Recounting William Harvard's Legacy

In conjunction with Preserve the ‘Burg, AIA Tampa Bay, and The President Barack Obama Main Library, come hear William Harvard Jr speak about his father, renowned St Petersburg Architect William Harvard at the newly renovated Barack Obama Library in St Petersburg. We will hold a brief tour of a William Harvard home following the Main Library event.

Learn more and see other Tampa Bay Design Week events HERE

Native Floridian William B. Harvard, Sr. moved from Miami to St. Petersburg in the summer of 1938. Newly licensed as an architect and just four years out of the University of Cincinnati, Harvard recognized opportunity in a city of fewer than 60,000 residents—one still weighed down by the lingering effects of the Great Depression.
Convinced that St. Petersburg offered a chance to do things differently, Harvard pushed back against the prevailing Mediterranean Revival style. Instead, he developed an approach he called modern tropical—a climate-responsive design language defined by warm woods, generous balconies, and natural cross-ventilation. The concept quickly fueled a successful residential practice.
In 1973, Harvard cemented his legacy with the design of the iconic Municipal Pier. Its bold inverted-pyramid form permanently transformed the St. Petersburg skyline.