Studebaker Building: nearly a century of change

Originally built in 1925, the building was financed by Frank Lyon and leased to the Peninsular Motor Company of Southwest Florida to be used as a Studebaker dealership and repair shop. The company thrived as the 4^th largest Studebaker dealer in the 1920s but closed a few years later during the Great Depression. The Studebaker Distributor sign is still present on the side of the building and is maintained in spirit of the building’s history. The wagon wheels of the Studebaker logo, cast in stucco, can be seen along the top of the building facade and pay tribute to the Conestoga Wagons (ca mid-1800s) that the Studebaker Brothers sold before they ventured into automobile manufacturing. The building was occupied by several other businesses throughout the years including a grocery store, a laundromat, and a cigar company. The original tile in the front lobby and the open style of the building and ceilings are in keeping with the original architecture. Large storefront windows line the first floor of the building, for viewing vehicles on the tile showroom floor, with former sales offices behind. The upper floor, lined with factory-style windows, housed the repair shop, and was accessed using a large industrial car lift. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1985 and the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 1986, for both its historical affiliation with the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s and its architectural significance as a commercial structure resembling industrial buildings of the era.

Learn more about the history of the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. 

 

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