Why 400 Central in downtown St. Petersburg looks like that
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Kathryn laid down on the sidewalk to take this photo. If you saw her, no you didn't. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
Look toward downtown St. Petersburg from most directions, and you'll see it: the innards of a rising skyscraper with curved edges and a massive diagonal footprint, resembling a cruise ship dropped in the middle of the city.
- Turns out that's very much on purpose, the architect told Axios.
Why it matters: With 400 Central set to be the tallest residential building on Florida's west coast, its appearance will play a prominent role downtown and in the city's skyline for generations to come.
The big picture: The 46-story building, which upon completion will house 301 luxury condos along with retail and office space, is the vision of billionaire real estate developer John Catsimatidis.
- While he and his company, Red Apple Group, are based in New York, Catsimatidis has spent years visiting family in St. Pete.
- He's come to love the city and wanted to build something beautiful and unique, he told Axios.
That's where architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia comes in.
- The firm he co-founded, Miami-based Arquitectonica, has designed award-winning projects around the world, including Brickell City Centre in Miami and Microsoft's European headquarters in Paris.
- "People call us when they want to do something different, something unique," Fort-Brescia said.
Behind the scenes: To design 400 Central, Fort-Brescia tapped into the building's surroundings.
- The rounded corners — a departure from the boxy high-rises that have popped up downtown in recent years — make the building feel almost like a boat or an island, a nod to St. Pete as a water city, he said.
- Its diagonal placement is meant to maximize the view, Fort-Brescia said. Residents will be able to look straight down Central Avenue to the waterfront from their windows or the observation deck on the top floor.
- That placement also opens up the Central-facing side of the building for retail and restaurants on the ground floor: "We didn't want a car-centric Central Avenue," he said. "We wanted a human-centric Central Avenue."
What he's saying: The features altogether give the building "a narrative," he said.
- "We didn't do just another rectangle or another triangle. It has a reason to be."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that 400 Central will be the tallest residential building on Florida's Gulf Coast (not the tallest building of any kind).