100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

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.”

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Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort to be demolished and rebuilt

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Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort to be demolished and rebuilt

The iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort, a Treasure Island landmark for the past 68 years, is set to be completely demolished and rebuilt after sustaining catastrophic damage caused by last year’s back-to-back hurricanes.

The courtyard-style resort, located at 10700 Gulf Boulevard, was among many properties hit hard by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which left behind piles of debris and extensive structural damage, forcing the immediate closure of the beloved beachfront destination.

In a social media post on December 9th, the Thunderbird wrote, “We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love from our guests and the community. It means the world to us—and we want to make one thing clear: The Thunderbird Beach Resort is NOT going anywhere.”

Originally built in 1957 as the 64-unit Thunderbird Motel at a cost of $750,000, the resort has long been a staple of the area.

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Downtown favorite Paradeco Coffee Roasters opens stunning new waterfront location in south St. Pete

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Downtown favorite Paradeco Coffee Roasters opens stunning new waterfront location in south St. Pete

Downtown St. Petersburg’s beloved Paradeco Coffee Roasters is bringing its signature blend of specialty coffee and Art Deco charm to the waterfront with a second location in the Skyway Marina District.

The specialty coffee shop and cafe, which currently operates in the Plaza Tower & Courtyard Shops in downtown St. Pete, has quietly debuted at the newly revamped SkyBeach Resort, located at 6800 Sunshine Skyway Lane South.

The new poolside coffee spot, which features an impressive 3D-printed bar made from renewable and recyclable materials, is one of the latest additions to the 18-acre property, formerly known as the Magnuson Hotel Marina Cove, which recently underwent a significant rebrand and renovation after being purchased.

Impressed by the waterfront setting and extensive renovations at SkyBeach, husband-and-wife duo Thomas Maloney and Sonya Sarkar hope to replicate their downtown success in the resort’s more relaxed, coastal environment.

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$200 million mixed-use project The Central takes shape on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

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$200 million mixed-use project The Central takes shape on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

The long-awaited mixed-use development in the heart of St. Pete's EDGE District has hit a construction milestone.

Tampa-based Ellison Development is set to cut the ribbon next month, celebrating the completion of a 531-space parking garage at 1301 Central Avenue, a component of The Central development, a 2.1-acre redevelopment of the old St. Pete Police headquarters that will feature a hotel, a trophy office building, retail, workforce housing, and more.  

The project, which broke ground in February 2024, sits directly across the street from Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill and is near The Edge Collective development, a planned live-work-and-play destination anchored by the newly opened Moxy Hotel.

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13-story hybrid hotel and apartment project approved for downtown St. Pete

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13-story hybrid hotel and apartment project approved for downtown St. Pete

A 13-story building featuring 60 apartments and 60 hotel rooms has been approved for downtown St. Pete’s Grand Central District despite concerns.

Last week, the St. Petersburg Development Review Commission unanimously approved a site plan for the $22 million project expected to rise at 1663 1st Avenue South.

The property is currently developed with a commercial building that was previously home to Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café which closed in 2023, and Dolman Law Group.

The new project, proposed by Tampa-based BendinRoad Development in partnership with Landings Real Estate Group, is a significant shift from the developer’s initial vision to create an 8-story 97-unit apartment building, which was previously approved in 2023.

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