For years it stood majestically watching over the most historic avenue in downtown St. Petersburg. It’s no longer the tallest building on 4th Avenue North, but the Flori-de-Leon is still the most impressive structure on what was once St. Petersburg’s drive of elegance leading to our waterfront.
Rising seven stories with 84 apartments, construction of the Flori-de-Leon began in 1926 at 130 4th Avenue North during St. Petersburg’s land boom – a time of rapid development and speculation in the Sunshine City. It was at this time that 4th Avenue North was highly desirable, filled with several turn-of-the-century pioneering homes such as the Blocker and Henry-Bryan mansions, respectively located at 145 and 146 4th Avenue North.
The WJV Corporation started the $700,000 project in March of 1926, announcing that the most elegant private home building in the city would be completed by that September. They claimed, “people from all over the United States who have traveled, and lived well, have found their home in the Flori-de-Leon.”
Newspaper advertising boasted the fire and sound-proof building would have three electric elevators, constant hot water, and even its own heating plant for those rare St. Petersburg chilly nights.