Historic St. Pete church to become unique event facility

A husband-and-wife duo hopes to breathe new life into a neglected, decaying 100-year-old religious landmark in St. Petersburg.

Noam Krasniansky bought the Euclid Methodist Church, also known as the Euclid Mansion, for $1.1 million in August 2023. According to adaptive reuse documents obtained by the Catalyst, he is “completely renovating the structure to bring it back to its true glory days.”

Once complete, the church will host weddings, corporate events and social gatherings and feature a tearoom with light food. Krasniansky also plans to create seven “transient rooms” to house overnight guests.

“My wife and I have worked together for a long time, and we fell in love with the building,” Krasniansky said. “It looked like it was not being taken care of – it looked like someone wanted it to fall down.”

The church opened in 1924 at 919 10^th Ave. N., near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. City documents state that it received historic designation in 2004 and has remained vacant since 2005.

While the red-brick exterior needs minor repair and strengthening, the interior requires extensive renovations. An application notes that the city permits adaptive reuses to prevent developers from demolishing a culturally significant property “when the original use has become obsolete.”

“When we saw it was available, we thought it would be a beautiful project for us,” Krasniansky said. “I think the people who had bought it before … they didn’t take appreciation for the actual building itself. They wanted to do things that the building was not designed for.”

An overhead view of the property. Photo: KW Commercial.

The three-story structure sits between a gas station, automotive shop and painting business in the Historic Uptown/Euclid St. Paul neighborhood. The once-vibrant building changed hands multiple times after 1992, when the United Methodist Church shuttered the institution and merged with Wesley Memorial United Methodist on 37^th Avenue N.

Documents state that with the city’s approval, the church will regain its status as a “gem of the area.” Krasniansky said the first step is mitigating water intrusion damage after 19 years of neglect.

Workers will also replace crumbling mortar between the building’s bricks “by hand.” Krasniansky called the exterior work a “complete facelift.”

He stressed that the couple plan to maintain the church’s unique features, like its windows. Krasniansky said they will also remove the white paint from its brass doors.

“We’re just excited,” he added. “It’s a very interesting project.”

The reimagined venue would primarily host private functions. However, Krasniansky said he wants to host weekly dining experiences that allow more people to enjoy the space.

He said the overarching goal is to create a historical destination. While the property will feature seven apartments, documents note it will differ from a bed-and-breakfast.

Krasniansky explained that the units would allow out-of-town wedding guests to stay together for the weekend. Documents state that those would not create any outdoor noise impacts.

Krasniansky said restoring the church is both a labor of love and a business enterprise. “They say to never be emotional in business,” he added. “I don’t agree with that.”

Krasniansky and his wife moved to Florida in early 2023.

They will call the revamped facility “the Treehouse.” Krasniansky said the moniker holds significant meaning for the couple. “We’ve planted over a quarter of a million trees ourselves with our other endeavors,” he said. His “The Treehouse” trademark was registered under a Seminole address.

If approved, he said the building’s various rooms would bear names related to forestry. However, Krasniansky reiterated that the couple will highlight its “elegant” historical elements.

“We think that design today has lost that element of just the right colors and textures,” he said. “The idea is that it will become very beautiful – and not cheesy in any way.”

Krasniansky said neighbors have offered their support. He noted some expressed concern that the church would crumble into disrepair and become multi-family housing.

Krasniansky stressed that he wants to be a good neighbor and welcomes feedback from surrounding residents. He said the couple have dedicated their life savings to creating a “gorgeous” community amenity with “incredible, yummy stuff to eat.”

“We found something that worked for the building,” Krasniansky said. “That will be the best choice, so we can keep the building the way it is because … it’s just really marvelous.”

Shaquille Lashley contributed to this report.