Introduction

Historic Kenwood was one of the earliest neighborhoods to be developed outside of downtown St. Petersburg, and the first for year-round residents who worked in St. Pete. 

Historic Kenwood was one of the earliest neighborhoods to be developed outside of downtown St. Petersburg, and the first for year-round residents who worked in St. Pete. 

Charles Hall and George F. Young were among Historic Kenwood’s earliest developers starting in 1912 with the purchase of avocado groves between Central and 5th Avenues North. Today, Historic Kenwood is bounded by Central and 9th Avenues from south to north,  and by I-275 and 34th Street from east to west. 

The building of St. Petersburg High School in 1926 — reported to be the nation’s first million dollar high school — had a major impact on the development of the neighborhood. Its distinctive Mediterranean Revival architecture earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. 

Many of Historic Kenwood’s original historic landscape and streetscape elements remain intact, including many brick streets and sidewalks made of locally manufactured hexagonal concrete pavers. Homes are constructed in a variety of architectural styles dating primarily from 1913 through the 1950s, but the Craftsman and bungalow styles represent more than half of the buildings. 

Revitalization of the neighborhood began in the 1990s when several individuals began buying and restoring historical properties and the neighborhood association was formed. In 1995, a survey documented the historic significance of the neighborhood’s pre-1945 architecture, and in 2003, Historic Kenwood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, further protection of our historic resources was established with the formation of 4 local historic districts within our neighborhood, 3 of which are on display this year.