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Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement Tour
Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 10 AM
Please join us at the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement for a guided tour of the galleries.
MAACM’s experienced docents will lead the groups with engaging discussions, storytelling, and include an overview of the American Arts and Crafts movement and highlights of the Museum’s collection, including fine examples of furniture, pottery, tiles, lighting, textiles, photography, fine arts, woodblocks, and metalwork, that were crafted by the most important artists of the movement.
After the tour, enjoy the museum at your leisure. This tour includes Museum admission.
PTB members are $21; Guests and non-members are $28/person.
Tour reservations are required, space is limited.
Historic 4th and 5th Ave. N., Downtown’s Northern Edge
Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Back by popular demand, join Preserve the 'Burg for a relaxing stroll led by PTB founding member Peter Belmont. This special walking tour will take you on a stroll along the two of the most historic Avenues in St. Pete that serve as the dividing line between the Historic Old Northeast neighborhood and the Downtown National Register Historic District.
The rich collection of historic buildings represent all eras of St. Pete, giving the neighborhood a special feel and sense of place. Meet at the entrance to the Arts Cafe at the MAACM located at 355 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
PTB members - $10 per person.
Guests and non-members are $20 per person.
Tour reservations are strongly recommended, space is limited.
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2026 PTB Walking Tours Sponsored By
Author Series: Jerel McCants
Architecture of Segregation
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 6 PM
Architecture of Segregation examines how architecture has actively shaped—and reinforced—racial, ethnic, and social divisions throughout history. Tracing segregation from Indigenous displacement and the African diaspora to Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow, the book reveals how laws, planning, and design worked together to marginalize communities. It also confronts the lasting impact of these decisions today and challenges architects and the public to rethink design as a tool for equity and inclusion.
Jerel McCants earned a B.S. in architectural engineering from Tennessee State University in 1996 and a Master of Architecture from the University of South Florida in 2001. Jerel has traveled to over 30 countries around the world and joined his church's Haiti Relief Mission to build shelters following the 2010 earthquake.
His work in Nashville, Atlanta, and Tampa shaped his career, and he founded Jerel McCants Architecture, Inc. in Tampa during the Great Recession. JMA is full-service boutique architectural business serving municipal, educational, cultural, residential, and federal markets.
Jerel has served as President of the American Institute of Architects, Tampa Bay Chapter, is a member of Plant City Lodge #206 of F&AM, Prince Hall and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Space is limited; reservations are required.
Original Historic Downtown Walking Tour
Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 10 AM
Our "Original" Historic Downtown Walking Tour is a great way for visitors to get an introduction to St. Petersburg and for residents to learn a few things new about the 'Burg's past.
Experience what makes downtown special as you take a stroll though a portion of the city's central business district and the Downtown National Register Historic District.
Participants will see grand historic hotels, stately churches, and architectural treasures like the Snell Building & Arcade and the Open Air Post Office.
This tour will be led by former PTB President and Board Member Emily Elwyn.
PTB members are $10; Guests and non-members are $20/person.
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Historic Allendale Walking Tour
Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 10 AM
One of St. Pete's first suburbs, Allendale features stately oak trees shading its red-brick streets lined with large stone-veneer estate homes built in the 1920s and '30s.
Cade Allen, a former brick mason from New York, platted the neighborhood in the early 1920s and was one of the few developers of his time to use stone from Georgia and North Carolina to help showcase his homes, a number of which have been designated as local landmarks.
The tour will take a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood, allowing you to enjoy it in all of its splendor.
This tour will be led by founding PTB Member and Board Member Peter Belmont.
Central Avenue/Downtown Walking Tour
Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 10 AM
Did you know that the majority of the buildings lining St. Pete's Central Avenue were built before 1950?
Indeed, Central Avenue is one of St. Petersburg's defining features, a historic "main street" lined with distinctive retail storefronts and arcade buildings, many dating back more than a century.
This new jaunt down Central kicks off at the Crislip Arcade, also known as "The 600 Block." From there, you'll head towards Straub Park, stopping by the iconic Snell Building and the Open Air Post Office along the way.
Preserve the 'Burg at Localtopia
Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM
Visit our tent at Localtopia! We're in the Arts Village closest to 4th Street and 1st Ave N.
No need to RSVP, just stop by and say hello.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOCALTOPIA
Preserve the 'Burg Open Office
at Art Walk
Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 6 PM to 10 PM
Stop in to our open office during Art Walk!
Historic Kenwood Walking Tour
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 10 AM
Join Preserve the Burg and the Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association on a tour of St. Pete's first suburb.
