His heart, home are in Seminole Heights

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS

Seeing Greg Barnhill, professional looking in khakis and a button-down dress shirt, it's hard to imagine him as a country boy on a farm outside West Union, Ohio. That's exactly what Barnhill was, though, and he still has great regard for the small-town way of life. It's evident in his passion for the older homes and sense of community in Seminole Heights, where he helped organize the neighborhood's first home tour and has been integral in restoring its garden center building.

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From the slower pace to the camaraderie among neighbors, life in a small Midwestern town influenced Barnhill, now 46.

As a teenager, he watched his father and uncles working in a family construction business. Barnhill grew so used to living in the new houses they built that the look of modern homes became routine.

"They were nothing special to me," he said.

An appreciation of older home designs led him to take college prep architecture classes in high school with the intention of continuing in that field in college. His family moved to Florida the summer before his senior year, and architecture classes weren't offered at his new high school.

At the University of South Florida, Barnhill pursued what he saw as a safer career track at the time: a bachelor's degree in finance and management. Undeterred by the lack of a formal degree in architecture, however, Barnhill has continued to indulge his interest in the restoration of historical buildings. (Currently, he spends his work days remodeling a 1918 bungalow for resale.)

After graduating from USF in 1987, Barnhill went back to Ohio, "because I missed the changes in season," he said. Being near his parents proved to be a stronger pull, though, and after two years he moved back to Florida, settling in South Tampa.

Taking up residence in a Mediterranean style 1920s apartment and, after that, the Mirasol on Davis Islands, Barnhill says, "I always lived in an old building."

As part of a running group that met on Bayshore Boulevard, Barnhill encountered Chuck Kaelin, who would become his partner of 17 years. After dating for eight months, the two bought their first home together: a 1920s house with a wraparound porch in Seminole Heights.

They soon became involved in their neighborhood association, and Greg suggested that the community host a home tour. As he recalls, the civic group said, "Great! You're the chair!"

Planning began that September, he said, and the tour was held the following April. Charging $5 per person to raise money for activities such as picnics and music in the park, Barnhill says, "We crossed our fingers and hoped for 500 people."

About 1,200 showed up.

Barnhill remained the annual event's chairman for the next four years and continues to stay involved with the tour, which celebrated its 10th year in April.

After remodeling their first home, Barnhill and Kaelin sold it in 1997 and bought their current Seminole Heights bungalow. They knew they wanted another older home and, having lived in the area for 41/2 years, the neighborhood had become an integral part of their lives. From the annual pumpkin parade to the weekly Wednesday night potluck dinners, from assisting one neighbor with a tile job to being invited to another's wedding, Barnhill and Kaelin had come to appreciate the connectivity of Seminole Heights as much as the historic houses.

"You get to know everybody, and that's what I really like," Barnhill says.

He tells of a new neighbor recently knocking on their door at 10 one night. Her electricity had gone out and she didn't have a flashlight. She wasn't uncomfortable reaching out to her new neighbors for help, Barnhill said, because of the sense of community there.

Since February 2007, Barnhill has acted as the liaison with the city's Parks and Recreation Department to restore the Seminole Heights Garden Center, at 5800 N Central Ave. Representing the neighborhood's interests, he has worked to ensure that the $1-million rehabilitation budget is used to restore the building as closely to its original design as possible.

"Greg's been a tremendous help," said Brad Suder, project manager for the parks department. "He has lent his expertise and real passion for the project."

As the saying goes, you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. Having traveled far and wide during his 17 years with Kaelin, there is still no place like home for Barnhill.

"I'm in a small town in a big city," he says.