A storied St. Petersburg home that once belonged to a world-famous cartoonist and was almost flattened by Frank Lloyd Wright, is now for sale on Snell Isle.
Located at 321 Brightwaters Blvd. NE, the home is nicknamed “Villa Florentina,” and was built in 1928 by prolific local developer Samuel V. Schooley. A few months later, the estate was purchased by famed New York-based cartoonist Billy DeBeck and his wife Mary, who used the estate as a winter home.
DeBeck was arguably best known as the creator of the “Barney Google and Snuffy Smith” comic strips, which are still in syndication today and are considered to be the third longest running comic of all time.
DeBeck, who died of cancer in 1942, had a knack for colorful slang, and his comics are credited with the creation of popular “Jazz Age” catchphrases and terms like “heebie-jeebies,” and “time’s a wastin,'” and “hotsy-totsy.”
In 1943, Mary was re-married to Alfred “Fritz” Bergman, who owned Protective Coatings, Inc in Tampa. Bergman’s company made chemical coatings for buildings, boats and missile launch pads. One of his products, a stucco sealant, was used by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright for one of his buildings at the Florida Southern University campus in Lakeland.
According to a 1985 article for the St. Petersburg Times, Bergman commissioned Wright to build a house in 1947, with the intent to tear down their existing home at 321 Brightwaters.
Though drawings and blueprints were created, construction never began, and even today it’s a bit of a mystery why the Frank Lloyd Wright home never came to be. Their neighbor at the time, Louise Bishop, widow of cartoonist Wally Bishop, told the publication that Mary kept delaying the job.
“She kept putting it off, and putting it off, ” said Bishop. “She was very happy with it. Every room was to be circular, and part of it would extend out of over the water. I remember that part. But I haven’t any idea why it wasn’t built.”
Tragically, Mary died in a 1953 National Airlines plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico, along with 48 other people. Alfred died in 1960, while recovering from a gallbladder operation.
The home has changed hands a few times since. In 1962, Villa Florentina was purchased by St. Petersburg City Councilman and Vice Mayor Eli Jenkins. Today, the home is owned by Tradewinds CEO Tim Bogott, who paid $705,000 for it in 1999, according to property records.
The 5,378-square-foot home sits on a double lot along Coffee Pot Bayou, and comes with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, as well as three fireplaces, a heated-pool with a waterslide, a dock and lift, a detached two car garage, and more.
Villa Florentina most recently hit the market last January for $11.2 million, and is currently asking $10.9 million. The listing agent is Miles Crowe of Coldwell Banker Realty.
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