A missed opportunity: St. Pete commission denies bid to convert historic church to event venue

The historic three-story brick church in st. pete’s euclid-st. paul community that the owners planned to convert into an event venue with transient rooms | st. pete rising

Bricks stacked inside the Euclid Methodist Church are crumbling and gaping holes puncture the ceilings, welcoming black mold throughout the walls in the historic church that one local couple is desperate to save and convert into an event venue with a bed & breakfast operation.

“We are entrepreneurs - you see the disrepair and work needed, but we see how this building can be a beautiful destination and serve the community in a new way,” owners Noam and Irene Krasniansky said to St. Pete Rising during a tour of the 100-year-old church at 919 10th Avenue North.

The fenced-off property, which was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 2004, borders the edge of the Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood where commercial businesses dot Dr. MLK Jr. Street and craftsman-style residences line 10th Street North.

The residential and commercial uses surrounding the church | google earth

The local couple, who also run a blockchain company, said it was love at first sight when discovering the property several years ago - dreaming of how the 100-year-old landmark could once again house hundreds of people for weddings and events as the original church did.

Dubbed The Treehouse, the proposed event venue would host up to 184 guests and the steeple would be converted into a 40-seat tearoom and with a light food service offering French pastries twice a week. The Treehouse would also have seven residential rental units on the second and third floors for hosting out-of-town guests.

Due to bed & breakfast use associated with the project, city regulations require the couple to maintain a residence at the property. They planned to add a permanent residential unit to comply.

St Pete Rising

However, after last Tuesday’s Community Planning and Preservation Commission (CPPC) meeting, their ambitious vision has come to a screeching halt.

The Krasnianskys, working with land use professional Todd Pressman, were seeking approval from the City of St. Pete for the adaptive reuse of the property with a special exception for the meeting hall and minimum parking needed.

The team submitted an application to amend the future land use map from Planned Redevelopment (PR-R) to Planned Residential Mixed Use (PR-MU) and the official zoning map from Neighborhood Traditional-2 (NT-2) to Corridor Commercial Traditional – 1 (CCT-1) due to an expected increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which is the measurement of a building's floor area in relation to the size of the lot/parcel that the building is located on.

The steeple that the couple planned to convert into a tearoom | st. pete rising

However, the commissioners denied the requests that would push the project forward after neighboring residents voiced concerns about possible noise levels, congested parking throughout the neighborhood, and how a rezone to CCT-1 could set an unwanted precedent.

The city has rules that the owners would be required to abide by, such as limiting the hours of operation for outdoor events, restricting amplified sounds, and capping the maximum of attendees at 75 for any special outdoor functions.

They have also secured over 100 off-site parking spaces from nearby businesses via letters of intent (LOI). However, commissioners noted how LOIs, which declare the intention of both parties to enter into a legally binding agreement, bare no teeth.

A rendering of the reimagined church property, which maintains its historical elements | city documents

“We've put our life savings into this building, and we are in a state of shock,” Noam said.

He and Irene used profits from the recent sale of their Los Angeles home to purchase the church in 2023 for $1.1 million from Paradise Ventures, the same development group renovating and bringing new tenants to the Sundial shopping complex in downtown St. Pete.

In 2019, Paradise Ventures explored converting the church into an office with some retail and requested similar changes to the future land use map and official zoning map. Those requests were also met with opposition by numerous neighbors.

Paradise Ventures looked into other uses, but ultimately withdrew their plans.

The owner of the neighboring residential property, which is just feet away from the church, was a registered opponent of the proposed project | st. pete rising

Roughly 70 neighbors and others living around the three-story brick church signed a petition challenging the new proposed use and amendments.

The couple, which received approval for the exterior renovation last year, have poured over $300,000 into restoring the brick facade and windows.

Working with local architect Paul Ries, they also drew up plans to make the venue more functional and meet current code, such as incorporating ADA features, adding truck access to a commercial kitchen via a ramp, and adding an elevator.

“We are stuck in a catch twenty-two,” Noam said. “We need the property rezoned in order to save the building. Now, what is the alternative? It continues to fall into disrepair?”

Weeds twist through the stairs and sprout between bricks throughout the exterior of the building | st. pete rising

The Krasnianskys are inviting neighbors, the public, and any city staff to tour the church and share their thoughts.

If the project were to move forward, the proposed conversion of the church property wouldn't be the first time a local historic church has served a different use.

In 2018, travel insurance company Squaremouth purchased a 20,000-square-foot historic church on the 4300 block of Central Avenue for $1.4 million and converted it into their offices. Three years later, the company sold the church to go fully remote.

Additionally, in 2021, the former Baptist American Church of the Beatitudes in Crescent Heights was converted into a single-family home.

Lastly, Pinellas Park-based Belleair Development Group is converting the former Westminster Presbyterian Church and school in St. Pete's Old Northeast neighborhood into one single-family home and two townhomes.