Wow. Lump in throat time! Did anyone happen to catch Virginia Litrell's comments at the 11/21/02 City Council meeting? It must have been fate that I happened to channel surf to 35 at the exact moment she was announcing that Tallahassee just gave a glowing green light to three St. Pete 'hoods becoming National Register Historic Districts. Suddenly, everything she said seemed to be in slow motion! As she said something like ''...and the three neighborhoods are Northshore, with such and such number of contributing structures, Round Lake, with such and such number of contributing structures, and...'' I was thinking ''BRING IT, BRING IT, **BRING IT**!!!!!!!!!!!!'', and then she said ''and Historic Kenwood...''
YEAH, BABIES!!! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! THEY'LL BE SINGING, SWAYING, RECORDS PLAYING, DANCING IN THE STREETS! WUU HUU HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
We can be extremely proud of ourselves and our wonderful neighborhood right about now!!!!! I remember back in 1996, not too long after I moved into HK, with a certain co-worker at the time telling me I was crazy to buy here, it was crime and drug-infested, it was run-down, it was awful, and suddenly she was moving out. You see, she lived in the neighborhood just to our west. I tried to make her see that all the elements were in place for a wonderful revival of our neighborhoods, and I asked her to stick it out, don't sell your house. It will get better. She asked me: ''When?''
As I drove through our gorgeous 'hood yesterday, thanking God that I live here and feeling very blessed indeed as I visually drank in the beautiful trees and historic houses and our ''Kenwood Green'' wrought iron corner signs, proudly saying ''Historic Kenwood'', I thought of that ex-co-worker and her question, and I thought ''Now.'' Now.
Go, Historic Kenwood!!!
I think a special thanks should go to Bob Jeffrey, who first brought the idea of National Historic Registry status to the neighborhood and worked very hard to see its fruition. Thanks also to all the 'hood Presidents and Boards who also carried the torch on this, and each of us who kicked in our $50.00, and everyone who planted oaks and picked up cigarette butts in the parks and sold tickets at Bungalowfests past and present and marched in the drug marches and last, but not least, bought and lovingly restored homes in Historic Kenwood: We did it! We've arrived!
YEAH, BABIES!!! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH! THEY'LL BE SINGING, SWAYING, RECORDS PLAYING, DANCING IN THE STREETS! WUU HUU HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
We can be extremely proud of ourselves and our wonderful neighborhood right about now!!!!! I remember back in 1996, not too long after I moved into HK, with a certain co-worker at the time telling me I was crazy to buy here, it was crime and drug-infested, it was run-down, it was awful, and suddenly she was moving out. You see, she lived in the neighborhood just to our west. I tried to make her see that all the elements were in place for a wonderful revival of our neighborhoods, and I asked her to stick it out, don't sell your house. It will get better. She asked me: ''When?''
As I drove through our gorgeous 'hood yesterday, thanking God that I live here and feeling very blessed indeed as I visually drank in the beautiful trees and historic houses and our ''Kenwood Green'' wrought iron corner signs, proudly saying ''Historic Kenwood'', I thought of that ex-co-worker and her question, and I thought ''Now.'' Now.
Go, Historic Kenwood!!!
I think a special thanks should go to Bob Jeffrey, who first brought the idea of National Historic Registry status to the neighborhood and worked very hard to see its fruition. Thanks also to all the 'hood Presidents and Boards who also carried the torch on this, and each of us who kicked in our $50.00, and everyone who planted oaks and picked up cigarette butts in the parks and sold tickets at Bungalowfests past and present and marched in the drug marches and last, but not least, bought and lovingly restored homes in Historic Kenwood: We did it! We've arrived!
