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St. Petersburg High School
Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, based in Tallahassee, has announced that St. Petersburg High School/Central High School has been recognized with top honors in 2023 for Restoration, Rehabilitation & Adaptive Use.
Built in 1926, the two-story school was designed by William B. Ittner in the Mediterranean Revival style which emphasized two interior courtyards with breezeways to cool the interior spaces, red clay barrel tile roof and corner turret towers. It was built of brick, hollow tile and poured concrete with a stucco exterior finish with an impressive front entrance marked by archways and detailed embellishments.
The school is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was billed as the state’s first million-dollar high school.
But the ravages of time, weather and various additions had significantly changed the appearance of the grand dame. In 2015, the Pinellas County
School Board approved a multi-year, 40-plus-milliondollar effort to bring the school back to its former glory. Because of its status as an historic landmark, any changes to the school were required to meet strict guidelines to preserve its architectural style while continuing to accommodate growing enrollment and to meet students’ modern educational needs in the 21st century.
The extensive project was conducted in 2019-21 by Rowe Architects of Tampa and Creative Contractors, Inc. of Clearwater. It included restoring the original character-defining features, such as the detailed hand-painting of the school’s front entryway and the glazed terracotta tile, refurbishing original chandeliers and skylights, restoration of the auditorium and administration offices, modernizing the mechanical, electrical, HVAC and fire systems, and repainting the entire building, along with the construction of a new cafeteria and concession area.
Pinellas County Schools celebrated the reopening of its updated and expanded St. Petersburg High School with a ribbon cutting on December 13, 2021. Attending the ceremony were Mayor Rick Kriseman as well as two state representatives, city council members, the Pinellas County School Board and many other dignitaries. The high school student population currently stands at just over 2,000.
