Kolter breaks ground on 42-story downtown tower

The skyline of downtown St. Petersburg is changing and a new 42-story luxury condominium tower will be part of that evolution. 

On Wednesday, Palm Beach-based Kolter Urban and its development team tossed the ceremonial dirt at 200 Central Ave., marking the start of construction for the tower that will rise on a surface parking lot adjacent to the 200 Central office building.

“When we were embarking on our latest project in St. Petersburg, we debated on what we should call it. St. Pete is a thriving, vibrant and diverse city so the name Art House was an obvious name and branding [decision] … art and culture are stitched into our community,” Brian Van Slyke, Regional President of Kolter Urban, said to a crowd of condo buyers and members of the media  during the groundbreaking event at the site. 

Brian Van Slyke, Regional President of Kolter Urban, addresses the crowd during the groundbreaking event for Art House.  

The St. Pete Catalyst first broke the news about the project in October. The $140 million tower would have 244 condo units, 6,100 square feet of commercial space and a 482-space parking garage, according to the latest plans. 

The group recently launched sales for the residential units, which include the luxury residences and three floors of penthouses. 

Art House’s floorplans will range from two to three bedrooms, several with a den, and be 1,380 to 2,637 square feet. There would be a total of 12 penthouses on the top three floors, which will range from 3,100 square feet to 4,000 square feet. 

The site of Art House, 200 Central Ave.  

Although the project will not have affordable workforce housing, Kolter is bumping its commitment to the city’s housing fund from $600,000 to $1.5 million, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said during the event. 

“You are ahead of the curve,” Welch added during his speech, naming off Kolter’s other projects in the city such as Saltaire, a 35-story condominium building under construction at 300 1st St. South,  and ONE St. Petersburg, a 253-unit condo tower on 1st Avenue N. 

Van Slyke also announced that Kolter will be pursuing green certification. 

A resident amenity center on the ninth level, called Cloud 9, will include a resort-style pool and spa, contemporary cabanas and open gathering spaces, and a formal club room overlooking the pool terrace, with a private dining room. 

Other amenities include a co-working space called The Hub located on the lobby level, a state-of-the-art fitness center with high-tech cardio and strength training equipment, a glass-enclosed personal training and movement studio, a theater, a game room with a simulator, a covered outdoor dog park and a clubhouse with a bar. 

Van Slyke said a rotating art exhibit will also be featured in the lobby. 

On the design of the building, The Kolter Group is working with San Francisco-based SB Architects, which designed Kolter’s 41-story ONE St. Petersburg tower, the Saltaire waterfront condo development and the 18-story Ritz-Carlton Residences.

The general contractor is Miami-based Coastal Construction. 

Smith and Associates Real Estate will act as the brokerage firm for the condo sales and ULA out of Tampa will handle the marketing.

The development is scheduled to be completed by 2024.