Historically St. Pete: The oldest surviving school building in St Pete still stands 124 years later

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Historically St. Pete: The oldest surviving school building in St Pete still stands 124 years later

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.

Historically St. Pete, a monthly column on St. Pete Rising written by Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History Rui Farias, covers 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 captivating history of the 124-year-old Manual Training School building — Florida’s first vocational school and the oldest surviving school building in St Pete.

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Green Turtle Brewery to replace Cycle Brewing in downtown St. Pete

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Green Turtle Brewery to replace Cycle Brewing in downtown St. Pete

A British-style brewery featuring traditional brewing methods and British fare is set to open next month in the space that Cycle Brewing, St. Pete’s first brewery, has occupied for the past 12 years.

Cycle Brewing will close its taproom sometime this month, but will continue to brew beer at its production warehouse at 2135 5th Avenue South.

Green Turtle Brewery and Public House, located at 534 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete, will serve classic styles of beer such as IPAs, lagers, and porters, with a special focus on cask ales, which are traditional British beers brewed using natural fermentation and served via hand pump.

“It's the freshest beer you can have because it undergoes secondary fermentation in the cask,” said Todd Bearden, who is opening Green Turtle Brewery with his wife, Colleen. “It's not filtered, not pasteurized, and has natural carbonation. It’s alive and breathing.”

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Cycle Brewing to close downtown taproom this month after 12 years

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Cycle Brewing to close downtown taproom this month after 12 years

Cycle Brewing, the city's oldest craft brewery and a cornerstone of St. Petersburg’s craft beer scene, will be closing its downtown taproom this month.

The cycling-themed brewery, which has served locals for the past 12 years, will not renew its lease at 534 Central Avenue, founder and brewmaster Doug Dozark announced earlier today on social media.

“The taproom will close in as early as a week or as late as the end of the month,” said Dozark.

While the tasting room will close, Cycle will continue to brew beer at its production warehouse 2135 5th Avenue South—near the Orange Belt Railway and Pinellas Trail—where it bottles its beverages.

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Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

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Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

After sitting underutilized for years, the windowless Frontier building at 821 1st Avenue North is finally set to see new life.

Plans have been filed with the City of St. Petersburg to redevelop the seven-story, 233,590-square-foot office and data center, which is partially leased by Frontier Communications. The proposed redevelopment includes 41,333 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 137,663 square feet of self-storage, and 54,594 square feet of office space.

Originally constructed in 1928 by the General Telephone Company of Florida, the building was expanded in 1967 and 1970. It remains a key part of St. Petersburg's internet infrastructure, housing extensive fiber optic cable, switch rooms, frame rooms, and generators as large as jet engines.

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New renderings reveal Foot Locker’s $20 million global HQ in north St. Pete

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New renderings reveal Foot Locker’s $20 million global HQ in north St. Pete

New renderings obtained by St. Pete Rising provide a first look at the planned buildout of Foot Locker’s new global headquarters in north St. Petersburg.

The company, previously based in New York City, signed a 110,998-square-foot lease in March to relocate its operations to 570 Carillon Parkway in the Carillon Business Park.

Foot Locker will occupy the first, third, and fourth floors of the five-story office building. The space was previously leased by Protect My Car and Tata Consulting Services.

The buildout of the office space is expected to cost $10.7 million, according to a permit application submitted to the City of St. Pete. An additional $14 million will be spent on furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

The new headquarters will be surrounded by major employers such as Raymond James Financial, Jabil, and Franklin Templeton.

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