The St. Pete home of Dixie Hollins is now for sale in Historic Old Northeast

The home of Pinellas County’s first school superintendent is now for sale in St. Petersburg’s Historic Old Northeast neighborhood.

Located at 556 16th Ave. NE, county property records date the house to 1925, though due to a records fire at the time, it was likely built even earlier. According to listing agent Cathy Hypes, of Coastal Properties Group International, the home was first owned by the late Dixie Martin Hollins.

In 1912, when West Hillsborough County became what is now Pinellas County, Gov. Albert Gilchrist appointed the 24-year-old Hollins as the area’s first school superintendent, a job that would require him to travel from school to school via dirt roads on horse and buggy.

The Hollins family also owned the St. Petersburg Printing Company and the Pasadena Country Club,” reads his obituary.

Today he’s arguably most well-known as the namesake of Hollins High.

Over the years there have been a few owners of the Hollins house, most notably Dr. Richard Montague, and his wife Maude, who purchased the property in 1965. Montague was a celebrated concert pianist, an instructor at what is now St. Petersburg College, and an avid wild horse tamer.

The Montague family owned the home for over 50 years, until it was sold in 2015 to the current owners, following his death at the age of 98.

Since then, the 3,508-square-foot Mediterranean home has had quite a facelift.  “These owners did everything,” said Hypes. “They upgrade the electrical, the plumbing, the kitchen. But they kept the Cuban tile and the lilac bathroom!”

Besides a perfectly purple retro bathroom, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom property also comes with an above garage in-law suite, new solar panels, and a saltwater pool.

“It’s a special type of house, for a buyer that really appreciates owning a piece of history,” added Hypes.

The Hollins house is currently asking $1,949,000.