Pull up a chair at Downtown Clearwater’s Station Square Park

Events, General News

The city of Clearwater’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is hosting a celebration to kick off the activation of Station Square Park, 612 Cleveland St., Clearwater, from 12 to 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6.

The city’s CRA recently installed chairs, tables and large umbrellas at Station Square Park to encourage people to utilize the urban park in Downtown Clearwater. Please bring your lunch to the Feb. 6 park celebration to enjoy live music and the great outdoor ambiance of Station Square Park.

Throughout the year, several local organizations will sponsor events at Station Square Park. Activities will include yoga classes, music performances and art presentations.

“Station Square Park is located in the heart of our downtown, and we’re thrilled to work with community partners to make it a great place for everyone to enjoy,” said Laura Canary, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency coordinator. “We hope to attract many park visitors by offering a wide array of programming.”

Station Square Park features 24,000 square feet of space, including concrete pavers, pastel café seating, shade trees and a raised circular stage. The chairs, tables and umbrellas were installed last week, and it is expected they will draw Downtown Clearwater workers and visitors to this comfortable urban oasis.

Station Square Park is a Clearwater historical landmark as it was the location of three Clearwater train depots that transported passengers and cargo, according to the Clearwater Historical Society. It also assisted nearby businesses, including a citrus packing company, barrel and crate manufactures and lumber businesses.

The first rail station was a wooden station built in 1888 for the Orange Belt Railway.

In 1895, the railway line was bought by the Plant System, owned by Henry Plant. The original rail station was replaced with a larger, wooden railway depot.

After Plant died in 1899, the Atlantic Coast Line took over the Plant System in 1902. The Atlantic Coast Line built a brick railway station that lasted until the 1960s when it was torn down to make room for a public park.

The park was updated and rededicated in 2009.

For more information on the Station Square Park celebration and activation, contact Seth Taylor, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency director, at (727) 562-4072 or seth.taylor@myclearwater.com or Laura Canary, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency coordinator, at (727) 562-4024 or laura.canary@myclearwater.com.

About Jeff Cavanagh

Jeff Cavanagh spent his freshman year at St. Petersburg Junior College back in the early 70s before enlisting in the United States Navy. Soon after, he attended Jacksonville University on a Navy ROTC scholarship. After college, he was commissioned and became a qualified Surface Warfare Officer spending the next 22 years honing his skills as a ship-handler and expert recruiter before retiring in 1994. Jeff expresses a deep sense of pride in St. Petersburg College due to connections that go back many years. His father, Tom Cavanagh, was a career Air Force fighter pilot and combat veteran who taught Geography and Western Civilization at St. Petersburg Junior College in the 60’s and 70’s.