Peoples Bank moves into next phase of historic restoration to return this lost Mediterranean Revival gem back to its 1920s glory.
Built in 1910 and elevated to the colorful Mediterranean Revival style in the 1920s, the Peoples Bank will once again sparkle as one of downtown Clearwater’s architectural jewels.
Cleveland Street Alliance announced that the building is now into the next phase of its historic restoration. The two-story structure will be fully restored, including removing the existing stucco exterior and recreating the long-lost Mediterranean Revival tile façade, upgrading the building envelope and all mechanical elements, completely replacing the 100-year-old roof and floor joists and creating new interiors in the exquisite original 1920s style.
The Peoples Bank’s historical clock, which has been located on the building since the 1930s, will be fully and expertly restored to working order, once again becoming a focal point at the corner of Cleveland Street and Fort Harrison Avenue, the historic crossroads of downtown Clearwater.
The fully restored building will have space for two retail tenants on the ground floor and creative office space above.
The building’s colorful mosaic tile will be painstakingly recreated from archival photographs. The new tile inlays, with the design pattern in vibrant Mediterranean Revival colors—turquoise, seafoam green, yellow and pink—will be created using similar manufacturing techniques as the original installation. The decorative frieze will wrap around the front and side faces of the building, just as it did on the building’s original elegant 1920s exterior.
The tilework will border a new steel-framed canopy on the front façade, which will be supported by authentic to the period wrought-iron scrolled brackets and chains.
Capturing the spirit of Florida’s Mediterranean Revival era, a new roof eave will run along the upper level of the building, complete with the original green terracotta barrel roof tile. The barrel tile will be similar to that installed on another Clearwater Mediterranean Revival classic, the historic Cleveland Street Post Office, just down the street.
The building’s four-faced copper clock, a fixture downtown since it was originally installed in the 1930s, will be removed during the renovations and fully restored. Made by the McClintock-Loomis Company, the clock’s refurbishment will include the stained-glass dials and logo panels, as well as its copper cladding body.
Customers and tenants will enter the Peoples Bank through true-to-the-period brass and glass doors with triple push bars. The lobby will be adorned with a framed tile commemoration of the building’s history. A tile mural will repeat the Mediterranean Revival pattern from the front of the building, unifying the interior and exterior.
A tile mural will repeat the Mediterranean Revival pattern, unifying the interior and exterior.
The ceramic tile floors will feature a striking black-and-white, eight-sided star design.
The lobby’s tray ceiling will be ornamented with architectural plaster medallions.
Illuminating the lobby will be pendant chandeliers and flush-mount lights with brass detailing.
Reproductions of period photographs of the Peoples Bank will serve as a permanent celebration of the building’s historic past.
A new elevator rated for commercial use will be installed, featuring brass finishes and doors.
Gold-on-glass lettering
Brass signage
Period photographic reproductions
Everything about the building’s public amenities will evoke the era of the 1920s. Elegant and sophisticated hardware and finishes will go above and beyond the original, elevating the Peoples Bank to a true, timeless classic.
Embossed decorative tiling
Fluted glass pendant shades
Vintage hardware and locking mechanism
For more than a century, the Peoples Bank has played a significant role in shaping downtown Clearwater. So it remains today, with a world-class restoration that will secure its place of honor in the future history of downtown Clearwater.
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FOR INFORMATION
Scott Dobbins
scott@hybridgecre.com
