St. Petersburg Approves $17 Million Development to Restore Historic Cade Allen Home and Build New Condominiums
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St. Petersburg building officials have approved a local developer’s $17 million plans to restore a historically significant home and build an adjacent mid-rise tower overlooking Mirror Lake. The developer, St. Petersburg-based Backstreets Capital, will also build a new two-story residence on the . 47-acre site at 250 Mirror Lake Dr.
N. The firm sought a reduced setback variance and must demolish the historic home’s garage to accommodate its site plan. The city’s Development Review Commission unanimously approved the application Wednesday afternoon, with conditions. Will Conroy, founder and president of Backstreets, said he spent a “good portion of the last four years” staring at the building from his neighboring office “and trying to figure out what we could with it. ” “This site and this project are really like a Rubik’s cube,” Conroy added.
“It’s fascinating, and every square foot of the site matters. ” Significant changes to the site plan would void the city’s development agreement. Pioneering homebuilder Cade Allen built the existing two-story home in 1937. His stone-clad veneers and clay barrel roof tiles are a distinguishable feature in St. Petersburg’s Allendale neighborhood.
The 87-year-old residence is not listed on local and national historic registers. However, the city classifies it as a “contributing structure of the downtown historic district. ” The 4,000-square-foot home is now used as an office building. Backstreets will restore the structure and convert it back to a single-family home before commencing construction on the condominiums. The firm plans to incorporate materials Allen used on the two-story garage into the new two-story home on the northeast corner of the property.
City officials approved a demolition permit for the site in 2022. Conroy noted his office is directly south of the Allen Home. “This is our first time restoring a structure,” he said. “We’ve not done this before. But we are really proud … We’re especially happy to have Preserve the ‘Burg’s support, and the neighbors.
” The seven-story, 18-unit condo building dubbed The Cade will sit behind the Allen Home. The mid-rise will feature Mediterranean Revival elements found in neighboring structures, and Place Architecture will serve as the project architect. Corey Malyzska, city zoning official, said granting the variance would “not be injurious” to the neighboring properties.