ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Amid the hustle of 4th Street today are the remnants of its motel heyday when the car was new, the signs were neon and you could even stop to see an elephant.
At one point, St. Petersburg’s 4th Street North was known as the “longest motel street in the world” – offering a destination for middle-class families traveling by car.
"Fourth Street North was designed to connect St. Petersburg with Gandy Bridge in the early 1920s,” said Preserve the 'Berg's executive director Manny Leto. "The idea that you could get in your car, and you could travel down to Florida on your own, that was a very new concept.”
And visitors had plenty of options. Roadside attractions like the Florida Wilde Animal & Reptile Ranch boasted 7 acres where visitors could see an elephant, a giraffe and an 800-pound Russian brown bear. The popular stop operated from the late 1930s until the 60s.
Few of those original motels and attractions still stand as groups, like Preserve the ‘Burg, are working to protect what’s left.
Sunken Gardens and the Landmark Motel across the street offer glimpses of the area’s history to visitors today.
Many of the mom-and-pop rest stops, like the Holiday Motel at Fourth Street and 24th Avenue with its iconic rainbow-colored doors, have been cleared for new construction in recent years. The Rusty Anchor at 2301 4th St. North is one of the oldest remaining motels.
"You want to see your city develop, you want to see a city grow but you also want to see those layers of history reflected in a city,” Leto said. “Places like Sunken Gardens, like Landmark Motel or the Banyan Tree… those are the things that make a city unique and that's why we want to keep some of these historic structures in place."