Williams Park

Williams Park, located in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is the city's first park and encompasses an entire city block between 4th and 3rd Streets North and between 2nd and 1st Avenues North. Founded in 1888 and originally named "City Park," it was later renamed Williams Park in honor of the co-founder of St. Petersburg, John Constantine Williams Sr., who donated the land.

The park has played a significant role in the city's history, serving as a venue for numerous political and civic rallies, celebrations, and community gatherings for over a century. In its early days, the park was in a frontier state with oaks, pines, and palmetto bushes, and was even used for hunting before it was developed.

A prominent feature of Williams Park is its bandshell, designed in 1954 by St. Petersburg architect William B. Harvard. The modern bandshell, which replaced an earlier structure destroyed by a hurricane in 1921, is constructed of reinforced concrete, natural redwood, and pumice block. It features a diamond-shaped, terrazzo tile band platform and a braced structural steel frame canopy with blue and green glass panels. The bandshell received an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects in 1955 and a Test of Time Award from the Florida Association of the AIA in 1988.

Over the years, Williams Park has undergone various changes and revitalization efforts. It has hosted events such as the St. Pete Saturday Morning Market during summer months and continues to be a versatile green space for the community. In recent years, there have been proposals for further improvements, including a $1.5 million renovation plan for the bandshell to bring it into the modern age with technological upgrades.

Despite facing challenges such as periods of decline and changing urban dynamics, Williams Park remains an important historical and cultural landmark in St. Petersburg, reflecting the city's growth and evolution over more than a century.