TARPON SPRINGS HISTORIC DISTRICT

Side One: The Tarpon Springs Historic District is comprised of two historic elements, the early winter resort and the downtown commercial district. Tarpon Springs’ original plan was laid out by Mathew Marks, a business associate of landowner Hamilton Disston. Envisioning Tarpon Springs as a winter destination for wealthy northerners, Disston and his associates invested in the town’s development, and by the late 1800s, it became the largest town on the Pinellas Peninsula. The focal point of the booming resort town was Spring Bayou. The unique, elevated topography along the bayou’s banks allowed for the construction of large Victorian-era homes, which created an elegant residential district and earned it the nickname the “Golden Crescent.” Many houses along the bayou had ornately designed boathouses, all of which are gone. Notable among the residences is a large shingle-style house built by New Yorker George Clemson, and a number of well-maintained Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Frame Vernacular style homes. The waters of Spring Bayou have been the focus of various events, ranging from boat races and dramatic entertainment on floating stages to the celebration of the Epiphany. Side Two: As the Spring Bayou area grew as a residential destination, the downtown commercial district, originally situated along Tarpon Avenue between the city dock and the railroad station, also expanded. The Orange Belt Railroad Station was built in 1888, but burned down in 1908. The Atlantic Coast Line Depot was built in 1909 at the corner of Tarpon and Safford avenues and later became the home of the Tarpon Springs Historical Society. The population in Tarpon Springs exploded in the early 1900s, particularly due to the influx of Greek immigrants tied to the growing sponge industry. Many buildings constructed from the 1910s to the 1920s remain. Exceptional examples include the G.W. Fernald Building, the Old Tarpon Springs City Hall (now the Tarpon Springs Cultural Center), the Meres Building, and the Shaw Arcade. The Greek presence likewise influenced the character of the downtown. The district’s largest and most architecturally significant building is the Byzantine Revival style St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, built in 1943. The Tarpon Springs Historic District was designated as a local historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.