Remembering St. Petersburg’s Historic Gas Plant District

“Where Have All the Mangoes Gone?” is the title of Sarah-Jane Vatelot’s book, which shares the history of people of color in St Petersburg’s Historic Gas Plant District from a community and urban planning perspective.

Vatelot, an author and architect, will share her book on Thursday February 16 at 11 a.m. at the Downtown Student Lounge and online.

Sarah-Jane Vatelot has been working in the field of architecture since 2007, passing through structural engineering and interior design firms onto tackling larger high-profile architectural projects in the Tampa Bay Area. She has a passion for architecture and its ability to participate in and positively affect social change. She received her Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Florida in 2007 and her Master’s in Architecture from the University of South Florida’s School of Architecture and Community Design in 2019. Her Master’s Thesis “Where have all the Mangoes Gone? Reactivating the Tropicana Field site – on the Threshold of St Petersburg’s History, Culture and Memory.” was published in 2019 and has contributed to the shift in the public discourse surrounding the redevelopment of the former Gas Plant Neighborhood. Sarah-Jane was subsequently invited to join the Sugar Hill Community Partners Development Team in drafting a proposal for the 86 acres of land in the heart of St Petersburg.

For more information about attending the event or joining the live stream, please contact Dr. Tara Newsom at newsom.tara@spcollege.edu