First! The History of ‘Green Benches’ in St. Petersburg
Green Benchers is defined in an Old Postcard as “The Green Benches, St. Petersburg’s own, are known all over the country. Here on these benches tourists from all parts of the globe congregate and many, many wonderful hours are spent by the visitors. On the Green Benches daily throughout the winter season, on pleasant days, you will find an acquaintance or friend and may while away many pleasant moments, with memories of the past.”
The ‘Green Benches’ first popped up in St. Pete as real estate advertisements. In 1916, a city ordinance made all benches and a certain size. The number of beaches grew to over 7,000. In the 1960s, however, the city started to repaint the benches pastel colors as part of a campaign to reinvigorate the city and give it a youthful quality. The last ‘green benches’ were removed in 1967.
Image comes from a postcard that is the personal property of Sarah Renee Roos.
A NEW Green Bench Hangout in St. Pete
Courtesy of the City of St. Petersburg
Today, the owners of Green Bench Brewing Co., Nathan Stonecipher and Steve Duffy, will be joined by Mayor Bill Foster and City Council members for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m., located at 1133 Baum Avenue North, followed by a brewery tour. On Saturday, October 19, Green Bench Brewing will host its official public grand opening. Green Bench Brewing is a 15 barrel brew house with a 1,500 sq. ft. tasting room and an expansive family-friendly beer garden. It is housed in a 1926 era warehouse within the EDGE district. Over the next five years, the brewery plans to create 25 new jobs and grow its annual production to 12,000 – 15,000 barrels per year with St. Pete themed beers such as; Green Bench Ale, Central Oak, Skyway Wheat, and Coffee Pot Bayou.
The city of St. Petersburg partnered with Green Bench Brewing through the adoption of zoning laws that allow micro-breweries, in gaining special exception approval from the Development Review Commission for the EDGE district brewing facility, and providing knowledgeable staff to articulate available business incentive programs.
The owners, Nathan and Steve, are St. Petersburg natives that attended high school and college together. Over the years they dreamed of opening a micro-brewery in their home town that would be a valuable asset to the community and contributing factor to its business landscape. Green Bench’s brew master, Khris Johnson, also grew up in St. Petersburg and is an award winning professional brewer and has worked with some of the region’s top breweries. Khris is proud of one of the more unique items in the brewery, its handcrafted oak foudre that provides a distinctive oak fermentation process typically only found in wineries, and is the only one located in the Southeastern U.S.
The Edge district is situated between 9th Street and 16th Street North, spanning the 1st Avenues of North and South. The EDGE stands for entertainment, dining, galleries etc. and is located just West of downtown St. Petersburg, near Tropicana Field. www.facebook.com/theEDGEstpete
For more information, visit Green Bench Brewing Co. at www.greenbenchbrewing.com
Date: October 2013