Arts set to brighten St. Petersburg's Central Avenue

A Times Editorial
Even when the economy is running on all cylinders, keeping a downtown thriving is not easy. So the challenge presented by the 600 block of St. Petersburg‘s Central Avenue, with its strip of empty storefronts frequented mostly by the homeless, loomed large. That did not discourage some local residents who saw the dank spaces as a canvas on which to paint their upbeat vision of an art colony. Now, the idea has caught fire and a block that was a detriment to downtown may have a better immediate future.

In recent years the renaissance that transformed downtown St. Petersburg skipped most of the 600 block, leaving a gap as obvious as a missing tooth to those who drove downtown’s main avenue. In 2006 the stores from 601 to 659 Central Ave. were emptied in preparation for a condominium project that never materialized. The property was sold to its current owner, Tom Gaffney, who planned to keep the property vacant until the real estate market improved and flip it.

The specter of years of further deterioration was unacceptable. City officials, spurred on by concerned residents, persuaded Gaffney to rent the small storefronts, including those in the historic Crislip Arcade, to artists for no more than $5 a square foot. In exchange, the tenants would clean up the stores and do their own renovations before opening their studios this fall.

City Council member and art gallery owner Leslie Curran is overseeing the work and has a waiting list of more than 60 potential tenants for only 35 spaces. Because of the robust response, Curran foresees an eclectic mix of tenants in the colony, including working artists, designers, exhibitors and importers. For the colony to succeed, Gaffney will need to offer leases that provide enough time for tenants to recover their costs and build a client base.

Art colonies and studio districts have cropped up around the country in communities that understand the arts can attract more visitors and investment. A lively, walkable collection of small art galleries and studios in the 600 block would be a positive addition to St. Petersburg’s thriving arts scene.