Historic Old Northeast is a National Register historic district directly north of downtown St. Petersburg. It runs from 5th Avenue North to 30th Avenue North, between 4th Street North and Tampa Bay. The St. Pete Pier is about a mile from the middle of the neighborhood, and downtown Tampa is about 23 miles away by road. Brick streets, homes from the early 1900s, and North Shore Park (33 acres of public parkland on the bay) define the neighborhood.
History of Historic Old Northeast
The neighborhood began in 1910 as the North Shore subdivision, laid out by developers C. Perry Snell and J.C. Hamlett. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 2003, as the North Shore Historic District, with 2,975 contributing buildings. The Vinoy, a Mediterranean Revival hotel built in 1925 by Aymer Vinoy Laughner and listed on the National Register in 1978, sits on the neighborhood's southern edge. It operates today as The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club.
Homes in Historic Old Northeast
The largest share of homes dates to the 1920s building boom, and a few date from the 1900s and 1910s. Craftsman bungalows and Mediterranean Revival houses are the signature styles, along with Neoclassical Revival and vernacular buildings, mid-century homes and newer construction. Condominiums and townhouses are part of the mix. The streets are brick, with granite curbs and hexagon-block sidewalks under mature oaks. Granada Terrace was platted by Snell in February 1924 along Coffee Pot Boulevard, with parkways, circular plazas and curved streets, and is known for its 1920s Spanish- and Italian-style stucco homes.
Historic status works in two layers. National Register listing places no restrictions on what a private owner does with a home. The city's local historic districts do carry rules. Here those are Granada Terrace (designated in 1988) and three one-block districts: the 200 block of 10th Avenue NE, the 700 block of 18th Avenue NE, and Welch's Mediterranean Row on the 100 block of 19th Avenue NE. In those districts and at the neighborhood's ten local landmarks, demolition, new construction and significant exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city. Normal maintenance, interiors and paint colors are not reviewed. Because North Shore Park takes up much of the bay shore, homes directly on the water are uncommon. Most private water frontage is along Coffee Pot Bayou.
Parks and things to do in Historic Old Northeast
North Shore Park, at 901 North Shore Drive NE, runs along Tampa Bay inside the neighborhood. It has a sandy beach, walking trails, tennis courts, a softball field, a dog park, a playground and the North Shore Aquatic Complex, which has a 50-meter main pool, a 25-meter warm-up pool and a play pool with flume slides. Vinoy Park sits at the neighborhood's southern end by The Vinoy.
Dining, shopping and getting around
Downtown's restaurants, shops and museums begin just south of 5th Avenue North. The Museum of Fine Arts is at 255 Beach Drive NE. The St. Pete Pier, with restaurants, Spa Beach and the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center, is about a mile from the center of the neighborhood, and The Dalí Museum is downtown at One Dali Boulevard. The Snell Isle Bridge crosses Coffee Pot Bayou to Snell Isle, and 4th Street North forms the western edge. Tampa International Airport is about 20 miles away and downtown Tampa about 23 miles by road.
