Historic Kenwood Tour This tour is offered on the fourth Thursday of every month in conjunction with the Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association and explores St. Pete’s first suburb. Expect to spend about two hours casually strolling past well-preserved bungalows after an initial start at the Craftsman House, a craft gallery and cafe that was the original model home for the Kenwood neighborhood.Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr Credit: cityofstpete/Flickr

In the midst of an ever-changing state, historic properties continue to be threatened by development ideas that affects their addition to history and culture to Florida.

In an effort to dignify and protect these sites, Green Bench Brewing Company is the venue when Preserve the ‘Burg hosts “An Evening with the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.

The speakers of the night, President and CEO of the trust Melissa Wyllie and legislative affairs chair Mark Zubaly, will provide an overview of the nonprofit and discuss some of its current actions toward preservation, such as advocating for a new Florida Historic Tax Credit and lobbying the funding for more preservation grants.

The trust will discuss its annual “11 to Save” list, which was unveiled last year.

Founded in 1978, the trust’s mission is to “promote the preservation and the inclusive sharing of the diverse architectural, historical and archaeological heritage of Florida.”

As the state faces preservation challenges from development and doubt about its history, leaders like Wyllie and Zubaly aim to advocate, connect and educate through events like this one.
In a 2016 interview with the Nashville Business Journal, Wyllie said that she hopes to build “creative collaborations to preserve historic places.”

The outdoor event will cost $10 for PTB member and $20 for non-members with one drink ticket included. Face masks are encouraged.

UPDATED 01/17/22 10:05 a.m. Updated to make clear hosts for the event and that that “11 to save list” was unveiled last year.