Demens Landing Park - St. Petersburg, FL
N 27° 46.220 W 082° 37.878
17R E 339255 N 3072827
This lovely park is located on Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WMA0RT
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/27/2010
Views: 10
An historical marker located at the entrance to the park provides the following information:
"This city park is located on the site of the first railroad pier in St. Petersburg, built by Peter Demens in 1889. Peter Demens (pronounced de-MANS) was a Russian nobleman, Pyotr Dementyev, who left Russia in 1881, came to Florida, and changed his name to Demens. He became an entrepreneur, investing in a sawmill and a construction company in Longwood, Florida. Later he took control of the Orange Belt Railroad, which he extended from Sanford, Florida to the west coast of Florida in 1888, to a town he had named St. Petersburg, in honor of the capital city of Imperial Russia. Demens also built the first hotel, the Detroit, and the first railroad depot in St. Petersburg in 1888, and is considered one of the founders of the city. Demens Landing was dedicated as a city park to honor Demens in 1977."
From the Florida Beach Lifestyle website:
"Demens Landing Park is part of the St Petersburg Waterfront Parks system. Situated between two yacht basins, this scenic park is the site for the springtime American Stage in the Park.
In 2010, the tribal rock musical "HAIR" was an overwhelming success.
The park is located at 1st Avenue SE and Bayshore Drive, directly across the street from Pioneer Park. It is pretty easy to find because of its huge entrance bridge.
The biggest drawback, however, is the lack of parking. Please keep this in mind.
There are two huge lots (Lot B) for boat owners at the St Petersburg Marina, but only about 14 spaces in Lot A for park visitors.
Demens Landing has several covered picnic areas (no grills), clean restrooms, a nice playground for young children, and a beautiful view of Tampa Bay."