Aerial St. Pete: New downtown towers join an ever-expanding skyline in St. Pete
/This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the construction progress on several real estate developments throughout downtown St. Petersburg.
Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Petersburg, FL. To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals.
In the article, we show the construction progress for projects including The Nolen, Reflection, Residences at 400 Central, Viv Apartments, Modera St. Petersburg, Art House, the Cordova Inn expansion, and the Chabad Center for Jewish Life.
The following photos were captured in March.
The Nolen
126 4th Avenue NE
The Nolen is a 23-story condominium tower currently under construction at 126 4th Avenue Northeast in downtown St. Pete. The project is being developed by Tampa-based DDA Development, led by Bowen Arnold and John Schilling, and St. Pete-based Backstreets Capital, led by Will Conroy.
Ellison Construction broke ground on the development in October 2022. The building topped out in December 2023.
The boutique condo tower will have just 31 residences, far fewer than the other residential towers under construction closer to Central Avenue.
The Nolen will also have 1,260 square feet of ground-floor retail space. However, a tenant for the space has not been announced yet.
At 288-feet, The Nolen is among the ten tallest buildings in St. Petersburg.
Modera St. Petersburg
201 17th Street South
Modera St. Petersburg is an apartment tower under construction by Mill Creek Residential at 201 17th Street South. The project will feature 383 rental units and 14,098 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space fronting the Pinellas Trail.
Modera St. Petersburg has just started pre-leasing one-, two- and three-bedroom homes with den layouts and penthouses. The community will have a sixth-floor rooftop pool as well as a rooftop deck on the 20th floor.
Construction on the tower began in 2022 and topped out in March 2023. First residents are expected to begin moving in next month.
Mill Creek Residential also developed Modera Prime 235, now known as Cottonwood Bayview, in 2014.
Art House
235 1st Avenue South
Art House is a 244-unit luxury condominium tower rising at 235 1st Avenue South on a former surface parking lot next to 200 Central, the tallest office tower in St. Pete.
The 42-story tower is being developed by Delray Beach-based Kolter Urban, who previously built ONE St. Petersburg, a 42-story condo tower at 100 1st Avenue North, and Saltaire, a 35-story condo tower that recently opened at 301 1st Street South.
Kolter is also developing a 14-story TEMPO by Hilton hotel, which is currently in the permitting phase.
The development broke ground in mid-2022. Construction on Art House is expected to wrap up in 2025.
Once complete, Art House will soar to 450 feet.
The tower is designed by SB Architects of Coral Gables and will include 6,100 square feet of ground floor retail along Central Avenue and 3rd Street South.
Coastal Construction is serving as the general contractor. Smith & Associates is the exclusive broker for the project.
Cordova Inn Expansion
253 2nd Avenue North
The owners of the historic Cordova Inn boutique hotel, New Hotel Collection and TDZ Capital Partners, are expanding the hotel located at 253 2nd Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.
The five-story expansion will more than triple the number of available rooms from 32 to 97 while also adding a restaurant to the first floor and a 5th-floor rooftop bar.
Tim Clemmons and Greg Glenn of PLACE Architecture are spearheading the design of the expansion with Neoclassical Revival elements, paying homage to the history of the building, which was built in 1921 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Residences at 400 Central
400 Central Avenue
The Residences at 400 Central is a mixed-use 46-story luxury condominium tower under construction in downtown St. Pete.
The tower, which adds a floor every six days, is now more than halfway complete.
The tower will top out at 515 feet, becoming the tallest building in St. Petersburg and the tallest residential building on Florida’s west coast.
When complete in 2025, the tower will include 301 condominium residences ranging from one- to four-bedroom units along with 40,000 square feet of Class A office space, and 60,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.
Foundation work began last year, and the development team secured a $252 million construction loan in early 2023.
The building will also have an exclusive 46th floor Sky Lounge Observatory offering panoramic views of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Suffolk Construction is the development’s general contractor. A sales gallery is located at 465 Central Avenue across from the construction site. The residences are being marketed by Michael Saunders & Company.
Chabad Center for Jewish Life
533 4th Street North
The new two-story, 13,000-square-foot Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning, which is being constructed at 533 4th Street North, will include a sanctuary, social hall, classrooms, kosher kitchen, library, and rooftop deck.
The building is being designed by Mike Muroff of Purdy + Muroff Architecture and Heshy Hecht of HH Designers. Bandes Construction broke ground on the project in April 2023.
Reflection
777 3rd Avenue North
Reaching a height of 200 feet at 777 3rd Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg, Reflection is the tallest building in the Mirror Lake neighborhood.
The project will contain 88 condos and 2,800 square feet of retail space at completion.
The project is being developed by HP Capital, a local venture formed by partners Fred Hemmer, Angelo Cappelli, Nick Hansen, and Chris Hemmer.
The team began site preparations in April 2022 and vertical construction commenced in February 2023. The tower topped out in September 2023.
The first residential move-ins will begin before July. KAST Construction will fully complete the tower by August.
Viv Apartments
1000 1st Avenue North
Viv is an apartment building under construction near 1st Avenue North and Dr. MLK. Jr. Street at 1000 1st Avenue North that features two 15-story towers with a total of 269 apartments consisting of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units. The project, which is being developed by Connecticut-based Belpointe, will also include a 355-car parking garage and 15,500 square feet of commercial space fronting Baum Avenue and 1st Avenue North.
The complex will feature a club room, fitness center, and swimming pool. The development also includes the construction of a pocket park on the east side of the project.
JE Dunn Construction is serving as the project’s general contractor and completion is expected in 2025.
