Bayfront Tower History
When condo living in the St. Petersburg was proposed in the early 1970's it was a totally new concept for an area landscaped mostly with one and two-story, single family homes. There were no 15-story buildings, much less one almost double that. A few daring individuals shouldered the risk, but there was no guarantee of success. For over forty years, this historic structure has stood proud over Tampa Bay's skyline. In our website we've provided a glimpse into the past. Here you'll find, some construction details, newspaper articles, vintage advertising materials and early photos of this revolutionary structure and the buildings it replaced.
Residents of this tower, both past and present, were forward thinking and business leaders as well, both on a local and national scene. They've had quite an impact on their community. You can read about some of these residents by following this link.
When this tower was built and first opened, it was a news-making event. Over the past four decades, many articles have appeared in our local newspapers. You can read several of these articles by clicking on this link.
On the property where the Bayfront Tower now stands, there were once huge Banyan Trees and the famous Chatterbox restaurant. You can read about this part of early St. Pete history by clicking on this link.
Residents of this tower, both past and present, were forward thinking and business leaders as well, both on a local and national scene. They've had quite an impact on their community. You can read about some of these residents by following this link.
When this tower was built and first opened, it was a news-making event. Over the past four decades, many articles have appeared in our local newspapers. You can read several of these articles by clicking on this link.
On the property where the Bayfront Tower now stands, there were once huge Banyan Trees and the famous Chatterbox restaurant. You can read about this part of early St. Pete history by clicking on this link.
The Vision Behind the Tower on the Bay
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A pre-construction model of BFT
Without the imagination and determination of three forward thinking individuals, Bayfront Towers would never have been built. Donald D. Rosselli, Donald S. Cowan and Frank J. Rooney saw beyond the obvious challenges to envision a striking edifice, rising from the sleepy streets of downtown St. Pete, to herald today's towering skyline. At the time, late night TV's, Johnny Carson, was joking that St. Pete was God's waiting room - an obvious jab at the large number of retirees then living in the city. The downtown wasn't vibrant as it once was, an a nightlife scene was simply did not exist. But that didn't stop this trio from seeing a thriving, high-rise community, standing proud against the bay.
Rosselli's role was as the Chairman of the Board of Bayfront Tower Inc. Cowan, of Nashville, was president of the corporation (and project architect) and Rooney, of Ft. Lauderdale, was a general contractor (although not on this project).
The earliest efforts to secure financing began in 1970. Principals for the project were able to gather somewhere between four to five million in seed money. In addition to Rosselli and Cowan, primary financiers included; Edmund T. Shubrick, a St. Petersburg attorney and vice president of BFT, Inc; George A. Pearson, director for the BFT corporation and president of Mills-Pearson Corporation (Florida’s distributor for Norge coin-operated laundries); James H. MacAdoo, a construction executive in Union City, Tenn., who also held the office of secretary of the BFT corporation, and Nashville physicians, Ralph Massie and Clyde Alley. Massie and Alley also served on the board of directors. An additional seven to eight million dollars in financing was provided by First Federal Savings and Loan of St. Petersburg in conjunction with two other large savings and loans, one in California and the other in Massachusetts.
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Cowan, who had built a large business in Nashville, as well as having a national reputation as a respected hospital architect, was considered by many as a man with vision. He considered the Bayfront Tower project both a challenge and an opportunity. His bold design would make this project newsworthy for being both the tallest tower in Pinellas County, and the highest residential structure on the entire Suncoast of Florida.
In an interview with The St. Petersburg Times, Cowan said, "It's the biggest job I've ever handled, probably the biggest I ever will. It's a once in a lifetime building." He continued, "It would probably be prohibitive in cost to rebuild it today. I would almost venture to say that there will not be another Bayfront Tower built in St. Petersburg in this century.” And he was absolutely right.
When the colorful drawings of the future building were released, Rosselli stated “We are now in business. Now we can proceed with a condominium tower of which St. Petersburg can be proud. It will also be the most exclusive club in town.”
