The Kenwood Historic District is a 375-acre residential area best known for its historic bungalows. However, it contains a variety of residential architectural styles including Frame and Masonry Vernacular, Craftsman Bungalow, Minimal Traditional, Tudor Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Colonial Revival, Ranch, Prairie, American Foursquare, Dutch Colonial Revival, Mission, and International.
The district consists mainly of one-story and two-story single-family dwellings constructed between 1912 and 1945. Most of the primary residences have outbuildings such as garages, garage apartments, and separate apartment structures. There are also a few small commercial buildings in the area, and five churches.
When the first housing survey was completed in 1995, during the process of applying for historic status, there were 1104 structures in Historic Kenwood. Interestingly, not all of these homes were built on their current sites. Approximately 170 bungalows were relocated to Historic Kenwood during the 1930s, helping to cement its bungalow identity.
The Kenwood district was designated a National Historic District for its significance in the areas of community planning and development and architecture. Representative of the early residential development of the City of St. Petersburg during the first half of the 20th century, Kenwood is associated with the broad patterns of the community's history. The neighborhood is one of the first suburban residential areas to be developed outside of the central business area of the city.
Comprised of a distinctive and sizable collection of intact early 20th century suburban architecture, Kenwood is architecturally significant. A wide variety of residential architectural styles from circa-1912 through 1952 are represented. The district also retains many of its original design features, including brick streets and alleys, hexagonal block sidewalks, and granite curbing, as well as its original layout and grid pattern with alleys that parallel the avenues. Based on this concentration of historic buildings and the retention of the historic character, Kenwood reflects the architectural influences of the decades before, during, and after the Florida Land Boom era.
St. Petersburg High School (1926), listed on the National Register of Historic Places, sits in the heart of Historic Kenwood along 5th Avenue North.
As was the case with many inner city areas, the neighborhood fell into neglect beginning in the 1950s. Interstate 275 was built in the 1970s, forming Historic Kenwood's eastern boundary. U.S. 19 or 34th Street, the western boundary, became more commercial during this time. The traditional "mom and pop" businesses on the southern boundary along Central Avenue declined.
In the early 1990s urban pioneers began a neighborhood revival in both Historic Kenwood and the Grand Central District, which continues full steam today and during which many beautiful restorations to these historic homes and businesses have been made. These efforts reached a milestone when Historic Kenwood received its historic status from the National Register on August 4, 2003.
Saint Petersburg Preservation offers a walking tour of the Kenwood area, Westward Ho from the Waterfront. The tours are offered on selected Saturdays between October and April.
Historic Kenwood has a website for Historic Kenwood Preservation. This group helps homeowners return their homes to their original architecture using historically correct architectural artifacts. They collect and distribute various types of architectural artifacts to Historic Kenwood homeowners free-of-charge.