Exclusive underground social club coming to the historic Snell Arcade in downtown St. Pete
/The Snell Arcade | Google Maps
The basement of the historic 99-year-old Snell Arcade in downtown St. Petersburg, once a bustling hub during the Prohibition era, will be reborn as an exclusive business and social club catering to the city’s movers and shakers.
Former Major League Baseball player turned entrepreneur Robin Jennings will lease and transform the 9,240-square-foot space at 405 Central Avenue into a new private club called The Medina, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
According to Pinellas County property records, the basement of the eight-story building was purchased last month by 405 Central LLC for $3.2 million from Miami-based Tricera Capital. Tricera acquired the space in 2022 for $1.88 million.
The snell arcade basement | smith and Associates
“Once rumored to host Prohibition-era icons like Al Capone and Babe Ruth, this historic space is being reimagined as St. Pete’s premier private social and business club,” wrote Anthony Suarez, a senior associate at Franklin Street, which represented Tricera Capital in the transaction, on LinkedIn.
“Members will enjoy unparalleled service and a refined experience, with cozy enclaves for private meetings, intimate cocktail gatherings, and elegant philanthropic or social events,” Suarez continued.
Members of The Medina will also receive reciprocal access to Jennings’s Sarasota social club, Waterworks, which occupies a 4,800-square-foot space in the historic Mediterranean Revival-style Waterworks building at 1005 N Orange Avenue in downtown Sarasota.
“The Parlor” room at Waterworks sarasota | waterworks Sarasota
Waterworks, which opened in 2018, contains a bar and parlor, billiards room, and secluded areas for live music, poker games, cigar and hookah meetups, and philanthropic events.
According to Waterworks’ website, the Medina in downtown St. Pete will be an “intimate, design-forward venue that echoes the spirit of Waterworks while offering its own distinctive charm and member experience.”
Like Waterworks, The Medina will feature private lounges, curated events, and exclusive member experiences in a warmly intimate setting.
Early memberships are currently being accepted.
The Snell arcade in April 1939 when Walgreens was located on the first floor | Burgert Brothers
The Snell Arcade basement most recently served as office space for Volunteers of America and, in previous decades, housed restaurants and retail. The first basement tenant was Bob's Cafeteria, operated by Bob Ely, in the 1920s.
Constructed in 1928 by prominent developer C. Perry Snell and architect Richard Kiehnel, the Snell Arcade, also known as the Rutland Building, features a blend of Mediterranean Revival, Romanesque, and Gothic architectural styles. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Now home to restaurants and shops beneath seven floors of condominiums, the nearly century-old building has retained much of its original Spanish design, including quatrefoil arches and rare terra-cotta tile cladding, even in the basement.
