§ 16.40.020.1. Architecture and building design.

St. Petersburg has a rich architectural history dating to its founding. The City's architecture includes a range of styles that showcase the diversity of its residents, shifts in tastes, advances in building materials and techniques, and development patterns. St. Petersburg's earliest buildings, both residential and commercial, were primarily Folk Vernacular and generally frame or masonry construction. As the City of St. Petersburg became more popular, fine examples of other architectural styles such as Craftsman, Prairie and Foursquare, Art Deco and Art Modern, Minimal Traditional, Mid-Century, and various revival styles including Mediterranean, Mission, Colonial, and Tudor became prevalent.

The publication titled, St. Petersburg's Design Guidelines for Historic Properties ("Guidelines"), adopted by the City Council by Resolution No. ___ on July 13, 2017, as amended by City Council resolution, was created to assist property owners in identifying the architectural style of their property and serve as a reference guide for property owners, architects, builders, contractors, and city officials in executing the various design requirements for both the City's historic preservation program and building design requirements contained within the individual zoning categories.

It is important to understand the style of a building when making decisions affecting the exterior appearances, including additions and replacement of damaged or missing elements. The guidelines give a brief description and history of some of the most common architectural styles seen throughout St. Petersburg. Illustrations show a range of elements and features that are common to each style.

Due to the diversity of architectural styles observed throughout St. Petersburg, several styles are not included within the guidelines and certain elements are not comprehensively covered. In each of these instances, reference may be made to other academic architectural resources for additional information, including but not limited to:

Virginia Savage and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses . New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984.

Virginia Savage and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture . New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 2015.

In addition to the styles illustrated in the publications listed above, there are other styles recognized by design professionals as having a basis in academic architectural design philosophies that may be utilized.

(Code 1992, § 16.40.020.1; ; Ord. No. 287-H, § 10, 7-20-2017)