A date of mid-October of 1971 was set for the start of construction. W.F. Holt and Sons was selected as the general contractor for the project, as was sales manager, Pat Baldwin.
A December 1971 opening was planned for the model apartments and a sales office to be located in the St. Petersburg Hilton Hotel. Original unit costs were to range from $42,000 for the one bedroom, one and a half bath plans, to $90,000 for three bedroom, three bath plans. The completion of the building was scheduled for December 15, 1972.
In an interview with The St. Petersburg Times, Cowan said, "It's the biggest job I've ever handled, probably the biggest I ever will. It's a once in a lifetime building." He continued, "It would probably be prohibitive in cost to rebuild it today. I would almost venture to say that there will not be another Bayfront Tower built in St. Petersburg in this century.” And he was absolutely right.
When the colorful drawings of the future building were released, Rosselli stated “We are now in business. Now we can proceed with a condominium tower of which St. Petersburg can be proud. It will also be the most exclusive club in town.”
A date of mid-October of 1971 was set for the start of construction. W.F. Holt and Sons was selected as the general contractor for the project, as was sales manager, Pat Baldwin.
A December 1971 opening was planned for the model apartments and a sales office to be located in the St. Petersburg Hilton Hotel. Original unit costs were to range from $42,000 for the one bedroom, one and a half bath plans, to $90,000 for three bedroom, three bath plans. The completion of the building was scheduled for December 15, 1972.
One Beach Drive:
The original plans for an exclusive address
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The genius behind Bayfront Tower, was that it was designed to offer an almost self-contained lifestyle - a community rising above the bay. The original plans called for the residential lobby and commercial establishments to occupy the first floor. The second floor was to be the site of a restaurant, art gallery, cocktail lounge, gift shop and a gourmet food store. The third floor was to contain professional offices, complete medical facilities, space for the building’s maintenance office and shop, parking spaces and the start of the long parking garage ramp. The William Griffin Trust has maintained ownership of the commercial space on the third floor from early in the building’s history to present day.
Floors four, five, six and seven were planned for additional tenant parking and elevator lobbies.
The residential floors, eight through twenty-seven were to consist of 260 condominium units: 13 units per floor. All the units were to be spacious, with nine-foot ceilings and thick walls to provide excellent sound proofing. The floors were to be constructed of seven-inch thick concrete.
Our condo tower was the first local building to be built upon what has been called a floating slab foundation. This type of construction is also called a mat slab or an Alaskan slab. It consists of a massive concrete base beneath the entire building. Bill Mills, Jr., a long-time resident and contractor who had a hand in the project, said the slab was about five feet thick and post tensioned to create a convex. This structure was designed to resist any tendency to lean or overturn. In a concrete structure like the Bayfront Tower, this is very important. If the concrete in the foundation should settle and shift, it could be very expensive to remedy. Furthermore, the mass of concrete at the base resists any tendency to move in the wind - critical for a building in a hurricane-prone environment. This floating slab construction is also used in earthquake-prone areas.
The original design called for the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth floor to be sort of a grand prize for BFT owners and tenants. The twenty-eighth floor layout included a ballroom; a gymnasium; meeting rooms; seven staterooms for visiting guests; as well as other community facilities. The twenty-ninth floor was to have an enclosed swimming pool and some open air recreational facilities. The plan indicated that top floor community facilities would function as a private club with membership open only to Bayfront Tower residents. Even though some of these plans were never realized, our top two floors are still the best place around to enjoy a cocktail and brilliant Florida sunset. No matter how many times you see it, the view is always breathtaking.
Floors four, five, six and seven were planned for additional tenant parking and elevator lobbies.
The residential floors, eight through twenty-seven were to consist of 260 condominium units: 13 units per floor. All the units were to be spacious, with nine-foot ceilings and thick walls to provide excellent sound proofing. The floors were to be constructed of seven-inch thick concrete.
