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About
Lakewood Estates
Character & Architecture
Lakewood Estates is bounded by Lake Maggiore on the north, 54th Avenue on the
south, Martin Luther King Jr. Street (formerly 9th Street) on the
east, and 31st Street on the west. This is a unique and distinctive
neighborhood that was originally planned to encompass and feature the St.
Petersburg Country Club. The neighborhood is predominantly single family in
character.
The winding, quiet streets are named for Spanish famed explorers, cities and
other significant landmarks. The Spanish influence was seen in the homes that
were built during the 1920s boom time. As the area developed, the architecture
of the buildings reflected the popular styles of that period: cottages,
Mediterranean Revival, ranch and vernacular. Planted and wooded triangular
traffic medians provide green space and areas for beautification. The numerous
lakes and woodsy atmosphere create a sense of seclusion from the hustle of
crowds in city living. Yet, the homes are in close enough to each other to
encourage neighbor-to- neighbor interaction.
The St. Petersburg Country Club, previously known as the Lakewood Country Club,
is the centerpiece of the neighborhood. The 18-hole golf course provides vistas
of well-tended green space, dotted with lakes and trimmed with flowering shrubs
and border plants. Many of the homes surrounding the golf course complement the
existing landscaping.
Along our boundary streets are banks, churches, two schools (Maximo Elementary
and Lakewood High), the St. Petersburg Little Theater. Nearby is the south
campus of St. Petersburg College, Eckerd College, three shopping plazas, and a
wide variety of shops and other businesses along U.S. 19. Quick access to I-275
at 22nd and 54th Avenues South saves travel time to Tampa and Ft. Myers. Boat
ramps are also nearby.
Boyd Hill Nature Park lies within the neighborhood boundaries and provides
recreation, entertainment and educational opportunities year round. There is a
nature museum and a variety of programs for the public. The Park also holds
nature classes and overnight camping during the summer months for young people.
There are guided walking and riding tours during the days and evenings
throughout the year. It can be truly said that Boyd Hill is the jewel of
Lakewood.
The park is an environmentally sensitive area, as well as home to endangered
species (i.e. Gopher Turtles, flying squirrels and fox squirrels). This is also
home for bald eagles, ospreys, falcons, red tail and red shoulder hawks,
alligators and several other species of smaller reptiles.
The South Branch Library is located west of Lakewood at Roy Hannah Drive. There
are two fire stations, one each on the east and west boundaries of Lakewood
Estates. The fire station on 31st Street South is equipped to handle water
rescues.
History
By 1902, south St. Petersburg subdivided into plots for sale or development. The
land was heavily wooded and was crisscrossed by many small streams and ponds
with heavy undergrowth of palmettos and sawgrass. As the demand for new homes
continued southward, the developers had to clear and drain the land.
The 1920s were boom times for all of Florida especially along the coastal areas.
Tourists and new residents wanted recreational facilities. Developers began
investing in the southern tracts of land. The largest parcel was purchased by
Charles Hall. He decided to meet the need for recreation by designing a golf
course surrounded by a residential community.
The first golf tournament was held in 1927, and remains the longest running
annual amateur tournament in the United States. Second and third generations of
original members still play golf at Lakewood Country Club. On October 27, 1970,
the Club was gutted by fire. A new club building rose from the ashes and a
semi-enclosed pool and several tennis courts were also constructed. In the
mid-1960s that the streets were paved and the sanitary and storm water sewers
were completed. Lakewood Country Club was renamed St. Petersburg Country Club in
2000.
Lakewood began bridging the racial divide in the mid-1960s. What has happened in
our neighborhood since that time is what the St. Petersburg Times and the
Tampa Tribune call an extraordinary event. As integration progressed and
the demographics of our neighborhood changed, Lakewood Estates became known as
an excellent example of how people can learn to accept each other and live
together as good friends and neighbors. We are very proud to be an example for
all neighborhoods.
Organizations/programs
In May 1952, a group of 43 people in south St. Petersburg decided to band
together to promote the general welfare of Lakewood Estates. The incorporation
papers were filed on May 6, 1952. Because of the sparseness of the population
from Lake Maggiore south to Pinellas Point, the boundaries of the association
were much larger than they are today, extending from 45th Avenue South to the
water and from 4th to 31st Streets South. Gradually the areas to the east and
south dropped away as they became more populated and formed their own
associations to meet issues particular to their communities.
In 1960, Lakewood Estates, along with 17 other neighborhood association, became
a charter member of the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA).
In December 1995, the Lakewood Estates Crime Watch program began regular
meetings and a concentrated effort to empower the residents to become mindful of
suspicious activity, code violations and to generally keep watch over the
neighborhood and each other. Volunteers now patrol the streets with identifying
caps or t-shirts, watch for problems as they ride their bicycles or carry
magnetic car signs to maintain a high profile. The Crime Watch is now called
the Neighborhood Watch and is one of the reasons Lakewood Estates enjoys one of
the lowest crime rates in the City.
The Civic Association and Neighborhood Watch meet every
other month beginning in January and except in June, July, and August, on the
fourth Tuesday of the month, at 7:00 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Country Club.
Annual dues, payable in January, are $15.00 per household
The Association's mission focuses on property and community in Lakewood Estates.
The group strives to maintain our way of life, the neighborly, almost woodsy
atmosphere of quiet streets around a well-kept golf course, and our property
values. To this end the Civic Association monitors and fosters code enforcement,
both within and on our borders, and beautification, while the Neighborhood Watch
addresses crime, code violations, and the safety of our residents.
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