Courtesy of Aubrey Carr | The Crow’s Nest
By Alisha Durosier
Following a grant of almost $300,000 awarded by the Florida Division of Historical Resources, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s John C. Williams House will see significant restorations as an effort to prevent damage from severe weather.
With the grant and money put forth by USF St. Petersburg, over $560,00 will be allocated to fund the house’s restoration, which will span over the next two years.
Built in 1891, the house belonged to General John C. Williams, the co-founder of the city of St. Petersburg.
In 1995, USF St. Petersburg acquired the structure and with the support of the City of St. Petersburg, along with grants from the Florida Division of Historical Resources and the Florida Department of State, the house was moved from its original location and onto campus.
“It really has been distinguished over the years as a building that’s worth preservation,” Susan Toler, USF St. Petersburg’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
It was Toler who initially started looking for historical preservation grants after listening to the challenges of former Regional Vice Chancellor for Administrative and Financial Services Joe Trubacz, with funding the building’s maintenance cost.
Working in tandem with former USF St. Petersburg Assistant Director of Planning and Construction Ed Lewis, Director of Research, John Johnson, Chair of History and Political Science Michael Francis and Managing Principal of Renker Eich Parks Architects Paul Palmer, Toler submitted a request for a small grant to survey the building and create a detailed architectural plan in 2019.
St. Petersburg was then awarded $17,837 by the state in January 2020 and matched the amount, totaling in $35,674.
“Paul Palmer has gone over the building with a fine-tooth comb and identified everything that needs to happen with the restoration,” Toler said.
The Victorian-era home’s asymmetrical structure, steep roofs, expansive porch and mostly wooden makeup classify the architecture as a Queen-Anne design.
The restoration process will start with foundation repairs, fixing the shifted foundation, replacing rotting wood and adding exterior wood siding. Roof and window repairs will follow, with additions that will protect against severe weather such as hurricanes.
The Williams House is also home to USF St. Petersburg history professor Adrian O’Connor, who has had an office in the house since 2018 and utilizes the downstairs dining room for his classes’ weekly seminars.
“The students very much like having a classroom that has a bit more character than some of the standard classrooms … it’s nice to all sit around a big table and be able to have a discussion,” O’Connor said.
Political science Professor Sheila Hearne, who started working in the house in August, has experience with old houses as she previously lived in one and she recognizes challenges of repairing older structures.
“It’s got very good bones,” Hearne said. “You know that’s a lot of upkeep … I know what that’s like and that’s something I think they’re going to have to be conscious of going forward, that restoration is an ongoing project.”
The owners of Snell House, the building right next to Williams House built in 1904 and moved onto USF St. Petersburg campus in 1993, and the Williams House, gifted the infrastructures to USF St. Petersburg after their upkeep was proven to be too costly.
Restorations will start in December 2022 and are set to be completed by the spring of 2024.
Once exterior repairs are completed, Toler plans to submit another request for a grant to restore and preserve the interior of the Williams’ house with the goal of preserving the integrity of the house.
