Sharing with New Friends
When you make new friends—an event that in itself is a wondrous and valued occasion—an important part of the ritual of those developing friendships is a mutual sharing of things and places that are special to each of you…sort of what I’m doing with this blog, sharing my personal delight in St. Pete and elsewhere. I was introduced to many of these places and things as newly made friends in St. Pete shared with me their own St. Pete favorite haunts.
Such a sharing happened just a couple weeks ago when one of my new friends agreed to meet me for lunch at a place he’d told me about some time ago but which I simply hadn’t gotten around to going to yet. It is so much easier, sometimes, to go places with a friend; certainly, it is much more fun! This place, new for me, was the Craftsman House Gallery, Cafe, and Studios (2955 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33713; 727-323-2787).
Arts & Crafts
Like most folks, my familiarity with the term, “Arts and Crafts,” ends with memories of hearing it spoken on almost every episode of Antiques Roadshow! So, when I decided to write about the Craftsman House I followed my academician instincts and researched the words, “craftsman house.” I learned that Craftsman Style, although it has its origins in the Arts and Crafts Movement, as applied to architecture, actually refers to a style of architecture best exemplified by the bungalow.
This Wiki American Craftsman article gives the following summary of the features typifying the style.
Common Architectural Design Features
- Low-pitched roof lines, gabled or hipped roof
- Deeply overhanging eaves
- Exposed rafters or decorative brackets under eaves
- Front porch beneath extension of main roof
- Tapered, square columns supporting roof
- 4-over-1 or 6-over-1 double-hung windows
- Frank Lloyd Wright design motifs
- Hand-crafted stone or woodwork
- Mixed materials throughout structure
I printed out that list for my first visit to the Craftsman House for lunch and looked for all those features. They were there in abundance. I looked back through my memories of other bungalows and, sure ‘nuf, all those features were there, plus another I’ve seen mentioned in other sources: a very stylized Asian influence with a pleasing geometry of many parallel, horizontal lines.
Craftsman Style Homes
One architect who popularized some of those ideals was the famous designer, Frank Lloyd Wright. An example of his design motifs referred to above are his use of stylized flower images in architectural features. In California, the Greene brothers (Charles and Henry) and their “ultimate bungalows” and the architect Bernard Maybeck created bungalows on a larger-than-life scale. I was able to visit the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California, when a friend, Robert Helps, was preparing for a concert there. This was back when Dick Whittington still owned it and was producing jazz albums there. (It’s no longer open to the public and ownership has changed.)
Bungalows are definitely an important item in Florida residential architecture and have become much sought after. In Tampa, there is an entire section comprised of elegantly restored bungalows, Seminole Heights. St. Petersburg has its own similar section, Historic Kenwood with its annual Bungalowfest!
The Building and Its Owners
Craftsman House Gallery, Cafe, and Studios is owned and operated by Stephanie and Jeff Schorr who are longtime residents of the St. Petersburg area (20+ years). The building was originally the model home for the historic Kenwood district mentioned above. It’s on the historic register of homes.
The Galleries
As the full name of the Craftsman House says, it’s part gallery. There are numerous rooms displaying the works of 250 local and national artists, including Stephanie Schorr herself, who is an artist potter. Her pottery studio is on the grounds of the Craftsman House.
Calendar, Past Events, and the Current Show
The Craftsman House has a fascinating events calendar. There is a Teapot Show running May 10-June 29 which was timed to begin with a Mothers Day Tea…a nice touch, I think. Some recent events: storytellers, singers, songwriters, comedians, balladeers, acoustic blues artists and even an electric harpist. They also have an annual Elton John-A-Thon Aids benefit and an Earth Day celebration.
The Cafe
The Cafe and dining areas dovetail nicely with the gallery to create an overall peaceful setting. It provides daily light lunches of the salad and wrap variety. Consistent with the environmentally aware ethos of the establishment and the clientele is that the cafe carries only Fair Trade Certified Tea! Last time, I ate in a quiet little indoor eating nook, but next time, I think I’ll eat in one of their outside dining areas: either on the porch or in the garden patio. And…there will definitely be a next time. It’s the perfect place to share lunch—and newly found delights—with a good friend, new or old.
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