St Petersburg Florida

Saint Petersburg - 1876 was the year Peter Demens brought the railroad to the end of the line in the state of Florida. He named the city there, St. Petersburg after his place of birth in Russia after flipping a coin with co-founder John C. Williams. The late 20th century saw a population influx. Today St. Petersburg is becoming a major tourist and party destination.

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About Snell Isle in St Petersburg Florida

Snell Isle is a peaceful and quiet residential, waterfront community. The area contains many original classic homes along with other large homes, well-kept lawns and tree lined streets. Of particular pride is the restored Snell Isle Park Plaza. Volunteers from the Association's membership spent hundreds of hours restoring the park's walkways, statuary and landscaping that reflects the splendor of the past. The entrance to Snell Isle is identified with a small fountain, new sidewalks and landscaping. Another project, recently completed by the Association with the City of St. Petersburg, is the park at the entrance to Shore Acres.

The architecture of the area contains a wide spectrum of classic European and Spanish design among the older houses dating from the 1920s. The predominate house color is white with a number of coral homes in view. Many houses were built as small two-bedroom retirement homes that were subsequently remodeled and enlarged. In recent years, several waterfront homes were razed and larger homes constructed.

History

Snell Isle owes its existence to C. Perry Snell, who first visited St. Petersburg on his wedding trip in 1898. Upon returning the following year, his first purchase was the waterfront property located at First Street and Fourth Avenue North, now known as North Shore Park.

Other Snell purchases include Crescent Lake, Mirror Lake and 600 acres of land along the northern edge of St. Petersburg, now known as Coffee Pot Bayou, a low lying area, which took many months to fill with the aid of many mule teams brought over from Tampa. Snell first purchased acreage on the small island of sand and mangroves in 1911, and on October 14, 1925, lot sales began. At that time, only 275 acres planned for development were above high tide levels. The first homes to be constructed consisted of 8-9 residences of Classic European Architecture in the area known as Brightwaters Bayou. To enhance the European influence, Snell traveled extensively throughout Europe and at a cost of more than $1 million, obtained the various statuary, tiles and ornaments for his St. Petersburg properties.

Among Snell's many contributions to the community, was a gift of land on Snell Isle to the St. Petersburg Women's Club in 1928. The land was accepted after much debate among the members, since it was beyond the street car line, in a jungle and accessible only by a rickety wooden bridge. The Women's Club immediately began work to have the City build a new bridge over the Bayou and on Christmas Day 1931, the new bridge was dedicated and opened to traffic. Many changes have occurred since then, but it has been the desire of the residents of the area that the style and its distinct atmosphere are retained.

Boundaries

Snell Isle Bridge easterly following the "meandering" shoreline to the Shore Acres Bridge, then along the shorelines of Eden Isle and Snell Isle Estates, along 34th Avenue and Locust Street to Coffee Pot Bayou, and then to the starting point, the Snell Isle Bridge.