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Letter to the editor

Condo tower foes defend old mansion

Supporters of Mansion by the Bay want the council to overturn the EDC ruling.

By CRISTINA SILVA, Times Staff Writer
Published August 22, 2007

Residents are appealing the city's decision to relocate Mansion by the Bay to make room for a 21-story condominium.

The city's Environmental Development Commission ruled in May to allow a 28-unit condo tower on the site where Mansion by the Bay has sat for more than 100 years.

"This building has the wonderful flair of old St. Petersburg," said Helga Tiedemann, who lives in a condo neighboring Mansion by the Bay. "We don't want it in a warehouse somewhere where no one can see it."

Mansion by the Bay, a Queen Anne-style structure at 145 Fourth Ave. NE, was built in 1905 as a private home for A.T. Blocker, who was the city's mayor from 1910 to 1911.

The home was expanded in 1918 and again in 1926, when it was converted to a clubhouse for the Shiners International Club.

In the 1980s, it was used as a dance studio and, until recently, was used for weddings and other special events. For the past two years, the building has been vacant.

The condo tower, named Mansion on the Bay, will sit on a four-story base that will include ground-level stores, a parking structure and two-story residential lofts.

That will be topped by 11 floors containing 22 residential units, topped in turn by three penthouses with 360-degree views of the city and bay.

Some neighbors have complained that the building will block their views of the waterfront and cast shadows over their property.

Protesters are scheduled to rally at the site of the historic home tonight to raise public awareness for their cause. Critics of the condominium will also attend a City Council meeting Thursday in hopes of persuading council members to overturn the EDC's ruling.

Dan Harvey, who owns Mansion by the Bay, couldn't be reached for comment Monday. His attorney, Don Mastry, declined to comment.

Chief assistant city attorney Mark Winn said the City Council could repeal the EDC's decision but would have to hold a legal hearing first.

The city usually approves three properties a year for historic designation, which protects the sites from being altered or moved, Winn said. Individuals can also file their own applications with the city to nominate a property for historic designation, but that process can be expensive, he said.

Will Michaels, president of Saint Petersburg Preservation, said the city should recognize Mansion by the Bay's history and save the building. The property could lose some of its historic significance if it were moved, Michaels said.

"That is one of the most historic properties in the city," he said. "Our feeling is that everything should be done to keep the home on its present site."

Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 21, 2007, 20:22:09]