Attendees will be led on a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood that has one of the largest concentrations of bungalow homes in the country.
The tour will focus on the history of the neighborhood, its revitalization and current activities & events. We will end in the Grand Central District on Central Ave, a great area for lunch at one of St. Pete’s many small local businesses.
Tickets are $10 for PTB & HKNA members or $20 for any non-members.
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PlaceMattersSP & Florida Talks
Sea Level Rise and Heritage Sites in Florida
Uzi Baram, Professor Emeritus at New College of Florida
Thursday, February 26, 2026, 6 PM
New weather patterns, larger storms, and rising sea levels are challenging communities and transforming conventional thinking. Archaeologists document the shifting seascape’s destruction of archaeological and historical sites and offer long-term perspectives on human adaptation and maladaptation to environmental changes. This presentation is global in scope and includes Floridian archaeological perspectives.
After 25 years of teaching at New College of Florida and creating its Public Archaeology Lab, Uzi Baram continues to engage in community-based archaeology and heritage interpretation through his consulting firm UBHeritage. For over twenty years Dr. Baram has partnered with community organizations and engaged a wide range of individuals and groups in using archaeology as heritage to animate the past and to offer positive possibilities for the future.
PlaceMattersSP is presented by Preserve the ‘Burg and USF's Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, and the February program is funded in partnership with Florida Humanities as part of their Florida Talks program. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities.
Lecture takes place at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, located on the USFSP campus.
Campus Map Detail:
Purple Rectangles = Parking areas
Red Circled Building (POY) = Nelson Poynter Memorial Library
Old Northeast & Coffee Pot Bayou Walking Tour
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 10 AM
Old Northeast resident, historic preservationist and PTB Board member Emily Elwyn, leads this stroll starting at the Elwyn's beautifully restored 1924 craftsman/colonial home. From there you'll head to Coffee Pot Bayou, learning about the Snell Isle bridge, the development of Snell Isle and the surrounding community.
Don't miss this special guided walk with an Old Northeast insider!
Hidden & Historic Driftwood Walking Tour
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 10 AM
Driftwood, located on Big Bayou just south of 22nd Avenue South, is a unique neighborhood with an incredible sense of place that can be felt immediately.
The homes within the neighborhood include original homes designed during the 1930s to 1940s by nationally known artist, Mark Dixon Dodd and Archie Parish, an important local architect. The neighborhood plan is an early example of designing with nature. This concept visually unites all of its homes located within a coastal sub-tropical hammock, and yet still retains a dense tree canopy with an understory of lush jungle-like garden landscaping.
Driftwood was once a site used by Native Americans. There may still be prehistoric features and artifacts from the native settlement whose large shell mounds were destroyed in the early 20th century. Driftwood is also the site of archaeological features from the 1800s pioneer homesteads of Abel Miranda and John Bethell who were the first permanent European settlers in lower Pinellas County. It is also the only area in Pinellas County to see armed military conflict during the Civil War with engagement between the U.S. Navy and the settlement of alleged blockade-runners occurring in February of 1862.
The beauty of Driftwood is unmatched and its historical legacy unrivaled in the city.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 10 AM
PlaceMattersSP
Harboring Resilience: the Past, Present, and Future of Bayboro Harbor
Oliver Laczko
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 6 PM
For over a century, Bayboro Harbor has fueled St. Pete’s growth and economy. But behind its concrete seawalls lies a fragile ecosystem — and a changing climate is pushing us to rethink how we protect our harbor and, by extension, our community. Join Oliver Laczko as he reveals the hidden history and environmental science of Bayboro Harbor, and makes the case for ecological restoration and resilience as key to our region’s future. Discover how restoring Bayboro Harbor can safeguard our city, strengthen Tampa Bay, and inspire action in the face of rising challenges in this interdisciplinary talk.
Oliver Laczko is a fourth year University of South Florida St. Petersburg Judy Genshaft Honors College Student majoring in Environmental Science and Policy, B.S., with minors in Biology and GIS. He serves as the Vice Chair for the Student Green Energy Fund, which directly involves students with sustainability initiatives and alternative energy projects that benefit the campus and the community. Utilizing USF's special collections as well as the archive at SPMOH, Laczko wrote his senior thesis on the human and environmental history of Bayboro Harbor.
Introduction by Dr. Catherine Wilkins, an interdisciplinary educator whose work explores how art, culture, and history shape the stories we tell about ourselves and the world we inhabit. As a faculty member in the Judy Genshaft Honors College at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, she bridges academic research with community engagement.
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