Greater Woodlawn, St. Petersburg

The Woodlawn area is on the north side of St. Petersburg. It is bounded by 22nd Avenue on the south, 30th Avenue on the north, 16th Street on the west and 9th Street on the east. Within these boundaries there are approximately 625 homes. The area is composed of older homes from the 1920s and more recently constructed homes from the 1940s and 1950s. Throughout the years, Woodlawn has been recognized for its cohesiveness and community pride. There is a unique sense of community within this area that is rarely found in Florida. This atmosphere has been likened to towns in the New England states where people know their neighbors and none is hesitant to say hello or lend a helping hand. The majority of homes in the area are private residences with a limited number of rentals interspersed throughout the area. The area has one designated park and several shaded, open areas.

Architectural style in Greater Woodlawn is typical of residential construction throughout St. Petersburg from the first half of the 20th century. Many homes were built 1910-1940 in the traditional Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Frame or Masonry Vernacular styles of architecture. There are also a few examples of the Mediterranean Revival style, popular in the 1920s, but not as many as in other parts of St. Petersburg. Most homes are one-story, generally containing 2-3 bedrooms, although many two-story houses, with 3-4 bedrooms are scattered throughout the area.

Commercial areas are primarily found along 9th Street North (MLK Jr. St. N.) and include both historic and contemporary structures. One of the most unusual is the 6-story Skyline building at the corner of 26th Avenue North, built in the 1950s. Designed by an out-of-town firm, and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York City, this building has always been controversial but is well known.

The Woodlawn subdivision, for which the general area has been named, covers the entire southwest quadrant and is noted for it's prominent entrance pillars and unique circular road layout. This land was owned and developed by the Consolidated Development and Engineering Corporation, whose president was the Colonel Raymond C. Turk from Jacksonville, Florida.