ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – St. Pete is stepping into prehistoric times as a 76-million-year-old Gorgosaurus is moving in on the roof of a new parking garage on Central Ave.
“Central Ave is one of the most special downtown main avenues in Florida,” Casey Ellison, CEO of Ellison Companies, said. “So, why not give Central Ave. and its collectiveness a dinosaur? I mean, it sounds like a great idea,” he said.
The 540-spot parking garage that’s now open in the Edge District is the first of a few buildings planned for The Central, a mixed-use development.
A 140,000 square foot office building with modern amenities, 168-room hotel, 42 workforce housing apartments and 14,000 square feet of shops and gathering spaces will go up around it.
The developers decided to give people living and working there a view of something other than a typical parking garage.
“Our goal, and when we develop real estate is to leave the community in a better place after we are done than before. And so, when we were looking at the 3D modeling of the project, it’s not very attractive and probably not leaving the community in a place where everybody’s looking at a parking garage with cars,” Ellison said. “So, we changed the design at the last minute and included a one-acre urban park which then we figured was a really great place to house a dinosaur, so we were going to include the Gorgosaurus here in the park.”
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The nine-foot-tall, 27-foot-long dino is pretty rare. The company says it’s one of just 20 worldwide, and the only one that’s privately owned.
“It’s part of my partner’s Sidd Pagidipati’s collection. He’s actively buying dinosaurs due to his passion as a child. It really kind of spurred an interest into STEM activities and learning, and he wants to go in and take these private dinosaurs out of private collection and put them into the public,” Ellison said.
The backstory:
This isn’t their first time-sharing the fossil collection. Big John, the world’s largest triceratops skeleton, found a home at the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa.
St. Pete’s dino, named Devaiah after Pagidipati’s father, Dr. Devaiah Pagidipati, will be stored in a UV-protected glass case that can withstand up to a category five hurricane.
Ellison says children’s entry will be free. They’re still figuring out some details when it comes to admission for the rest of the community.
Devaiah will move in early 2027 when the rest of the development opens.
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The Source: This story was written with information provided by Ellison Companies’ CEO.