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Editorial: All sides win in building agreement

 
Published June 17, 2016

An agreement between the city of St. Petersburg and a group of preservationists that clears the way for demolition of two dilapidated downtown buildings is a win for everyone. The early 20th century buildings, occupying a prime block of downtown, have little remaining historical value. The end to the deadlock means the block can be redeveloped, adding to downtown's spark.

The former Pheil Hotel and Theater and Central National Bank, at the corner of Central Avenue and Fourth Street, are wrapped in a 1960s aluminum "cheese grater" facade and have been vacant since 2006. After the city gave the owners permission to demolish the buildings earlier this year, St. Petersburg Preservation filed suit. The group argued that the city shouldn't have granted an exemption to its codes, but it was not a battle worth fighting.

Historic preservation is an important community value, but it should not be invoked to block progress when there is little or no "history" to preserve. The buildings' owners have said that if demolition were not allowed, the buildings would continue to deteriorate for decades until the lease expires. That scenario would not serve the preservationists' stated mission to "keep St. Pete special."

As part of the agreement reached this week, a real estate trust that holds ground leases on the properties agreed to donate $100,000 to St. Petersburg Preservation's cause, a vague deal that nonetheless reveals the group's price for dropping its opposition.

The reasonable conclusion to this conflict breathes new life into one of the last developable blocks in downtown St. Petersburg and keeps misplaced sentimentality from hindering progress.