Station House, downtown St. Petersburg’s unique co-working space, restaurant and event venue, is undergoing the next phase in development with plans to update the main facility and expand the concept to an additional location, says Founder and Proprietor Steve Gianfilippo.
“It’s part of a planned phased-in upgrade,” says Gianfilippo. “I like to let our customers give us feedback about where we can make improvements. We’ve been listening and now we’re ready to move forward. It’s an evolving process.”
Station House opened in 2014 after extension renovations to its historic 100-year-old location that once housed a fire station, then hotel and train station. The five-story venue now includes a first-floor restaurant and bar; communal and co-working space for lease anywhere from a day to long-term; small private office suites; event meeting rooms and a rooftop garden. Memberships at various levels are offered.
Construction begins this month (January 2017) on a number of planned upgrades to the venue. First on the list is a shaded pergola and landscaping for the rooftop garden.
“We needed to provide some protection from the elements and a little shade to make it more comfortable, especially in the summer,” says Gianfilippo. The rooftop space can accommodate private parties, community events and fitness activities like the popular yoga classes that are held there.
The restaurant and co-working spaces, as well as the building’s front entrance, will also be enhanced.
While the restaurant will remain in the same location, the entry will move to the front of the building to make it more visible and to improve traffic flow, as well as giving it a higher profile, Gianfilippo says. The restaurant’s interior will have an overhaul in concept, layout and design.
“It’s all part of a plan to raise the profile of the restaurant, improve entry to the building and create better synergy between the various elements we offer at Station House,” says Gianfilippo. “It’s preliminary right now, but some of the plans under consideration include extensive landscaping and a mural at the front entrance with some sort of 3D mapping experience.”
The popular communal co-working space, which features a striking black-and-white tile floor, high-top tables and meeting rooms set up as living rooms, will also have a few added “fun” elements like a ping pong table and virtual gaming.
Station House will also be expanding into the Central Arts District. Last August, Gianfilippo purchased another historic property -- the Green-Richman Arcade, located at 689 Central Avenue. The 1920-era building is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Station House members will be able to use the new venue, which is currently being branded as the Station House Arcade. Gianfilippo says he expects renovations on the arcade to be complete by the end of January.
The historic façade of the building will remain but a renovation of the interior is planned with offices, common areas, conference rooms, and possibly an interior garden. The property, which is near the Morean Arts Center, Chihuly Collection and Central Avenue boutiques and galleries, will reflect the eclectic creative arts culture in that part of downtown, says Gianfilippo.
“This is a growing area and we got in just in the nick of time,” he says. “It’s a cool, hip area that is quickly developing.”
Construction on the restaurant at the main facility is projected to be completed by spring or summer of 2017.
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