Breaking New Ground

In 1914, the rich history of spring training and Florida's love affair with baseball began when the city's former mayor, Al Lang, convinced Branch Rickey to move his St. Louis Browns to the Sunshine City for spring training.

That same year Tony Jannus flew his Benoist airplane across Tampa Bay in 23 minutes, skimming across the water at a height of 50 feet. The event is commonly hailed as the birth of commercial aviation.

And the city’s first library was built along Mirror Lake, opening its doors in December of 1915. It remains in operation today.

Booming & Building

The 1920s brought the state's first big growth boom with new residents and tourists arriving by automobile, railroad, and yacht. In 1924 the Gandy Bridge opened—cutting travel time to Tampa by more than half, and positioning St. Pete to become Pinellas County's largest city.

During the Great Depression, the real estate boom crashed and St. Petersburg recovered with the help of large Public Works Administration projects in the 1930s. St. Petersburg's City Hall was built with New Deal federal funds in 1939 and remains in operation today.

During the 1940s, the city witnessed more growth. The U.S. Coast Guard Station on Bayboro Harbor was used as a training base for World War II troops and St. Pete became a major technical services training center for the Army Air Corps. More than 100,000 trainees filled every hotel in the city, swelling the population and creating a housing shortage as their families looked for places to live. After the war, many of the service members stationed here took up permanent residence with their families.

ST. PETE’S BLACK HISTORY

African Americans have long been an important part of St. Pete’s story, but history that centers the Black community is often a lesser-known piece of the narrative of how St. Pete came to be. The area’s first Black settlers, John Donaldson and Anna Germain, arrived in 1868. They married and created a homestead for themselves and their children on what would become 18th Ave. South and 31st St. South. For 20 years, the Donaldsons were the only African American family settled in present-day St. Pete.

The arrival of the Orange Belt Railway in 1888 brought African American men to St. Pete to build the beds and lay the rails. The new arrivals created the first of what would become several predominantly Black neighborhoods. Peppertown, near 3rd and 4th Avenues South, just east of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., is credited with being the first. Historians say the enclave was named for the abundance and variety of peppers grown there in gardens and pots.

Next came Methodist Town, between 9th and 14th Streets North & Burlington Ave. N and 5th Ave. N., and what was first called Cooper’s Quarters, roughly 1st to 5th Avenues South and 9th and 16th Streets South. Cooper’s Quarters later became known as the Gas Plant neighborhood for the two tall cylinders that held the city’s natural gas supply.

Through the 40s, 50s, and 60s, one such neighborhood in South St. Pete became known as “The Deuces” and developed into a thriving downtown area for African Americans and other minority communities. Home to the iconic Manhattan Casino, which drew America’s finest African American musicians, the Deuces reached its peak in the 1960s with more than 100 Black-owned or operated businesses, entertainment spots, and professional offices that served the neighborhood. 

Developing Into a Destination

The 1950s brought the advent of air conditioning, which spurred housing for retirees. Central Plaza and West St. Pete shopping centers began to draw commerce from the downtown core and as the population peaked, streetcar tracks were removed to make way for a society of automobiles. New developments included the municipal marina, the main library, a waterfront arena known as the Bayfront Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts.

In the last twenty years, St. Pete has emerged as a top destination for visitors around the world as opportunities for business and recreation have grown. A relocated Salvador Dalí Museum, Dale Chihuly’s world-renowned glass collection, an annual international mural festival, and several other major museums cemented St. Pete’s reputation as a City of the Arts. With the continued expansion of USF St. Petersburg and the presence of a St. Petersburg College campus, downtown became home to a growing number of students and an Innovation District. 

The city’s notable ‘Inverted Pyramid’ pier, a successor to the popular Million Dollar Pier, was closed in 2013 to make way for the latest iteration of the St. Pete Pier, a 26-acre dynamic extension of the beloved waterfront park system that opened in 2020.

Today, St. Pete hosts hundreds of events, bringing millions of people through downtown and to every corner of the city. A clear vision and comprehensive economic development strategy have elevated the city’s profile and attracted new investments in arts, culture, technology, and recreation. And as the city grows into its next phase, it’s the sense of community and the understanding and preservation of our shared history that will help shape St. Pete’s future.