A New Decade Brings New Challenges
By Marilyn Olsen, DNA President
As we enter the new decade, we are a much larger and more diverse neighborhood. We have welcomed new communities and expanded our boundaries. We have celebrated the awards that DNA, Friends of Williams Park and individual neighbors have been given over the past year for their work and results, topped by Downtown St. Petersburg’s selection as the Best Neighborhood in Pinellas County by Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll. All of this raises the bar for the work that remains.
Working closely with the city, the new Pinellas Trail along 1st Avenue S has been connected to a new pedestrian/bicycle trail along the waterfront. We are working toward similar improvements in a loop around Demens Landing, which has been selected as Mile 0 for the entire Trail, as well as around Mirror Lake. Streetscape improvements are nearing completion along Beach Drive and 2nd Avenue North and will continue along other major connectors, making walking and biking Downtown safer and more enjoyable than ever.
In spite of economic challenges, Baywalk has announced a new tenant to complement the exciting Beach Drive retail and restaurant destinations; SRI has opened its new research facility, thus expanding our marine sciences cluster; the new Dali Museum is on schedule to join recent openings of American Stage Theater, Florida International Museum and Museum of Fine Arts expansion on January 11 of 2011. All of which adds to the draw of one of the areas largest concentrations of restaurants and cultural venues.
The historic Mirror Lake Complex has gotten a long overdue restoration. Charter Park protection is being added to Albert Whitted, Soreno/Straub and Poynter Parks, a fitting precursor to the year long celebration of the Waterfront Parks Centennial. Options are being studied for the Pier, the Rays stadium, a new intermodal transportation hub and improvements along Central Avenue from Bay to Bay.
Our commitment to keeping you informed about events and developments through our quarterly newsletter, and key speakers on timely issues at the general meetings will continue. In addition, we launched the new Urban Porch Parties in October and November. They were well attended and the feedback has been positive. Our goal is to bring people in the neighborhood together and to encourage broader participation in DNA, provide a format for networking in an informal, social setting and introduce new residents to the many cultural and entertainment venues in our neighborhood. Usually we will gather in months when there is not a general meeting.
We believe that a few can have some impact, and that more can make greater changes. To those who have joined us or other organizations to make their properties and public spaces better, who have collaborated to find more ways to address the impacts of homelessness, who have voted and written letters and spoken out to make our voices heard, or even those who have smiled and greeted others to make our neighborhood more friendly, we thank you.
If you are new, I hope you will see value in joining DNA. If you are an active member, I hope that you will consider offering your leadership skills by becoming a candidate for the board. We look forward to seeing all of you in the neighborhood, at the January meeting and our next Urban Porch Party in February.
By Frank Bird & Ron Stein, Mirror Lake Co-Chairs
How many downtown residents are aware of the significance of the Mirror Lake Neighborhood in the development of the city of Saint Petersburg? As the historic west end anchor of downtown, the Mirror Lake Neighborhood is truly a jewel of our city.
English explorer, George Gould identified the area around Mirror Lake as a “pretty good place for a settlement” in 1765. He noted the “fresh water” in what is now Mirror Lake. In 1898, drinking water was piped from Mirror Lake to Navy ships at the Railroad Pier (now Demens Landing) for the Spanish-American War invasion fleet. Before the turn of the century, the first public water system in the city of Saint Petersburg was created using what was then known as Reservoir Lake in 1899. The name “Mirror Lake” was coined by Katherine Bell Tippetts in 1915.
That same year, the Carnegie Library on Mirror Lake became the first permanent library of the city. Saint Petersburg High School on the north side of Mirror Lake was constructed in 1919. Now a local landmark, it was designed by nationally recognized architect William Ittner. It is now a condominium residence.
By the late teens and early 1920’s the area was becoming a place for social gatherings with the organization of the Lawn Bowling Club in 1916. It is the oldest in the state of Florida and the only site in the US where lawn bowls can be calibrated. Also around this time, the Saint Petersburg Shuffleboard Club was formed (1924). In the 1940’s the Shuffleboard Club had 8,000 members, the largest club of its kind in the world!
Another club formed during this era was the Saint Petersburg Chess Club. It is still going strong after 72 years as the oldest continuously operating chess club in the US on the same site. All of these activities are still operating in what is now called the Mirror Lake Recreation Complex.
Other historic buildings in the Mirror Lake Neighborhood include the First Christian/Mirror Lake Christian Church, which was rehabilitated in 2000 as the Mirror Lake Lyceum, and the Tomlinson Adult Education Center (originally Saint Petersburg Junior High School), which was designed in 1924 by the same architect who designed the Vinoy Hotel.
Mirror Lake Neighborhood slid somewhat in the 60s through the 90s, yet has been making a wonderful comeback in recent years. Today, Mirror Lake is more than a park; it is a neighborhood where people live, work, and play. The neighborhood has single-family homes, condos, and apartments. In addition there are law offices, architectural firms, event and recreation facilities, a boutique and bridal shop, a church, a high end men’s consignment shop, and more. Recently, both the Mirror Lake Recreation Complex and Carnegie Library were renovated.
However, the neighborhood’s viability continues to be threatened in many ways. Ranging from development pressure that is incompatible with an urban neighborhood and beautiful lake park, to safety and security issues. Thus, Friends of Mirror Lake Neighborhood has been created as a committee of the DNA. The mission is to continue the improvements and maintain the health and safety of the neighborhood as well as reintroduce the Mirror Lake Neighborhood and Mirror Lake Park to the community as downtown St. Petersburg’s historic west end.
What’s in store for the future? Friends of Mirror Lake Neighborhood will be working on getting a bike and walking promenade around the neighborhood and lake that links the Mirror Lake Recreation Complex and St. Pete’s CityTrails pathways with the 2nd Avenue North corridor. Placement of historical markers is planned along with signage to direct visitors to the increasing activities in the neighborhood such as Friday night shuffleboard, a popular weekly event at the Recreation Complex where people bring picnic baskets for an evening of music, shuffleboard, and fun.
By the way, the Mirror Lake Neighborhood Association was a predecessor to the Downtown Neighborhood Association. In 1998, the boundaries of the old neighborhood association were expanded and the name was changed.
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Special thanks to local historian Will Michaels for contributing information to this article.
A New Decade Brings New Challenges
