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- Collection: Chester Smolski Photographs
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Kharkov Square & Lenin monument - Ukraine
Chet Smolski describes this building as a science research building of the 1920s. This building is part of Karazin Kharkov National University. The park from which the photo was taken is called Svobody Square or Freedom Square. The building is a…
St. Petersburg Housing Development - Florida
These housing developments, built on various water-ways through what can be an environmentally harmful dredging & filling process, can be found all over the coasts of St. Petersburg. Much of these neighborhoods were developed in the early 1950’s…
Progress Energy Baseball Park - St. Petersburg, FL
Below is a photo of the Progress Energy Park baseball stadium and the Bayfront Tower Condominium complex. The stadium was rebuilt in 1976, so at the time this photo was taken (March 1978), the reconstruction was only about two years old. The park…
St. Pete’s Meadowlawn Housing
This is an aerial photograph of Saint Petersburg’s Meadowlawn Neighborhood. The land this neighborhood is built on was once a bog with woods and weeds as well as a place where cattle would come to graze from two local dairy farmers. Before it was…
St. Petersburg Sunshine Skyway Bridge: St. Petersburg, FL
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is 21,877 feet long (4.1 miles) and is considered part of I-275 and US 19. The bridge spans across Tamp Bay and connects St. Petersburg to Pinellas County in Manatee County Florida. Some parts of this bridge are…
St. Pete's Sinkhole
St. Petersburg and Pinellas County lies in what is called a “sinkhole alley.” The towns of Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando, which leads the state in sinkhole claims, have all had issues concerning sinkholes developing on private property. Pictured…
Florida: Downtown Saint Petersburg & Mirror Lake
This is an aerial view of downtown Saint Petersburg, Florida in 1978. Mirror Lake can be seen in the photo as well as the harbor off in the distance, which houses the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. Located right in front of the marina are the…
Spa Beach: St. Petersburg, Florida
The Spa Beach in St. Petersburg, FL is open year round and is a popular beach for locals and tourists. The beach is also connected to the Spa Beach park seen in the foreground. The location of the beach and the need for more tourism dollars coming…
Inverted Pyramid Pier at St. Pete’s Pier - St. Petersburg, FL
Know as the “Inverted Pyramid Pier” by local St. Petersburg residents, this famous pier was constructed in 1973 as a landmark of the city’s downtown waterfront area. This pier replaced the 1926 Million Dollar Pier which was torn down to make way for…
Florida: View from St. Petersburg to Tampa
This picture shows the skyline of Tampa from St. Petersburg. The body of water separating the two cities is the Tampa Bay. The large dark colored building in the center of the photo is the Lykes Building, now called Park Tower. The two cities can be…
Florida: “Finger" Island Housing Developments
These housing developments, built on various water-ways through dredging & filling, can be found all over the coasts of St. Petersburg. Much of these neighborhoods were developed in the early 1950’s during a period of dredging and filling along…
Florida: Finger Islands in St. Petersburg
These housing developments, built on various water ways through a process of dredging & filling, can be found all over the coasts of St. Petersburg. Many of these neighborhoods were developed in the early 1950s along the Gulf Beaches and western…
Florida: World War Heroes Memorial in Williams Park St. Petersburg, FL
Pictured across the street on the corner of 1st and 4th Avenues (North) in St. Petersburg is the World War Heroes Memorial in Williams Park. Engrave with the word “loyalty” located at the top, this memorial was erected by the St. Petersburg chapter…
Florida: Mirror Lake
Photographed from Mirror Lake Drive, Mirror Lake is one of many lakefront neighborhoods in St. Petersburg. Mirror Lake is located in a section of St. Petersburg known as Round Lake Historic District, designated as such in 2003. In this picture the…
Florida: Clearwater Beach and Pier 60
Clearwater Beach, a year-round vacation spot, spans 3 miles along the coast of Florida. With its clean white sand and various attractions, this beach, located just 20 miles from the Tampa International Airport, makes the perfect vacation spot for any…
Florida: Clearwater Entertainment Limbo
This picture was taken near the shores of Clearwater beach, located in Clearwater, Florida. People have gathered here to enjoy a vigorous limbo competition. The surrounding area here provides many sources of entertainment for its guests. The area is…
Saint Petersburg: Renaissance Vinoy Resort
The Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg was built in 1925. The building was constructed in the Mediterranean Revival design complete with cypress-beamed ceilings and handmade tile work. The hotel also has its own private marina…
Florida: St. Petersburg’s Central Business District
The downtown area of St. Petersburg is known as the Central Business District of the city. Some buildings of significance in this area include: the Bank of America Tower, the headquarters of the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, and the Mahaffey Theater…
Florida: Downtown St. Petersburg
The first building seen here is the S. H. Kress & Co. building located in downtown St. Petersburg. This four-story building was built in 1927 as part of the S. H. Kress & Co. department store chain. The Kress company went out of business in…
Florida: St. Petersburg Housing
Seen here is a densely packed neighborhood in St. Petersburg, Florida. The settlement of retired folks has been observed to be in abundance for this area. Along with many declines in housing during Workd War 1, the Great Depression, and World War 2,…
Florida: Downtown Ybor City
Here is another picture of downtown Ybor City on 7th Avenue. The first brick building on the left is Demmi’s Market, a small grocery store which is a favorite among locals for a slice of pizza in a lively atmosphere. The building behind Demmi’s…
Florida: Ybor City 7th Avenue
Ybor City’s 7th Avenue spans 11 blocks between 26th Street and the Nick Nuccio Parkway. Having been settled by many cigar manufacturers, 7th Avenue was known as the heart of the cigar industry. At one point, there were over 230 factories established…
Florida: Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City
Known for its Latin flare, Tampa’s Ybor City is one of the highlights for tourists visiting the city. Located northeast of downtown, this historic city was founded by a large number of cigar manufacturers. With red brick buildings, iron balconies,…
Florida: Hillsborough River in Tampa
Pictured is an aerial view of the Hillsborough River in the city of Tampa, Florida. The river originates in The Green Swamp located in central Florida and flows downward for 59 miles until it empties into Tampa Bay. The middle river is the city of…
Florida: Howard Frankland Bridge (Causeway #275)
This is an aerial shot of the Howard Frankland Bridge connecting St. Petersburg to Tampa showing Causeway 275 on the Tampa side. The body of water it rests atop is the Old Tampa Bay. It was initially completed in the 1960s, and comprised of four…
Tampa: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church is one of the oldest churches in the city of Tampa, Florida. Originally deeded to be at Ashley Drive and Twiggs Street, the Sacred Heart Church was constructed in 1859 on North Florida Ave. With a growing parish, the…
Florida: Aerial of Downtown Tampa (3 of 3)
Here is another aerial photograph of downtown Tampa. The major body of water in the background is known as Tampa Bay. Running right through the middle of this picture is State Road 93 and Interstate 275. As part of the Florida Department of…
Florida: Aerial of Downtown Tampa (2 of 3)
This is another aerial view of downtown Tampa. This photograph overlooks the Hillsborough Bay. Along with Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay, the four make up what is known as Tampa Bay. Also seen in this photo are major buildings…
Florida: Aerial of Downtown Tampa (1 of 3)
This is an aerial shot taken of downtown Tampa. Pictured at the far left of this picture is a tall brown building known formerly as the Lykes Building. Presently, it is known as Park Tower. Located at 400 North Tampa Street, this skyscraper was built…
Florida: Citizens Bank Building in Tampa
Pictured is a shopping district in downtown Tampa, Florida. To the far right of this picture is the Citizens Bank Building. Built in 1913 with a height of 145 feet tall, this building was considered the tallest building in Tampa until 1915 when the…
Florida: Kress Building in Downtown Tampa
The four story building to the left of this photo is known as the Kress Building in downtown Tampa, Florida. Originally opened in 1900 on Franklin Street, the store was soon relocated to Florida Avenue in 1908. That store was demolished in 1929. That…
Florida: Franklin Exchange Building in Tampa
Built in 1957 by the MacEwen Group, this building was formerly known as the Exchange National Bank Building. This skyscraper towers over many surrounding buildings at 280 feet and 22 stories. This piece of architecture was built in the international…
Florida: Tin City in South Naples
Pictured is the entrance to historic Tin City, named for its distinguishable tin roofed buildings. Ever since the 1880s, this area of waterfront has attracted many tourists. In earlier times, access to this area was rather difficult; passengers has…