Our condo tower was the first local building to be built upon what has been called a floating slab foundation. This type of construction is also called a mat slab or an Alaskan slab. It consists of a massive concrete base beneath the entire building. Bill Mills, Jr., a long-time resident and contractor who had a hand in the project, said the slab was about five feet thick and post tensioned to create a convex. This structure was designed to resist any tendency to lean or overturn. In a concrete structure like the Bayfront Tower, this is very important. If the concrete in the foundation should settle and shift, it could be very expensive to remedy. Furthermore, the mass of concrete at the base resists any tendency to move in the wind - critical for a building in a hurricane-prone environment. This floating slab construction is also used in earthquake-prone areas.
The original design called for the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth floor to be sort of a grand prize for BFT owners and tenants. The twenty-eighth floor layout included a ballroom; a gymnasium; meeting rooms; seven staterooms for visiting guests; as well as other community facilities. The twenty-ninth floor was to have an enclosed swimming pool and some open air recreational facilities. The plan indicated that top floor community facilities would function as a private club with membership open only to Bayfront Tower residents. Even though some of these plans were never realized, our top two floors are still the best place around to enjoy a cocktail and brilliant Florida sunset. No matter how many times you see it, the view is always breathtaking.
A bump in the road ...
The idea of condo living creates financial challenges
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By 1975, the sale of the luxury units had developed problems; the biggest problem was one of concept. At that time Condo living in Florida was in its infancy. Many prospective buyers were unclear and unsure of this new idea of living. They seriously questioned whether they wanted to live in a self-contained high-rise or to have most of their home's operating decisions made by a Board of Directors. Most prospective buyers were only comfortable and familiar with single-family home living. The result was poor initial sales of the condos. In January 1978 Florida Federal Savings and Loan, previously First Federal Saving and Loan of St. Petersburg, took control of the Bayfront Tower project. The developer had defaulted on the loan and First Federal Savings and Loan bought out the participants and became the sole lender. It ultimately took over the project with a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, allowing the developers to avoid bankruptcy. At that time, there were only 15 units completed and only four or five had been sold.
Joseph T. Lettelleir, Vice President of the bank, was appointed, to assume the responsibility of completing and selling the remaining 193 units. Mr. Lettelleir started an aggressive sales campaign, one that included advertising, new brochures and personal contacts with local potential buyers. This all began with a grand Gala Opening on the 28th floor, a delightful affair that included the presence of Charlotte, a talking parrot. Resident, Bill Mills recalls that Charlotte might have been the parrot they tried to evict (see inside jokes).
The sales office was relocated to unit 2714 and units 2709 – 2712 were used as decorated models.
Joseph T. Lettelleir, Vice President of the bank, was appointed, to assume the responsibility of completing and selling the remaining 193 units. Mr. Lettelleir started an aggressive sales campaign, one that included advertising, new brochures and personal contacts with local potential buyers. This all began with a grand Gala Opening on the 28th floor, a delightful affair that included the presence of Charlotte, a talking parrot. Resident, Bill Mills recalls that Charlotte might have been the parrot they tried to evict (see inside jokes).
The sales office was relocated to unit 2714 and units 2709 – 2712 were used as decorated models.
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The bank even made agreements with some purchasers to take their current single family homes in trade for a condo unit and to give the purchasers credit for their equity. For some who were leaving very large homes a new idea of, “The Mansions” was developed. On floors 24 – 27, units 03 and 04 were combined to make extremely large homes with water views. The Bayfront Tower was officially open for occupancy on August 1, 1975. On that day Charles R. Trowbridge, moved in. Mr. Trowbridge, a retired official with the U.S. Department of the Interior from Colorado began life in his new eleventh floor condo. At that time he shared the 29th floor building with only the guard at the front desk. It would be a long while before the building sold out completely.
Early Bayfront Advertising
Below is a wonderful collection of early BFT advertising brochures collected by early residents. They have been scanned and placed below in a photo gallery. Click on any image to see it larger.