Childs Park Neighborhood (St. Petersburg, Florida)

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Childs Park features a mix of residential building practices varying considerably in size and shape. Many are ranch style, concrete block construction with a stucco finish. The neighborhood represents the transition between housing practices of the early and mid 1900s. One section of the neighborhood, Bethwood Terrace, found between 1st and Fairfield Avenues South, features curved streets and a unified development theme.

History

The Childs Park subdivision was platted in 1911 by Julius A. and Lysander D. Childs. The remainder of the neighborhood was platted in the teens, 1920s, and 1940s by many persons.

Despite the tremendous real estate boom of the 1920s, few houses were actually constructed in Childs Park. Those built were concentrated along trolley lines that ran on 22nd Avenue South and Central Avenue. The area remained almost rural in nature.

The real estate bust of 1926, the Great Depression of 1929, and the onset of World War II, left Childs Park in a state of flux. Construction in the neighborhood resumed in the 1940s. This period brought with it changes in the design and construction methods for residential properties. The newer homes were wider to adapt to driveways and garages at the front instead of off the alley. Homes were less formal, often without the front porch typical of older homes. Most homes are often two-bedroom, moderately priced and on small (60 foot wide) lots.

From City of St. Petersburg web site: www.stpete.org/neighborhoods/index.asp

Note the apparent lack of official neighborhood boundaries as Childs Park overlaps Central Oak Park to the north.