Historic St. Petersburg Comfort Station
St. Petersburg, in the 1920’s, was in its boom times. Development was strong, investors were investing, and people were flocking here from all over the country. There were beautiful homes being built and beautiful shops and hotels. When the city council decided, in 1927, that we needed a public restroom, they opted to build one that was not just functional, but would be aesthetically pleasing and would be an asset to the downtown that was rapidly developing.
So, to that end, they hired architect Henry S. Taylor, the same architect that designed the Vinoy Hotel, along with several other St. Petersburg buildings. The decision was made to build the new rest room at the northeast corner of Bayshore Drive and Second Ave NE, which was right on the Vinoy basin and at the base of the pier. The lot was quite small, and that factor lent itself nicely to the octagonal shape of the building, a shape that had its origins in the Greek Cross shape used in early Roman churches. The architectural style was Romanesque Revival, and the building was built with several different colors of brick, something frequently seen in Romanesque Revival buildings.
The end result, which was given the name “Comfort Station One”, was a truly remarkable building for any purpose, but especially for a public restroom. A prominent national magazine, The American City, featured the new comfort station in its February 1929 issue, praising it and praising the city for building a comfort station of such beauty. Comfort Station One lives on today, providing comfort for thousands of people walking through the neighborhood each year who are in need of just the sort of comfort that this beautiful building offers.
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The following is taken from 'Ghost Stories of St Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County' by Deborah Frethem, first published in 2007 by Haunted America, a division of The History Press
"The Comfort Station was built in 1927 for a cost of $16,000. The church was not built until 1929, so the public bathroom was completed long befor any payment was even due for the church.
But the building does have a ghost. We are not sure who it is, but we know it is a female, for the odd presence has only been encountered on the ladies side of the bathroom. Cold drafts have been reported even on very hot days, as well as misty images in the mirrors. The most vivid shost sighting here occured in 1999 when a couple of tourists from Wisconsin were visiting the city. They were sisters who were enjoying their last day in the sunshine before heading back to the 'frozen tundra'. On of the girls went inside while her sister decided to wait outside. The young lady said that as she entered, all the doors to the stalls were ajar and she was clearly alone in the bathroom. But shortly after she entered one of the stalls and shut the door behind her, she heard a noise in the stall next to her. Thinking her sister had decided to come in after all, she daid, 'Heather, is that you?'
An elderly woman's voice came from the other side, 'No, it's Agnes.'
Feeling a little foolish, the girl wanted to be friendly, so she said, 'Nice to meet you Agnes. How long have you been in St Petersburg?'
Agnes answered, 'A long, long time.'
The girl looked down and saw an old fashioned, 1930s-style shoe on the foot of the woman in the next stall. Feeling nervous now, she quickly finished what she had come to do, and then left the booth. The stall next to her was completely empty. She ran outside and asked her sister if she had seen anyone come out? Heather had seen no one.
Who was the woman? No one knows. A long ago tourist who needed a rest stop? A member of St MAry's Church who got confused?
Mny of the locals refer to the comfort station as the 'St Mary's Comfort Station', of 'Little St Mary's'. Perhaps it should be referred to as 'St John's'.
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