A house that once belonged to the developer of the Vinoy hotel and a house built by a reputable builder are among five structures that will receive tax breaks from Pinellas County.

The County Council of Commissioners voted unanimously on June 8 to approve ad valorem exemptions, or property tax, for each of the five recently renovated historic properties. The St. Petersburg city council recommended the exemptions in April.

Tax exemptions only apply to the increase in market value resulting from improvements to the property and are in effect from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2030. Homeowners will always pay value taxes before structural improvements .

Here is an overview of each of the properties.

1180 central avenue

Officially known as the Smalley-Green Auto Building, the commercial building was built in 1921 by Bob Smalley and Tom Green and operated as a service station specializing in automotive electrical equipment, according to a September 2020 municipal staff report for Community Planning & Preservation. Commission.

At the time, the area was a booming automotive hub, but by 1924 4th Street was considered an automotive street and the company moved. The property at 1180 Central Avenue continued to be used for a variety of automotive purposes – a showroom, service shop, automotive glass work – until 1934 when the Art Tex Paint Company moved in and there. remained until the early 1950s. For the remainder of the 20th century, the building served as various stores and offices, such as a furniture store, an armory, and the Kennedy-Johnson headquarters in 1960. Over the years years ago, the building has undergone few physical changes, maintaining a high level of integrity, according to the staff report.

The EDGE District property is currently owned by developer Blake Whitney Thompson and is home to Bodega, a popular Latin restaurant. It was designated a Local Historic Landmark in October 2020.

There was approximately $ 530,392 in eligible rehabilitation costs, including roofing work, exterior stucco and plaster, and complete replacement of electrical and plumbing systems, among others.

556 Beach Drive NE

The Jones / Laughner House was built in 1909 for Dr Louis and Sally Jones Florence Ridgely. Aymer Vinoy Laughner, promoter of the Vinoy hotel, bought the property in 1919. The architectural style of the first craftsmen is rare in St. Petersburg in its peculiar form, materials and geographical importance in association with the Vinoy hotel, has municipal staff told CPPC in February. 2018.

The owners documented $ 387,840 in qualifying upgrades, including structural stabilization and rehabilitation of the main house and the construction of a garage that matches the character of the building.

956 39th avenue N.

The single family home is known as Frank Broadfield House and was designed and built by Cade Allen, the builder and real estate agent who founded Allendale in the 1920s. It’s a mix of hollow tile construction, architecture English cottage style and Mediterranean Revival style details, according to a February 2019 staff report to the CPPC.

The report called the property “an incredibly intact example of Cade Allen’s development.” It was added as a local historic monument in 2017.

The owners invested approximately $ 81,500 in improvements, including replacing the roof, repairing and restoring hardwood floors, and fixing water leaks in the basement.

406 14th Ave. NE and 336 9th Ave. BORN

Both are contributing properties to the North Shore Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are considered significant for their architecture and history. However, little specific information is available on the history of each of these single-family properties.

The land that makes up the Historic North Shore District, more commonly known as Old Northeast, was purchased by C. Perry Snell in 1904 and developed over a period of approximately 35 years, beginning in the 1910s with construction in the lower of the region and expanding northward over time, according to a city report.

A report from the city indicated that the house at 406 14th Ave NE had eligible rehabilitation costs of $ 309,913, which included porch rehabilitation, chimney restoration, window repairs, plumbing upgrades and renovations. bathroom renovations.

The house located at 336 9th Ave. NE had $ 59,844 in eligible rehabilitation costs, including repairs to the foundation and main house structure, structural repairs to the garage, and repair and replacement of flooring throughout the house.

Since 1996, when Pinellas County Council began granting 10-year tax exemptions for historic property repairs, the county has approved exemptions for 76 applicants, according to a report to the county commission.