plants, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Braaf, prominent St. Petersburg residents in the early 1900’s. Mr. Braaf owned a good deal of land in St. Petersburg in those days, and he was on the St. Petersburg City Council in 1912. In the early 1920’s, this property was purchased by Mr. Aymer Vinoy Laughner, who then moved ahead and built the Vinoy Park Hotel, the finest lodging in the city. Interestingly, many of the old trees on the west end of the Vinoy property today are trees that were planted by Mr. Braaf while he and his wife lived in their house there.

Although there’s not a great deal of detail visible, I found this post card online and purchased it so that I could give you a glimpse of what this Vinoy precursor looked like. I wouldn’t have minded living there one bit! The next time you’re downtown and you look over and see the Vinoy Hotel, just imagine this peaceful scene and the couple who lived here for many years before the Vinoy was born…

St. Petersburg Vodka

Bob Horn — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:30:27 +0000

I was working with some friends recently to find a house for them. We found a great place in the Euclid Park neighborhood – an old bungalow in a peaceful neighborhood with a nice detached garage apartment. Their friend, a contractor, is updating it now, and they’ll be moving in soon. My friends are actually co-owners of the home, along with her dad. Her dad moved to Moscow sixteen years ago, after the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, to operate the first Caterpillar Construction Equipment operation in Russia. Interesting man, and fun to talk to. After the closing, I arrived home to find a present on my front porch – it was from, as the card put it, “The Russians”. It was a bottle of vodka, but not just any vodka. It’s from St. Petersburg, Russia! Just so cool! Click on the photo below and you’ll get a larger image and then you can see “St. Petersburg”, both on the main label and the small upper label. I know we’ll start sipping it soon, but I just have to wait a little longer so that I can enjoy the wonderful bottle! I have to say that any transaction that ends with me receiving a bottle of vodka from my clients is a great transaction!

New Bakery Downtown!

Bob Horn — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:37:26 +0000

There are a lot of things to like about downtown St. Petersburg these days. New energy, new attitude, new restaurants, new art museums and galleries…

And a new bakery! For me, this is one of those areas where my response today is pretty much the same as it would have been when I was a child. I am ecstatic! I remember the days of bakeries scattered all over St. Pete when I was a kid. Even the Publix grocery store bakeries were separate entities in the ‘old days’, branded as ‘The Danish Bakery’ and situated in separate shops next to Publix. But most stand alone bakeries have become a thing of the past. I know of only a handful in all of St. Petersburg. And none downtown. While I love The Cupcake Spot on Central Avenue, it’s not a full bakery – as good as Cuppy is at making cupcakes, sometimes I long for more.

So, when I saw these signs in the window of the shop space next to the new Cassis American Brasserie on Beach Drive, my heart skipped a beat and I felt a serious adrenalin rush! Bakeries rule! I am very excited and can’t wait for this bakery to open it’s doors!

Job Corps Coming Soon…

Bob Horn — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:38:11 +0000

Sometimes, I’m very up to date on what’s happening in our city. But on occasion, I miss something big. I recently stumbled across this new Pinellas County Job Corps complex in St. Petersburg, at the corner of 5th Avenue South and 22nd Street. The 166,000 square foot Center fills an entire block across the street from the St. Petersburg Clay Company. Construction on the center is complete, and the process to procure an Operator for the Center is currently underway.

The Job Corps is, in their own words, ”the nation’s largest and most comprehensive residential education and job training program for at-risk youth, ages 16 through 24. Job Corps combines classroom, practical, and work-based learning experiences to prepare youth for stable, long-term, high-paying jobs.”

Job Corps programs have had huge economic impacts in communities where they’ve been established, and when this Center opens, there will be new jobs created at the facility, as well as new skilled workers graduating from the facility, likely for many years to come. For more details, as well as a number of photographs of the Center’s buildings, check out this document.

Go, Daddy, Go!

Bob Horn — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:27:45 +0000

This weekend, downtown St Petersburg was the focal point for the 27th annual St. Anthony’s Triathlon. Saturday, it was the Meek and Mighty event, geared for children. And Sunday was the main event, with a 1.5K swim, followed by a 40K bicycle ride and a 10K run. Four thousand athletes were expected to participate!

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon is considered to be one of the fastest such events in the United States, and it is, for many, the first one of the season. As we watched for awhile from Bayshore Drive this morning, the energy was palpable and the enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself thinking, “if I were a few years younger…”. (Funny thing is, that’s the same thing I said when I met my wife! So maybe there is hope for a triathlon in my future!)

Anyway, I couldn’t resist photographing the two cuties in the first photo, there to offer encouragement to their dad. And the second photo was just a random shot of a group of riders who were just beginning the second leg of the event. According to news reports, the winner of today’s race was 26 year old Cameron Dye, a relative unknown. But not for long! (For full size views of either photo, please click on the photograph…)