Meadowlawn Neighbors

Meadowlawn Neighbors

The Character of Our Neighborhood

Meadowlawn is located near the Gateway area of St. Petersburg. It is just minutes from downtown St. Petersburg, the beaches, Tampa and both major airports.

The neighborhood consists mainly of single family homes. Chateaux Versailles Condominium and Barkwood Square Condominium are also in Meadowlawn. Rutland Plaza, at 9th Street and 62nd Avenue North, includes a Winn Dixie, Eckerds, KFC, McDonalds, Italia Mia, Maes Fabric, Barnett Bank, Big Lots and many other shops. Several professional offices are located within or close to Meadowlawn (physicians, dentists and attorneys). Fire Station #7, Fossil Park, North Branch Library, Sunrise Bowling Alley and Willis S. Johns Recreational Center are located adjacent to Meadowlawn on the east side of 9th Street. Colonel and Mrs. Johns were among the first residents of Meadowlawn and were active in the first civic association and neighborhood newsletter. Bethel Lutheran Church is located in Meadowlawn and several other churches in the vicinity are located just outside the neighborhood. George M. Lynch Elementary School, Meadowlawn Middle School and Northeast High School are within walking distance of the neighborhood.

Architecture

Homes within the area are single family, mostly masonry, well-kept dwellings. Many older homes are being purchased and renovated by young families who grew up in Meadowlawn. They have returned to raise their own children in the neighborhood. As most of the older homes were well built, remodeling and additions are now being seen all over Meadowlawn. In 1995 and 1996, Hoyt Homes built several homes in Sawgrass Estates, the last vacant land in Meadowlawn. Real estate prices currently range between the mid $40,000 and the low $100,000.

History

The land on which Meadowlawn is located was once little more than bog, woods and weeds. Initially, it was used for cattle grazing by two local dairies, Hoods Dairy and Florida Milk Company. In the early 1900s, Elizabeth Hood and a man the locals called "Cowboy Moody" were constantly at odds over the cows from Hood's Dairy. It was open range then and the cattle sometimes strayed. If Cowboy Moody could herd the strays to a compound on 4th Street, the city could charge a fee to the dairies for their release. Feisty Mrs. Hood, who could ride a horse as well as Cowboy Moody, would try to keep him from herding the cows away by taking her lead cow ( the one with the bell) and lead the cows back to safety.

During the Depression, the land was sold for back taxes. In 1947, Rube Wells, Manch Watson and Bill Arnold bought 640 acres. In the 1950s, they sold 40 acres to Johnny Haynsworth, who owned Florida Builders, with an option to purchase the remaining land. Florida Builders had Mills and Jones Construction Company build Grandway Shopping Center, now Rutland Plaza. Mr. Haynsworth gave Viking Lake and Meadowlawn Park to the City of St. Petersburg. He also donated property on 18th Street, located directly behind George M. Lynch Elementary School, to be used as a baseball field, as long as the Little League uses and operates it.

The early developers of Meadowlawn were Florida Builders, Sunshine Builders, Hoyt Development, Mastry Builders and Buyer's Investment Corporation. Since the land was low and prone to flooding, it had to be filled. This was accomplished by digging lakes and using the soil for landfill. There are six lakes in Meadowlawn: Viking Lake, Lynch Lake, Lake Laguna, Mastry Lake, Meadowlawn Lake #2 and Meadowlawn Lake #3. Lynch, Viking and Lake Laguna are controlled by the tides. The lakes feed into a canal that runs along 77th Avenue and empty into Tampa Bay.

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