Euclid St. Paul's - History

History

The Euclid St. Paul's Neighborhood began as an orange grove in 1912 in a part of town most residents regarded as "out in the country." Co-owned by Mary Eaton, the founder of the St. Petersburg Memorial Historical Society, the 20-acre (81,000 m2) grove was bounded by MLK (then known as Euclid Blvd.) and 12th Streets and 14th and 15th Avenues.

A few homes were constructed in the neighborhood prior to the land boom. One of the oldest homes in the neighborhood, located at 12th Street and 10th Avenue, was built in 1917 as a grand mansion but was used in later years as a sanitarium. Another old home in the neighborhood, located on 19th Avenue and 11th Street, served as a bunkhouse for Eaton's orange pickers.

John B. Green, a developer, purchased the land in 1921 and began developing it into an exclusive neighborhood of various architectural styles. The first subdivisions were Edina-Garden of Eden, Hilcrest, and Old Kentucky. Minimum dollar values and square-foot restrictions were placed on the homes constructed. The homeowner's association at the time designated that homes along 15th Avenue were to be worth at least $6,000 (a hefty price tag for the 1920s) and contain a minimum of 6 rooms exclusive of bathrooms, closets and porches.

During St. Petersburg's land boom of the 1920s, Euclid Place, as it was originally called, continued to grow. The neighborhood spread on the east from 9th Street North (formerly Euclid Boulevard) west to 16th Street North, and from 13th and 14th Avenues northward to 22nd Avenue. As development continued, smaller houses were built.