St. Petersburg Standard Oil Station

St. Petersburg Standard Oil Station
General information
Architectural style	Early Commercial
Address	2439 4th Street South, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Coordinates	27°44′45″N82°38′20″W / 27.74591°N 82.63879°W / 27.74591; -82.63879
Year(s) built	1926
Technical details
Material	Stucco, Brick, Steel
Floor count	1

The St. Petersburg Standard Oil Station is an historic service station site in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is located at 2439 4th Street South, in the Harbordale neighborhood.

History

The structure was built by the Standard Oil Company of Kentucky in 1926. By 1927, St. Petersburg had seven Standard Oil stations; today, only this station remains. ^[1] The station was in use as a Standard Oil until 1962. ^[2]

View of building pre restoration

View of building pre restoration

After decades of neglect, in 1997, the property was condemned by the city and slated for demolition ^[3] due to "severe" wood rot, termite damage, broken windows, holes in wall, and issues with plumbing, paint and wiring,. ^[3] The owner offered to gift the property to the city to clear up violations, but was denied ^[3]

Restoration began in 2020, removing alterations including a later constructed flat roof canopy, and two additional storage buildings attached to the historic portion. They were demolished and the roof rebuilt using examples in Plant City, Florida and Bowling Green, Kentucky on the way to reconstruct the hipped roof, a key architectural feature for the building. The original brick water table, which had deteriorated, was restored as well. ^{[1] [4]}

In 2023, it was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places. ^[5] In 2025, with the restoration of the original station's sign post, it was added to the list of St. Pete's Signs of Historic Significance. It is constructed of piping from the Youngstown Sheet and Tube company.

On May 14, 2025, the project was awarded the Preserve the 'Burg Award for Best Commercial Rehabilitation/ Adaptive Reuse. ^[6] "This was always a sociology experiment" owner Robert Blackmon said "If you take something that's blighted and turn it into the pride of the community, can it change the entire neighborhood? We hope the answer is 'yes'".

It is announced that there are future plans for the site to become a drive through coffee and bagel business, ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} an example of adaptive reuse.

In June 2025, renovations were completed and the building reopened as Pete's Bagels Drive Thru ^[11]

Architecture

The station was built in the Early Commercial style. It is of brick construction, with heavy stucco finish and an exposed brick water table. Other defining features include the front canopy and hipped roof, "Y" shaped metal truss supporting the front canopy, and large transom window over the central front door ^[1]

Repointing of the brick water table

References

1. "Staff Report: Community Planning and Preservation Commission Request for Listing in the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places" (PDF).
2. "'Historic' gas station's transformation clears first hurdle". 12 April 2023.
3. "Click2Gov Code Enforcement".
4. "Neglected service station becomes historical landmark in St. Pete". 11 August 2023.
5. "Council greenlights 'historic' gas station's transformation". 19 May 2023.
6. "Preservation awards honor those who keep St. Pete 'distinct'".
7. "Pete's Bagels' new St. Pete drive-thru to debut this spring". 29 January 2025.
8. https://www.wfla.com/bloom-tampa-bay/bloom-living-local/petes-bagels-bringing-new-drive-thru-to-south-st-pete/
9. "Pete's Bagels to open drive-thru location at historic gas station in south St. Pete". 31 August 2023.
10. "Pete's Bagels to complete historic gas station's transformation". September 2023.
11. https://stpeterising.com/home/petes-bagels-opens-new-drive-thru-in-restored-historic-building-in-south-st-pete