St. Pete is home to more than 150 parks offering a wide variety of possible activities. There are over 100 picnic areas, 80 playgrounds, 44 miles of fitness trails, 30 basketball courts, 21 boat ramps, 11 softball fields, six dog parks, five beaches, three skate parks, two disc-golf courses, and one Jai-Alai court. But that’s not all! We also have 76 tennis courts. 33 football/ soccer fields, 31 baseball fields, nine volleyball courts, four historic sites, three nature preserves, and one splash pad. And, still, there’s more! Simply put, choose an activity (or choose to just relax) and there’s a city park that fits your needs.
The First One
Understanding the importance of public green space, St. Pete founders set aside an entire city block as a park in the original 1888 town plat. For five years, this “untrimmed jungle” (as St. Pete Times editor William Straub described it) of palmetto bushes and pines remained the domain of local hogs and cattle. Then in 1893, local women organized and by 1895, the Women’s Town Improvement Association (WTIA) had transformed the space. It was fenced (to keep out the hogs and cattle) and cleaned up. Walkways, benches, and fountain were installed and the first bandstand was erected. City Park (renamed in the early 20th century after city founder, John Constantine Williams Sr.) quickly became the city’s de facto town square.
Throughout much of the 20th century, (if you were white) Williams Park offered a welcoming spot to stroll or play a game of cards, checkers, or dominoes. Bordered by stately churches, hotels, and the open-air post office, it also served as the central gathering place for celebrations, commemorations, concerts, speakers, and plays. It’s where 5,000 people cheered the end of the Great War and crowds reveled in the sermons of Billy Sunday. John Phillip Sousa conducted from the bandstand and Buster Keaton was presented with a key to the city. In the 1960s, hippies gathered for a “love-in” and park segregation came to an official end. In the 1970s and ‘80s, Presidents and Vice-Presidents (including Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter) spoke from the 1953 award-winning Avant Garde bandstand. As the founders envisioned, the park was the heart of the Sunshine City.
Times Change But the Heart Remains
Today, St. Pete’s park system has grown from one park to many and we have a wide variety of recreational options. Despite these changes, Williams Park is still the beating heart of the city’s park system. Its abundant trees continue to provide shaded walkways for a stroll on a hot day. The benches remain a great place to enjoy a cold drink and watch people and birds. It’s still the home of the summer Farmer’s Market, the annual Earth Day celebration, the yearly Holiday of the Arts, and everyone’s favorite yearly event, Localtopia. And the beautiful mid-century bandstand still offers the perfect spot for concerts and plays, including Studio@620’s Shakespeare in the Park, as well as a popular venue for speakers and rallies in support of causes like the Women’s March, ending gun violence, and dealing with climate change.
Times may have changed, but Williams Park remains one of the city’s most popular public gathering spots.
Thanks
Thanks to the Parks & Recreation Department for all they do! For more information, visit www.stparksrec.org. And thank you to Raymond Arsenault and Will Michaels. Their prior research greatly informed this piece.