Florida: Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Publix Super Markets, Inc. is one of the leading privately owned grocery stores in the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. The first store was opened in Winter Haven, FL in the 1930s by George Jenkins. Starting out…
Florida: Worth Avenue in Palm Beach
Worth Avenue is viewed as one of the most famous shopping districts in the state of Florida. The area first gained retail insight when The Everglades Club was built on this road in 1918. This club held weekly fashion shows showing the latest trends…
New Orleans: Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras
Bourbon Street is one of the most celebrated areas of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The street is most known for its burlesque clubs and lively night life. Some of the major attractions include: The Royal Sonesta Hotel, Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop,…
Charleston: Four Corners of Law
The intersection of Broad and Meeting, seen here in this aerial photograph, is known as the Four Corners of Law, because of St. Michael’s Church (Divine), City Hall (local), the Charleston County Courthouse (County), and the U.S. Post Office and…
Everglades: Mangrove Tree
Pictured is a mangrove tree situated in the marsh of the Everglades. This tree is especially adapted to survive in this environment as they can survive in salt water and fresh water environments. There are three species of mangrove trees that can be…
Everglades: Nesting Roseate Spoonbills
Captured in this picture is some of the Everglades’ wildlife amongst its dense marshes. A cluster of Roseate Spoonbill’s can be seen nesting in the tress of the background of this picture. This species of birds is native to the coastal areas of…
Everglades: Native Wildlife
Pictured are two wading birds that are native to the Everglades. This is a very biologically diverse area, being home to many rare and endangered species of birds, plants, and animals. Some of these species include: the great blue heron, the Florida…
Everglades: Mangrove Forest in a Sawgrass Marsh
Southern and central regions of the Everglades is densely packed with sawgrash marsh. It is the largest sawgrass marsh in the world. This particular type of grass has sharp “teeth” covering the blade’s edge and has the capacity to grow to lengths of…
Florida: Everglades National Park
The Everglades National Park is a public park dedicated to the conservation and preservation of this natural habitat. The Everglades area once spanned 11,000 square miles, but the National Park only protects the southern fifth of the entire region.…
Disney World: Disney World Village
Pictured is the retail store, Miss Merrily’s Fashions, one of the many shops in the Disney World Village. Upon the shopping center’s opening in 1975, the area was originally called Lake Buena Vista Village. Filled with a various spectrum of retail…
Disney World: Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom
Main Street USA is a themed land at Magic Kingdom styled parks run by The Walt Disney Company. This photograph shows the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, Florida. Main Street USA mixes architectural styles from around the United States at the turn of…
Walt Disney World: Mickey’s 50th Birthday
November 18, 1978 marked Mickey Mouse’s 50th Birthday. Several times that year, Walt Disney World celebrated with a special parade in his honor that spanned the entire magic kingdom Main Street. The characters were staged on oversized floats…
Walt Disney World: Indian Village in Frontierland
Frontierland is one of the themed lands in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It is based on the 19th century American West. This photograph shows an Indian Village and train tracks of the Walt Disney World Railroad passing in the background.
Walt Disney World, Florida: Main Street U.S.A.
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida is the first park to be opened at the Florida Amusement Park. The design was based on Disneyland, a California amusement park opened in 1955, except on a grander scale. The Magic Kingdom is one of…
Walt Disney World: Cinderella’s Castle, Magic Kingdom
Opening in 1971, Walt Disney World in Florida was the second park envisioned by American animator Walt Disney. This photograph show’s Cinderella’s Castle, an icon of Disney’s Magic Kingdom, and a major tourist attraction.
Orlando: Walt Disney World Resort
This photograph shows the Cinderella’s Castle, the icon of Walt Disney Word Resort’s Magic Kingdom, with a large number of visitors. It was built in 1971 by WED Enterprises. Walt Disney World was planned in the 1960s as a larger version of…
North Charleston: Industry
This photograph shows industrial zoning in North Charleston. The city was incorporated in 1972 from several different smaller areas. Within a decade it had become the third largest city in the state and the state's major industrial and commercial…