The Historic Mirror Lake neighborhood of St. Petersburg is bounded by 8th and 4th Streets and 1st and 5th Avenues North.

History

According to Preserve the Burg, in 1899 Mirror Lake became the public water supply for the small but growing Downtown. By the early 1900’s one of the city’s early leading developers, Perry Snell, began developing the orange groves around the lake. By the boom of the 1920’s, winter residents and visitors were flocking to Mirror Lake to play shuffleboard, go to its Beaux-Arts style Carnegie library, built in 1915 and later added to the National Register of Historic Places, dance at the Coliseum, as well as take up residence in one of the neighborhood’s numerous rooming houses or hotels.

Architecture

The neighborhood is a mix of residential and commercial structures, most of which were built between the 1900’s and 1940’s. They range in style from Florida Vernacular or “cracker style” (characterized by metal roofs, raised floors, and straight central hallways) to Spanish Stucco and Mediterranean.

Mirror Lake Park

One of many of St. Petersburg’s parks by a lake, the Mirror Lake Park offers a scenic view and plenty of outdoor and indoor activities for community residents. Walking distance around the Lake is 0.6 mile. The area is home to the Sunshine Senior Center and the Mirror Lake Complex that includes the historical St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, St. Petersburg Chess Club, and the St. Petersburg Lawn Bowl Club. Hours of operation – opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset.

Future

St. Petersburg has become one of the fastest growing regions in Florida and has been called the “mega-market of the South”. Construction has begun on an 18-story condominium tower at the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue North and 8th Street. Named the Reflection, the 88-unit development will feature 2,800 square feet of ground floor commercial space; unit prices range from $900,000 to $2.5 million.

Preserve the Burg – Awareness Raising

Founded more than 40 years ago, Preserve the ‘Burg has grown into the city’s authority on cultural and historic landscapes of importance. They work diligently to educate neighborhood property owners, council members, city officials, users of the Mirror Lake recreation facilities, and the public at large about keeping Mirror Lake special.

Related Reading:
The Historic Mirror Lake Neighborhood
Mirror Lake/Tomlinson Adult Learning Center
‘St. Petersburg High School’ is engraved on a Mirror Lake condo building. Why? 

St. Petersburg Communities

If you’re interested in any of these of communities or live in one and are thinking of selling, talk to The Mesimer Team.

Allendale Terrace
Bahama Shores
Bayway Isles
Coquina Key
Crescent Heights
Crescent Lake
Downtown
Greater Pinellas Point
Historic Kenwood
Historic Old Northeast
Historic Roser Park
Historic Uptown
Isla del Sol
Old Southeast
Placida Bayou
Snell Isle