St. Petersburg's Williams Park set for revamp
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The Williams Park bandshell. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
St. Petersburg's oldest park is on the verge of a revamp.
Why it matters: It's long overdue for Williams Park, which spans a city block in the heart of downtown and serves as a venue for events like Localtopia and, during the summer, the Saturday Morning Market.
Driving the news: A $3 million, years-in-the-making city project to renovate the park's bandshell is expected to start this spring.
- City Council members last week approved a plan by Belleair-based Biltmore Construction Co. to carry out upgrades including a new roof, electrical system and wheelchair lift.
Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership will use $800,000 in state funding to add new gateways, lighting, planters and more.
- The nonprofit is also working to raise $500,000 for park programming, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Half of that has already been secured.
The intrigue: To help guide the project, the Downtown Partnership brought in Dan Biederman, a consultant who helped transform New York City's blighted Bryant Park into a vibrant plaza with more than 12 million annual visitors.
What they're saying: "We're very optimistic this is going to be a great park," Biederman said recently, pointing to the location, proximity to apartment and condo buildings, and relatively low crime, per the Times.
- Biederman envisions programming like concerts, lectures, exercise classes and activities for kids, with amenities like shuffleboard courts.
- The Downtown Partnership is also in talks with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to turn a bus ticket office behind the bandshell into a coffee shop, the Times reported.
State of play: Outside of events, the park acts as a gathering space for unhoused people.
- The city will use a $1 million federal grant to conduct street outreach and help connect residents with stable housing, per the Times.
- Crucial to the park's success is keeping it safe and accessible to everyone, "regardless of their housing status," Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas CEO Cheri Holzbacher told the Times last year.
Flashback: The park was established in 1894 and served as a town square for debates, rallies and events, according to the Downtown Partnership.
- It was known for years as "The Park," then was renamed after one of the city's founders, John Constantine Williams, who donated the land.
What's next: The bandshell and park upgrades are slated to be completed late this year or early next year.