St. Pete’s Mirror Lake receives historic designation

A rapidly growing neighborhood in downtown St. Petersburg’s shadow has received the city’s first Local Historical District designation since 2021.

City Council members voted 5-2 Thursday to create a historical district that extends roughly 200 feet around Mirror Lake. The area includes the 110-year-old Carnegie (Mirror Lake) Library and several other previously locally designated landmarks.

However, the neighborhood lacked historical designation development protections and design standards until Thursday. Nearly 90% of property owners within the boundaries supported the initiative via the city’s balloting process.

“This is the most important historic designation I will have as a city council member because of the historic significance of this area,” said Councilmember Gina Driscoll. “If you get 89% of the vote … that’s a mandate.”

St. Petersburg’s skyline as seen from the Mirror Lake Library in 1926. Screengrab, city documents.

Mirror Lake supplied drinking water to the city’s burgeoning downtown in 1899. Winter residents and visitors began flocking to the surrounding area, which boasted the library, St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, The Coliseum dance hall and multiple rooming houses and hotels during the 1920s real estate boom.

Despite recent growth, the walkable urban neighborhood still features a sizable collection of historic homes and small apartment buildings along narrow courts and alleys. Advocates believe the newly established district creates a cohesive boundary and will help ensure future development is compatible with historic structures fronting the lake.

Dozens of residents spoke in favor of the long-discussed initiative. Manny Leto, executive director of Preserve the ‘Burg, noted that previous efforts to establish a historic district included “considerably wider boundaries than what is before you today.”

Stakeholders withdrew their previous application and enlisted Preserve the ‘Burg’s help. “The result, after almost two years of research, review and public comment, is a much more modest proposal,” Leto said.

“This is a win for the residents,” Leto wrote in a letter following approval. “It’s also a win for St. Petersburg. Vibrant cities reflect their history and offer a unique sense of place and identity.”

Efforts to create a historic district began in 2019 after officials approved the construction of a 21-story tower across from the Mirror Lake Library. The property’s previous owners demolished seven apartment buildings erected between 1916 and 1921.

However, construction has stalled. Red Apple Real Estate, the development firm behind the Residences at 400 Central, recently purchased the site. Critics of the historic district, including local developers, believe the designation will hinder future growth.

Property owners within the 21-acre district must now obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) before renovating structures, demolishing existing buildings or commencing new construction. Councilmember Copley Gerdes called the process “stringent and extra.”

“I struggle to think – if I were a property owner – that someone else gets to dictate the process I go through in order to redevelop my property,” Gerdes added.

The historic district’s boundaries. Screengrab, city documents.

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz expressed concern with the district’s arbitrary boundaries. She said the application excluded condominium residents who could have voted against the designation.

Driscoll said she appreciated the more tailored approach. She also noted the previous application included a much larger swath of the neighborhood.

“I could tell we needed to do some work on this, and that’s why we kind of put it on the shelf,” Driscoll said. “Just because the boundaries don’t include every single historic home in the area doesn’t mean it’s any less important or valid.”

The designation will not impact future projects that have already received site plan approval. It received unanimous approval from the city’s Community Planning and Preservation Commission.

The district includes 18 contributing properties that add to the area’s historic significance, including the LaFayette Apartments, the Tomlinson Adult Education Center and the St. Petersburg Lawn Bowling Club.

However, council members voted to exclude the city-owned Sunshine Center for seniors, which shares a parcel with the lawn bowling club. Officials will review changes for 10 noncontributing properties within the boundaries according to “potential effect on the district.

Driscoll and Councilmembers Brandi Gabbard, Richie Floyd, John Muhammad, and Chairperson Deborah Figgs-Sanders approved the historic designation. Hanewicz and Gerdes dissented.

“Neighborhoods like Mirror Lake are what make St. Petersburg special,” Leto wrote.