You can think of the pink paint job as a colorful sendoff for the historical buildings before they’re destroyed for good.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After being vacant for the past year, a group of 100-something-year-old buildings in downtown St. Pete has been transformed into something reminiscent of a Barbie Dreamhouse. 

Four buildings on the corner of 4th Street S and 4th Avenue S were painted pink ahead of Valentine’s Day weekend — a colorful sendoff before they’re destroyed for good.

The team behind the Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, a 29-story luxury high-rise that will replace the buildings, enlisted the help of local artists, the Vitale Bros., for the unique marketing campaign. 

“It’s kind of an homage to, you know, to the past of saying, hey, this was here before, and today we give tribute to the art and to St. Pete, and we’re now saying our goodbyes to these incredible buildings that served the community for so long by creating awesome art,” Moises Agami, the CEO of Valor Real Estate Development, said.


Agami emphasized that local art will remain at the center of the new project’s design. 

“This project is being born out of dozens of artists that are collaborating to create and bring together this pinnacle of architecture and art, combining together in this beautiful development,” he added. “It’s the ethos of St. Pete. It’s the character of St. Pete that is coming out and shining.”

The Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower, named after a high-end French furniture design chain, will include 164 units, 4,103 square feet of ground-level restaurant and retail space, and 5,000 square feet for an outdoor public arts plaza with landscaping and sculptures. Renderings showcase a whimsical design with a full suite of high-end amenities.

Developers say each floor of the tower will feature a different mural designed by local artists.

Agami said pink is a “bold, live color” that embodies the character of St. Pete. It serves as a reminder to “live differently, be bold, be yourself, be proud of who you are and share it with the world.”

If you want to take a photo in front of the bright pink spectacle, you have to act fast. This weekend, local artists will be coming together for an “overspray flash mob event” to cover the building in painted murals.

Then, the buildings are set to be demolished sometime this spring, before construction on the Roche Bobois St. Pete Tower begins this summer.Â