Aerial St. Pete: New downtown towers join an ever-expanding skyline in St. Pete

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Aerial St. Pete: New downtown towers join an ever-expanding skyline in St. Pete

This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the construction progress on several real estate developments throughout downtown St. Petersburg.

Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Petersburg, FL. To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals. 

In the article, we show the construction progress for projects including The Nolen, Reflection, Residences at 400 Central, Viv Apartments, Modera St. Petersburg, Art House, the Cordova Inn expansion, and the Chabad Center for Jewish Life.

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Kahwa opens long-awaited Fourth Street coffee shop

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Kahwa opens long-awaited Fourth Street coffee shop

After a nearly four-year stretch, Kahwa Coffee has opened its newest drive-thru coffee shop at 6601 Fourth Street North in St. Petersburg. 

The shop, which is built from repurposed shipping containers, was initially expected to debut in 2020; however, there were reportedly permitting issues and other headwinds. 

The new Fourth Street drive-thru offers Kahwa's full menu of pastries and sandwiches. 

While there isn't any indoor seating, there is a walk-up ordering window and some outdoor seating. The drive-thru cafe is open every day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Collaborative art marketplace ASTRA debuts on MLK in downtown St. Pete

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Collaborative art marketplace ASTRA debuts on MLK in downtown St. Pete

Vintage furniture, thrift finds, tarot card decks, and handmade jewelry curated by St. Pete artists have found a home inside a new marketplace.

Cassie Mrotek, founder of ASTRA Aromatherapy, has opened ASTRA & Friends, an art consignment shop at 242 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North.

The storefront was previously occupied by Central Oak Barber Co., which relocated two doors down to vegan grocer Black Radish's old space.

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Reflection condo sales top $65 million as 18-story tower nears completion

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Reflection condo sales top $65 million as 18-story tower nears completion

Construction crews are wrapping up the interior buildout for the 18-story Reflection condominium building that overlooks Mirror Lake.

Reaching a height of 200 feet at 777 3rd Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg, Reflection is the tallest building in the Mirror Lake neighborhood and will have 88 condos and 2,800 square feet of retail space at completion. 

Local developer HP Capital, formed by partners Fred Hemmer, Angelo Cappelli, Nick Hansen, and Chris Hemmer, recently announced that condo sales for the luxury tower reached $65 million, including $5 million sold in the past two weeks. KW Commercial is the exclusive broker marketing the condominiums.

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Done Deals: Art House eclipses $200m in sales, Developer buys land for affordable housing, St. Pete apartments sell

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Done Deals: Art House eclipses $200m in sales, Developer buys land for affordable housing, St. Pete apartments sell

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

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Asian fusion restaurant Pin on Cafe finds a new home in the Grand Central District

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Asian fusion restaurant Pin on Cafe finds a new home in the Grand Central District

Husband and wife duo Som and Roger Rattanachane, who operate Pin on Cafe and Pin Wok & Bowl in downtown St. Pete, will soon bring their Asian fusion cuisines to the Grand Central District.

Pin on Cafe, which debuted in 2021 at 1100 Central Avenue in the EDGE District, has been forced to find a new home as the existing location will be razed later this year for phase two of the EDGE Collective mixed-use development.

Known for its delicious twists on traditional Thai and Japanese dishes, Pin on Cafe is expected to debut this August at 2458 Central Avenue, formerly home to Valhalla Bakery which recently consolidated operations into the neighboring Valkyrie Doughnuts space.

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The 1888 Hotel breathes new life into historic downtown St. Pete property

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The 1888 Hotel breathes new life into historic downtown St. Pete property

As downtown St. Petersburg’s skyline becomes increasingly taller and more modern, it’s particularly refreshing to see some of the Sunshine City’s historic properties revived and repurposed.

The 1888 Hotel, at 220 5th Avenue North, is a recent example of St. Pete’s history blending with contemporary styles and trends. In its heyday, the property, which was built in 1923, was known as The Hillcrest Hotel. Managing Partners Frederick Dela Cruz and Jeffrey Pippin have renamed it The 1888 Hotel as a homage to the year the first passenger train arrived in St. Pete.

“We acquired the property in 2020, and it was a little bit of a crazy situation,” Dela Cruz said in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “A developer wanted to demolish the building and build a parking garage.”

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New Japanese cafe and bakery Samurai Cat debuts in downtown St. Pete

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New Japanese cafe and bakery Samurai Cat debuts in downtown St. Pete

Samurai Cat, a new Japanese bakery and cafe concept, has officially opened in downtown St. Petersburg.

The 1,315-square-foot space at 407 Central Avenue, the former home of Beans & Barlour cafe and dessert shop that closed in November 2023, now boats Japanese wall art and decor featuring a fierce feline warrior.

Samurai Cat is the newest foodie concept from Majestic Restaurant Group, the hospitality force behind concepts such as Zukku Sushi, Ling's Dumplings, and KH BBQ, along with the upcoming Tampa Bay debut of Japanese-born experimental fast-casual concept Pepper Lunch.

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Juno and the Peacock will replace 400 Beach in downtown St. Pete

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Juno and the Peacock will replace 400 Beach in downtown St. Pete

It’s been nine months since 400 Beach abruptly closed for renovations. However, instead of reopening, the seafood restaurant and tap house will be replaced by an entirely new restaurant and cocktail lounge expected to open this summer.

Juno and the Peacock is set to take the place of 400 Beach, a longtime staple of Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete, following a comprehensive makeover to the space.

400 Beach was an early trailblazer on Beach Drive, downtown St. Pete’s de facto restaurant row, when local restauranteur Steve Westphal opened the eatery in 2009.

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Historically St. Pete: Century-old Carnegie library stands tall on Mirror Lake

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Historically St. Pete: Century-old Carnegie library stands tall on Mirror Lake

At St. Pete Rising, we are constantly providing comprehensive coverage on everything new and coming soon to the Sunshine City, but we think it’s also important to take a look back at our city's rich history.

Introducing Historically St. Pete, a new monthly column on St. Pete Rising written by Rui Farias, Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, which will cover everything from the legend of underground mobster tunnels to the buildings and people that created the Sunshine City.

Follow us each month as we explore how these projects shaped St. Pete into the city we know and love today.

This month we explore the history of St. Petersburg’s Carnegie Library at Mirror Lake, built in 1915 and still standing today.

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