The late Tampa Bay architect William B. Harvard Sr. designed quite a few well-known projects in the area, including St. Pete’s now demolished Inverted Pyramid and the Hospitality House at Busch Gardens. He also designed quite a few midcentury modern homes in the area, and now one is on the market in St. Petersburg.
Located at 5027 Sunrise Dr S, in the Little Bayou area, the home was completed in 1954 for prominent local physician Dr. Joseph Pilkington and his wife Frances. In 1994, the home was given to their daughter, Catherine Pilkington Rucks and her husband Edward, until it was sold in 2018 for $549,000, property records show.
According to the listing agent, Ashley Marbet of Compass Realty, the current owners have since given the property a “thoughtful renovation,” and brought on architect Jody Beck of Traction Architecture to help answer the question, “What would Billy do?”
“They wanted to restore it, respect its character and create more connections between inside and outside,” said Jody, in a July 2023 article in Atomic Ranch Magazine.
Today, the 3,260-square-foot home comes with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well the original terrazzo floor, floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights, custom walnut kitchen cabinets, a wood-burning fireplace, a pool, and more.
Harvard, who died of cancer in 1995, was a founding partner of Harvard Jolly Clees Toppe Architects, and besides the Pier, his resume includes quite a few iconic Tampa Bay buildings, like Derby Lane, the Federal Building in St. Petersburg, the Tides Hotel at Redington Beach, Pasadena Community Church, the St. Pete Beach Municipal Building, and the award-winning Municipal Pavilion and Bandstand in Williams Park, among others.
This particular Harvard house is currently asking $2,125,000.
Every house has a story, and our mission is to tell Tampa Bay’s story through the lens of our community’s historic and colorful homes. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s real estate features are not ads, and are strictly operated through our editorial department. But we love public input. Do you know of a unique Florida home that we should highlight? Let us know, and email cwolf@cltampa.com.
