100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel
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After suffering significant damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, a 10-story, 100-year-old building in downtown St. Pete is expected to be demolished and replaced with a boutique hotel.
Local entrepreneur and developer Steve Gianfilippo of Gianco Companies, who purchased the building at 300 Central Avenue in 2017, filed plans on Monday with the City of St. Pete for a 16-story hotel, named The Coronet, which will incorporate mid-century design elements reminiscent of the original structure.
The existing, vacant structure will undergo interim repairs while plans for the new hotel are being drawn up.
“In the seven years that I’ve owned the building, we’ve looked at a few different options,” said Gianfilippo in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “At first, we considered turning it into fully furnished apartments. But with thousands of new apartments already planned or built recently, we saw a larger opportunity to bring a new boutique hotel to downtown St. Pete.”
The existing building at 300 Central, built in 1924, suffered extensive damage during last year’s back-to-back hurricanes and is expected to be demolished for a 16-story boutique hotel | Apartments.com
The most recent plan was to keep the existing structure and renovate it into a hotel—taking it from 40 units to 61. Gianfilippo was full steam ahead with that approach. And then the storms hit.
“I never wanted to look at this as a ground-up development, because I’ve always focused on preserving St. Pete’s history,” said Gianfilippo. “But the storm forced us to rethink everything as a completely new build.”
Over the years, Gianfilippo has purchased and preserved The Cordova Inn at 253 2nd Avenue North, the Springstead Warehouse (now Station House) at 260 1st Avenue South, and the Green-Richman Arcade (now Station House Arcade) at 689 Central Avenue.
The property at 300 Central Avenue, historically known as the Smith Empire building and the Coronet 300 since 1966, was constructed in 1924 as a commercial building and adapted for use as a mixed-use residential building in the 1960s. The building is not on the Local or National Register of Historic Places.
The proposed $20 million hotel will contain around 70 rooms in a 16-story, 172-foot-tall tower.
The ground floor will feature a lobby and retail space with potential outdoor seating at the corner of 3rd Street South and Central Avenue.
Local architect Behar + Peteranecz designed the building with Mid-Century Modern elements, such as breeze block on the ground floor and west-side exterior façade.
Although no on-site parking will be provided, the property steps away from dozens of great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, boutiques, and more. Additionally, PSTA bus stops and SunRunner stations are minutes away, offering convenient transit access to St. Pete Beach. Gianfilippo has also secured 21 offsite parking spaces.
The first floor site plan for The Coronet, a 16-story boutique hotel proposed for 300 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete | Behar + Peteranecz
Gianfilippo said he is currently in talks to partner with a prominent hotel brand for the project.
“The brand we’re aiming to bring in would be a fantastic addition to downtown St. Petersburg,” he said.
Pending financing, entitlements, and required approvals, construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, with an estimated construction timeline of 18 months.
